SportsNetUSA Blogs

You often will hear on SPORTSNETUSA.NET the bantering of Title IX, Pedal to the Metal, Big E, Stick boy, and The Franchise about sports; where they were, how far they have come and where they might be going as a viable, competitive, watchable product to the public. Some of our honored group would go so far as to tell you that Hockey and Pro Basketball are on the rise.  But let us be realistic, the more butts you can plunk into seats the more whatever product you are watching will look more popular.

Take for example this past Sunday (3/7/2010), just in the LA/O.C. market alone on cable television, you were offered 20 college basketball games. Throw in four high school games and three pro games and you would say the sport is popular. But how true is that statement and how true are those numbers? If a marketer were to call the average sport’s viewer and ask if they watched a basketball game there is a very good chance that they watched a few moments of one of twenty games. If you do that in enough markets it makes the game seem as if it is growing in popularity. This kind of chicanery is played by many major sports throughout the country and we, the viewers, are supposed to buy into popularity over boredom.

STATEMENT FROM NEILSEN RATINGS: 
The National Basketball Association has achieved a rapid rise and fall in television ratings since the 1997-1998 NBA season, when ratings for the NBA Finals achieved a record high, to the 2002-2003 NBA season, when ratings for the same event hit an all-time record low.

Blame for this rise and fall has been pinned on the destructive NBA lockout which occurred right after the 1998 season. The lockout wiped out thirty-two games of the 1998-1999 season and caused fan apathy. As well as heavy competition from prime time programming such as American Idol, the CSI franchise, and Dancing With The Stars.

Despite the fall in ratings, the NBA’s regular season ratings average is only slightly lower than Major League Baseball’s, and ratings for the finals continue to outdraw competing events that occur during the same month, golf’s U.S. Open and the Stanley Cup Finals.  So why do my compatriots continue to try and tell me how popular a sport is that seems to have no popularity at all?

It is this, my partner TITLE IX is the voice for one of the more successful woman’s program in college basketball, Vanguard University. He has the luxury to watch a product that is superior on a daily basis and that influences his perception of the game. On the other side of the table is The Franchise who works with a major professional organization in basketball and also has the
pleasure of touting some of the best young talent on the high school level. Ah, to wear rose colored glasses. The trifecta of this group, is the wishful announcer of Cal State University Fullerton Basketball, the Big E. Okay, I know that is a giant leap from the other two; at least they have something to root for on a high school, pro or college level. Let me give credit where credit is due. CSUF has made it to the tournament before and Big E is a “half full glass” type of person.

But gentleman, the door is starting to close and it will continue to close on your sport and others when the foundation of your sport and its fans forget what made yours and other sports famous … history.  History is a lost story in basketball, we only hear of number 23. History is a lost sport in hockey, we barely ever hear of number 99. And in baseball, the history stopped.  So guys, your sport is not as popular as you’d like to think, because no one cares about who did what whenever. Well I guess I should not say that. I, at least, know three who care.  It’s just that they need to yell a little louder.

By the way Mr. Neyland my all-GSAC team is the following:
Teresa Kamp: Fresno Pacific
Becki Huddle: Vanguard University
Kelly Boeke: Vanguard University
Lisa Faulkner: Vanguard University
Kelly Schmidt: Vanguard University
Erin Kella Point Loma
Colleen Planeta: Point Loma
Lindsey West: Azusa Paciific
Stephen Patten: Azusa Pacific
Sonia Ackerman; Cal Baptist
Gittie Mejer: Concordia
(Whomever I missed I know TITLE IX covered)

I keep hearing LeBron James wants to change his jersey number from 23 to 6. James says “[Jordan] can’t get the logo, and if he can’t, something has to be done. I feel like no NBA player should wear 23. I’m starting a petition, and I’ve got to get everyone in the NBA to sign it. Now, if I’m not going to wear No. 23, then nobody else should be able to wear it.” Michael Jordan is arguably (if you’ve listened to Friday Nite Mics then you’ve heard the arguments) the greatest basketball player of all time. He has won six championships, six Finals MVPs, and five regular season MVPs but he is not Jackie Robinson. He doesn’t hold a candle to Robinson’s cultural impact. Jordan is a basketball and marketing icon, but he didn’t change the landscape of professional sports. For James to change his number from what he feels is respect for Jordan to number 6 shows his lack of basketball history. Lebron also said “I just think what Michael Jordan has done for the game has to be recognized some way soon,” James said.  There would be no LeBron James, no Kobe Bryant, no Dwyane Wade if there wasn’t Michael Jordan first. Without Julius Erving, who wore number 6, there would be no Michael Jordan. But didn’t someone else wear #6 that won 11 championships, was a pretty decent player in his own, arguably the greatest basketball player ever and most likely the greatest defender and played during an era that changed America? For LeBron to change his number out of respect to Michael Jordan, he should think about changing it to a number not #6 out of respect for Bill Russell and the history of the game.

Speaking of Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant should be mentioned in the same breath. I know everyone at www.sportsnetusa.net will disagree.

Here is my top 5 MVP candidates:
1. LeBron James
2. Carmelo Anthony
3. Kevin Durant
4. Kobe Bryant
5. Dirk Nowitzki

I was thinking recently of a game the Buddha of Babble and I played during our 3am journey from Jackson to the Nashville airport a couple of years ago; the Hall of Fame game. This is a list of nine that should be in the basketball Hall of Fame.
*Artis Gilmore: dominating in the ABA and didn’t drop off when he came to the NBA. Top ten in rebounds, blocks, games and   number one in field goal percentage.
*Dennis Johnson: nine straight All-NBA Defensive teams, three time NBA champ, one Finals MVP
*Gus Johnson: besides being my Uncle Popsie’s favorite player, prototype power forward, think Gayle Sayers impact on the hardwood
*Jerry Tarkanian: Long Beach St. is still living off the recognition he brought to the program, more coaching victories than Ralph Miller, John Chaney, Norm Stewart, Ray Meyer and more championships
*Oscar Schmidt: five-time Olympian for Brazil, one of the best players never to play in the NBA
*Rebecca Lobo: catalyst for UCONN dominance, National Champion
*Frank Selvy: 100 points in a college game, three time all-American
*Hank Gathers: 2nd player in NCAA history to lead in points and rebounds in the same season, average for NCAA career 33 points, 14 rebounds

The most impressive sports team during the last few years has been the UCONN Huskies Women’s basketball team. At this moment, they are at 70 consecutive wins and counting and a national championship during the run. If Maya Moore stays for her senior season, she will be considered one of the all-time greats.

Speaking of all-time greats here is my All-time Golden State Athletic Conference Women’s Basketball Team:
*Kelly Schmidt, Vanguard University: four all conference selections, two-time GSAC Player of the Year, four-time all-American (three 1st team and one 2nd), NAIA Player of the Year
*Jessica Richter, Vanguard University: three all conference selections, two-time GSAC Player of the Year, three-time all-American
1st team, NAIA Player of the Year
*Lisa Faulkner, Vanguard University: two all conference selections, GSAC Player of the Year, NAIA Player of the Year, two-time all-American 1st team, NAIA single season assist leader (385)
*Gitte Mejer, Concordia University, all-American 1st team, three-time GSAC Player of the Year
*Sonia Akkerman, Cal Baptist University: all-American, three-time GSAC Player of the Year
Honorable mentions: Lindsey West and Cindy DeYoung (APU), Jamie Gast (CUI), Lesley DuBois (TMC), Colleen Planeta (PLNU), Katie Hardeman and Becky Gibb (WC)

If the NCAA really cared about “student-athletes” missing class time, the NCAA would not consider expanding the Field of 64 to 96 teams. The tournament field is fine the way it is structured now. Proponents say expanding will lessen the cries of those that missed the cut. Even if the field grows, there will always be one or two teams that feel left out. I thought the NCAA wanted full-time “student -athletes” not athletes that only go to class when the time is convenient to the NCAA; which is October to the first week of April.

There are so many events that I never think I will see.  I did not think I would ever see Tiger Woods looking so ordinary like he did last Friday.  I know this story has been covered from about a billion different ways.  People saw his apology from about the same number of viewpoints.  I figured it was time to add mine.  I am not a golf fan but I am a Tiger Woods fan.  If Tiger was in a final I found myself tuning in for a while and sometimes for hours.  I do not play golf and what I am about to write is just my opinion.  This is not about facts but just my opinion and questions I have now more than ever.

It is fun for some to gossip about what women Tiger had affairs with.  It may not be right but sex always and I say always sells.  It has been that way forever and ever.  I do not care who he slept or sleeps with.  It is not my business and it is not your business.  I was amused by all of the fuss about what type of conference he had and who was or was not there.  The guy did not owe fans nor any media people an apology.  So why all of the grousing about not being allowed to ask questions?  Get over it.  Some were upset that he read it.  You’re kidding me right?  People write and read speeches all of the time.  Have you ever been to a funeral?  Should a minister not be allowed to read from his script?  How many great political speeches have been written and then read.  Does that really make them less sincere?  I think not.  All of this stuff is just plain silly to me.  Most is not my concern nor do I care.

My concerns have to do with another question that may get larger down the road.  I cannot shake it yet.  Has Tiger Woods ever used any PEDS?  I know that he said no in his speech.  All athletes deny they have ever used steroids or peds.  Marion Jones denied over and over and then admitted so and went to prison.  I was a Marion Jones fan as well.  For me that is the real question and concern.  I think Tiger will come back and he may once again dominate golf.  People have and will forgive him.  He now looks more mortal and like one of us (not really but you get what I mean right).

This is not an accusation; just a concern and his apology brought it up more for me.  When the story of Tiger’s infidelity came up his agent Mark Steinberg did not deny and said little.  When there was mention that one of Tiger’s doctors was known for using HGH.  There was a strong denial from Steinberg that Woods had ever used steroids.  So keep the name Tony Galea in your memory bank.  He treated Tiger for his knee injury and has worked with numerous athletes.  He has also taken HGH personally.  He does unique treatments like the platelet-rich plasma injections he used on Tiger’s knee.  This is not against PGA rules.  The FBI and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police are investigating him.  His employee, Mary Anne Catalano is said to be co-operating with the FBI.  This is similar to how BALCO came about.

Now let’s go back in history.  One day I turned on my TV and saw Woods strolling down the course and I thought I was looking at an NFL defensive back not a golfer.  I could not believe how big he was.  The announcer said that Tiger puts so much torque on his swing with his upper body that it put much stress on his knees.  We all know by now that peds build a person up and then eventually they tear a person down.  Everyone has talked about Tiger and his competitiveness, his super desire to be the best ever.  There is that and then his own words at his apology announcement.  Woods said, “I stopped living by the core values that I was taught to believe in.  I knew my actions were wrong but I convinced myself that normal rules didn’t apply.  I never thought about who I was hurting.  Instead I thought only about myself.  I ran straight through the boundaries that a married couple should live by.  I thought I could get away with whatever I wanted to.  I felt that I had worked hard my entire life and deserved to enjoy all the temptations around me.  I felt I was entitled.  Thanks to money and fame I didn’t have to go far to find them.  I was wrong.”

Tiger is the one athlete that may be bigger than the game.  In his fourteen years, the PGA purses have gone from 65.9 million to 277.3 million.  Is CBS going to do an investigation?  How about the PGA commissioner?  Take a look at the previous paragraph. “I knew my actions were wrong but I convinced myself that normal rules didn’t apply.”  I hope Tiger finds peace and I hope my concerns are unfounded.  Whom Tiger cheated with is none of my business but if he cheated in golf, that is a question that is fair game.

Well, so much for Peyton Manning being called the greatest ever.  I hope you were not near that bandwagon when people began leaping off with three minutes to go in the game.  Tracy Porter picked off Manning and sealed the victory and maybe two quarterback’s legacies.  You all know that Porter picked off Brett Favre in the NFC Championship and got a pick six against Manning.  The talk is that Manning is a great regular season quarterback but his record is only 9-9 in postseason play.  I do not know nor care what others try to make his legacy stand as a quarterback.  I do know that he will always be the all time favorite son in New Orleans.  Peyton was born there and went to high school there and there will be Saints fans always grateful that he helped deliver a Super Bowl victory to the former Aints.  There is already talk that this young Saints team could be on its way to a mini dynasty.  Drew Brees may play another five years or more. 

According to some you may as well find a spot in Canton for Sean Payton as he becomes the latest genius head coach.  It is too early for that but let’s give Sean his due, he coached a heck of a game and it was obvious he came to win.  So much for the Colts staying in the same hotel and all of that they have been there before advantage.  Payton was aggressive and Coach Caldwell too conservative for my taste.  The Colts will deny but the two games they gave away instead of trying to go undefeated sent a bad precedent.

I thought the turning point came in the first half when the Colts held on fourth down on their goal line.  Instead of picking up a first down and running out the clock they turned the ball back to the Saints which led to a field goal and cut the lead to 10-6 at halftime.  In the first half Garrett Hartley was huge in keeping New Orleans in the game.  Marques Colston could not be covered in the first half either.  Pierre Thomas definitely made a name for himself and demonstrated why Reggie Bush is mostly a special teams player and situational back

So at halftime the Colts had to believe they would go in and make adjustments and take control in the second half. There is not much to say about the halftime fireworks show.  I am racking my brain trying to figure out which rock act from the sixties or seventies is still left out there. Back to the game; Sean Payton stunned the world with his successful onside kick and then I think we knew we were in for a game.  I did not understand the field goal attempt by the Colts and Matt Stover.  Stover had not had a field goal over fifty yards since, well since he was well under the forty-two plus years he is now.  He did get a Super Bowl record being the oldest player to ever play in a Super Bowl.  This was the point where I felt the Saints were going to win the game.  Congratulations to the Saints and their fans.  This is another thing I never thought I would live long enough to see.  My whole life I only remember one person ever admitting he was a Saints fan.  So Justin, if you are out there somewhere, enjoy.

What a playoff run for the Saints.  They beat three Super Bowl winning quarterbacks in a row, Warner, Favre and Manning.  Drew Brees completed an astounding 72% of his passes with eight touchdowns and zero interceptions while racking up 732 yards.  Brees won the Super Bowl MVP award and gave himself a huge boost towards a Hall of Fame career if he continues for three or four years at this pace.  He already has 30,646 passing yards, 202-110 touchdowns to interceptions. He came to the Saints in 2006 and his lowest touchdown total is 26.  Funny how life works out sometime.  It seems like the Chargers had decided Drew was not their quarterback of the future and he basically held the job until Phillip Rivers was ready to go.  In the past a top quarterback would not pick New Orleans as the place to go as a free agent.  Yet, Brees does and has the good fortune to hook up with Sean Payton and also the good fortune to not play for Norv Turner.  The Chargers are set to sink with Norv.  He has a 90-98-1 record in 12 years as a head coach and has four teams in the playoffs in those twelve years.  The Chargers fired Marty Schottenheimer because he could not win in the playoffs.  Norv Turner is 3-3 in the playoffs and is rewarded with a contract extension.  Yes sir, life can be interesting.  Have fun Drew and no one would blame you if you were to say, I told you so.

Black History month is here and, for many of you that have listened to us on SportsNetUSA.net and to Friday Nite Mics, you have heard us discuss the plight of black athletes and coaches on a variety of topics. We have discussed Negro baseball and have wondered out loud how good some of the old Hall of Famers would have been in baseball if they would have had to face every athlete of their time. If we go back in time we have wondered how many NCAA Championships would have been won by certain teams if segregation had not been the law of the land. We still wonder about golf (country club) policies across this country that, in 2010, some clubs are still closed to people of color.

As for coaches of color, no one has hollered louder than TitleIX and the Buddha of Babble about equality in the coaching ranks for college and professional teams. So to all of the great athletes of our time, the ones from the past and to those of you in the future, we throw in our thoughts and the thoughts of others on Black History Month:

Here’s a link to “Top 75 Althletes and Pioneers of Sports Inclusion” an article written by Leland Stien III originally published by the Los Angeles Sentinel.  http://www.afrogolf.com/top75blackathletes.html

I just love when someone uses that word.  It is so harsh.  They cheated on their taxes, they cheated on their spouses and they cheated on their tests. YIKES !!!!! Can you imagine anyone cheating in football, baseball, ice hockey, basketball, sorry there are no enforceable rules in basketball ….

A cheater is defined as: one who acts dishonest, to elude by trickery or deception, lying.  So once again the world of technology has set golfers against each other in one of the last of the gentlemen sports; yes, Phil has been called a cheater. That’s right, Phil Mickelson has been branded a cheater by other pros because he is using a club that is within the rules, but which skirts the boundaries of acceptability according to technology rules.

That’s right, MR. TITLE IX, that aspect of sports that you keep protecting on FNM is now slithering its ugly bite into one of the last bastions of fair play. What is wrong with you technological geeks who keep thinking that the changing of the accessories is beneficial to the game? Please do not answer with the traditional: “well maybe they should still be playing with …….” Advancement is fine, but just as we have advanced with our automobiles, none of thinks that we should have cars that do a thousand miles an hour with roads that are filled with stop, stop, stop and go traffic.

So why do you and your cohorts feel that the constant change of the accessories will improve the sport? Why not just try to improve the athlete in a non-controversial way?  Or maybe you think it is fine that an athlete is called a; rogue, confidence man, quack, charlatan, conniver, fraud, beguiler, deceiver, trickster, inveigler, a wolf in sheep’s clothing, four-flusher, a shill, fake, pretender, hypocrite, con man, shark ….can’t use shark.

Gentlemen, awake from your world of metal clubs, belly putters, softer covered golf balls and GPS yardage finders, and realize that there are certain games that should be left alone. So what if you are not as strong and accurate as the next guy. So what if you cannot putt as well as everyone on the course. So what if your game is just a little south of John Daly’s.  THEN QUIT… or you could just enjoy the game you have when you head out to the golf course. And please, do not try to walk around the hazard if the rule of the game is bad for the spirit of the game, because then the rule should be changed not just bypassed. So please geeks, understand that your world of technology is ruining this game and other games as well.

I’ll tell you what; let’s give the best players of today’s game of golf some semi-antiquated equipment, persimmon woods, standard putters and golf balls that are under wound, and let us watch them play the game and see if the quality of the sport degenerates. If it doesn’t, then let us look at non-domed stadiums and allowing the sports to be played in the elements they were dealt. If we do that, then maybe when we try to discuss the greats of the generations we all seem able to relate to, there might be a sense of equality because they all played a very similar game. Then, the only ones who can be pointed at and called CHEATERS are the ones that broke the clear-cut rules of the game.

To be honest I was waiting for some of my fellow friends on SportsNetUSA.net to blog first.  I was hoping that someone would write in and smash Brett Favre and then I could respond.  So far it has not happened.  The week after the NFL championships is usually a slow sports week.  This week has been no exception and already I want to scream.  It has me thinking I want to find a classical music station and stop listening to so much sports talk.  I would like to take a look back and a quick look forward to the Super Bowl.  Somewhere another tradition has bit the dust with the Super Bowl now in February instead of January.  Just think if they go to an eighteen game schedule maybe we can get the Super Bowl pushed to March and keep the draft in April and cut down the months in which there is no NFL.

Did you ever really worry when the Colts fell behind the Jets?  I never once believed in that game that the Jets were going to win.  The Jets are what they are, an up and coming team.  The Colts are already there.  The Colts have become the model organization in football.  It helps when you have guys like Dungy, Manning and Polian.  I am happy they are in and I believe they will beat the Saints.  I just want to see a good game because like last week I have no hatred for either team.  Normally I like to be really for or really against a team but not in this one.

I was very happy for the Saints and the city of New Orleans to beat the Vikings.  It is nice to see long suffering franchises win sometimes.  The Saints defense was something to watch and what a whipping they put on Favre.  Turnovers were the difference.  I do not see them getting to Peyton like they did Brett.  If the Saints win the Super Bowl that would be fine with me too.

I have no interest in the Pro Bowl at all.  Do not care when they play it or where they play it.  It is a useless exhibition and a waste of time.  Of course I believe every professional All Star game in any sport is a waste.  I have some ideas on what would make the game more interesting but don’t want to go into that now.

This brings me to the past week and all of the nonsense about legacy and who is the greatest.  I must learn to change the channel when this kind of talk comes up.  Where does Peyton Manning rank with the all time greatest quarterbacks?  What will Peyton’s legacy be if he wins or if he loses?  Brett Favre has all kinds of records but he is not among the all time quarterbacks because he has only one ring and he always throws an interception in the crucial moment of a game. Give me some Bach or Beethoven right about now.

Remember when the standard was if you won a Super Bowl?  Well now a quarterback or coach has to win more than one or they cannot be called great.  That is garbage.  Where did all of this legacy stuff come from?  The greatest of all time talk is comparable to me to which came first the chicken or the egg?  It is useless and yet I cannot stop listening or getting ticked off.  Peyton Manning will, if he stays healthy, pass most of Favre’s records.  He is and has been a great quarterback for some time now.  He will be a great quarterback if the Colts lose.  Favre is a great quarterback despite the interception and the Vikings loss.  Did I mention the greatest back in the league kept putting the ball on the carpet in that game?  Remember in the NBA playoffs last year and I railed against the “what is Kobe’s legacy if he loses?”  Kobe haters were chomping at the bit to say, see he never won one without Shaq.  I heard a guy say that he was not sure how to rate Montana because Joe had Jerry Rice and great players around him!  What!  Shut off your mike since I can’t seem to change the station.

That is what we have to look forward to now.  Grainy films of Joe in the Super Bowl and HD pictures of the current greatest of all time, Manning.  You know if Peyton wasn’t tall, athletic, blessed with a strong throwing arm, a dad named Archie, football smart, had great coaching, have a great offensive line, have a great game plan, play in today’s pass happy game, never have a major injury, get to run the no-huddle, play in an indoor stadium and have great receivers….if he didn’t have all of that, I am not sure I could call him great.  I know this is not grammatically correct but I hope the point is made.  Chicken or the egg, Manning or Montana, enough, stop it.  Now, how about some music!

This is a great weekend for the NFL.  I really like all four teams that are left with three teams I expected and one surprise.  Last week I admitted I was a lifelong Cowboy fan and I still am.  They stunk and were defeated by a superior Viking team.  Usually as a fan I personally like to cheer against teams as well as for teams.  In these two championship games there is not a team I dislike.  The Washington Redskins are a team that I will usually root against.  I used to root against the Raiders but they have been so bad that I actually feel sorry for the team and their fans.  It is bad when at the end of the season your most hyped player is your punter Shane Lechler!  This year I like all four teams so I am having trouble deciding which match up I would like to see in the Super Bowl.
 
Let’s start with the AFC first.  I am on record as I said when the season began that I like Rex Ryan as a coach.  He has breathed some fresh air into the league and does not always resort to using pat coaching answers.  Coaches usually say how good the opposition is and boy we are lucky to be on the same field with them.  We have a lot of things to work on and, well you know how they talk.  How many coaches have you heard say, I think we should be favored to win the Super Bowl!  Rex said it even though his team was lucky to make the playoffs.  I also like Mark Sanchez and I normally like to root for a California connection.  You had to love the dig he threw at Pete Carroll and Pete’s choice to go back to the NFL.  That was classic and I am happy that it has worked out for him.  I did not expect the Jets to be here.  Did the Chargers really give Norv Turner a contract extension?
 
I like the Colts and love Peyton Manning.  I was for him a few years back when they won the Super Bowl, as he and Tony Dungy both were able to shed the “Can’t win the Big One” label.  There was so much uncertainty coming into this season and then Peyton wins his fourth MVP.  I love Dallas Clark who is from Iowa and amazing.  Dallas may be headed to the Hall of Fame.  I will root for a player like Pierre Garcon from Division III Mount Union College.  Finally there is Austin Collie, a rookie from BYU and Oak Ridge High School in Northern California.  I have to root for this player and he even took two years off to go on a mission!  How many players are there that would take two years off and maybe lose a shot to play in the NFL?  I like both teams but I will be going for the Colts in this one.  The great thing is that if the Jets got in that makes for great story lines as well.
 
Over in the NFC we have the two best teams in the conference meeting up.  I have supported Brett Favre before the season began.  I have been amused this week in the way the talk has changed.  The Favre only came back to stick it to the Packers has given way to he came back to win the Super Bowl.  Do you wish sportscasters would admit when they were wrong?  I know that I do.  No big deal, if you were wrong so what.  Most of these guys now are raving about what a season Brett has had.  I have not heard that he will throw a pick and lose the game.  I have not heard that he cannot make it a full season.  He has had a memorable season and who knows about next year.  The Vikings have never won a Super Bowl and they have great fans that deserve one.
 
What is not to like about the Saints?  This franchise has never even been to the Super Bowl even though they have hosted it numerous times.  The Super Dome has been home to some of the biggest sporting events of all time.  These fans are hungry and they deserve to have their team as in the Super Bowl as well.  I loved Drew Brees at Purdue and with the Chargers.  What he has done in New Orleans is stunning.  Sean Payton was an assistant with the Dallas Cowboys and it was my hope that he would be the head coach there.  The timing was not quite right.  So I guess I do not have to say how much I like Payton.  If Reggie Bush has another game this week like last the Saints will win.  Where has that Reggie Bush been?  I thought that Reggie would be an all time great running back.  Is last week the game that maybe brings him back?  This one is tough but I will be pulling a little bit more for the Saints.  Enjoy this weekend because sometimes one or both of these games are better than the Super Bowl.

I admit it, I am a Dallas Cowboy fan. I am not a late get on the bandwagon Cowboy fan. A few weeks ago a lot of people were banging on the Cowboys big time. Most of those same people are now talking about them going to the Super Bowl. I am not one of those delusional Cowboys fans. I have been a fan most of my life. Started when I was about seven and saw them on television. Yes there were televisions back then but they were black and white with a lot of toying with rabbit ears. I chose the Cowboys because I liked their uniforms and I had family that lived in Texas.  To me, Texas seemed like some far off magical land that had to be better than my home in Iowa. Iowa then nor now has a pro major league team of any kind. Most in Iowa cheered for the Vikings, Bears, Packers and the Chiefs. My team the Cowboys were hated and despised. It seemed to me when it came to my beloved Cowboys it was me against the state of Iowa. I feel lucky looking back now.

The Cowboys had a coach and a man that I admired in Tom Landry and they won most of the time. How many fans can say the first team they rooted for and loved had a coach that they liked as a coach and as a person. I believe Coach Landry is underrated. I also believe that Tony Dorsett and Roger Staubach are under rated also. All three are in the NFL Hall of Fame but not usually mentioned when the all time top five or even top ten are discussed. I do not want to stay in the past for too long but indulge me a little longer. Recently I found out that Doug Cosbie a former tight end for Dallas, is the coach of Sacramento High School. Like a true fan I was excited and my thought was I need to interview this guy. Last thing from the far past is a brief great moment in my life.

In the early 80’s I moved from Iowa to Orange County. I trekked up to Thousand Oaks where the Cowboys had their training camp for a scrimmage with the Rams. It was very laid back then as there was no fence around the field and after the game all fans could go down on the field. Fans and players were talking, how different things were then. I cut across the field and headed to my car. After a short ways I glanced behind me and Coach Landry was walking and talking with a man. There was no one else around and I was maybe only five to eight yards ahead of them. My mind was racing and I thought if they keep coming my way and Coach Landry is alone I have to talk to him. Amazingly, after a few steps more, the man left and there was Coach Landry all by himself. He was walking my direction. I decided to introduce myself and expected him to be cold(those were the stories back then that he was cold). The man could not have been any more friendly as he shook my hand. The conversation was short as I told him I was a lifelong Cowboy fan and had finished reading one of his biographies. He asked me which one and he knew of it and liked it. He thanked me for my support and for coming to the scrimmage and wished me well. That was my one and only time ever going up to a famous person. Something I always look back on with joy. I would like to hear any stories that you may have of an experience you may have had like that.

Now to the present state of the Cowboys. I still cheer for the Cowboys but this team has to prove it on the field. All year long I have supported Brett Favre and now I have to go against him. I like the defense and was shocked when I heard that for the first time ever the Cowboys had back to back shutouts. This franchise has had many great defenses and that stat stunned me. I like now that Jason Garrett is calling more running plays than he did in the past. I have always liked Romo as a quarterback. This line has never been that great at pass blocking. Remember when Bledsoe was the quarterback and all of the sacks he had to take. Romo escapes so many sacks and now is taking better care of the ball. I also like his attitude better now that he does not smile on the field and sidelines all of the time. He now looks like he knows he belongs. Before, I always had the feeling he could not believe his luck! He was an undrafted player from Eastern Illinois and then became the quarterback of the Cowboys and dating starlets. Still the Vikings are the better team. The great thing about one and done playoffs is the best team does not always win. There is no doubt the Patriots were a better team than the Giants over that season. However the Giants got hot at the end and was the better team that year in the Super Bowl. It is not about who is the better team nor has the most talent. It is about being the Champions!!!

Last, I must congratulate Wade Phillips and Jerry Jones. I have been critical of Phillips. I like him but did not think he should be coaching the Cowboys. He has really done a great job developing the defense. I have also been critical of Jerry Jones as I felt like he lost his way for awhile. I felt like Jerry became more concerned about being right than about winning. There is no way the Dallas Cowboys should ever go from 1996 to 2010 without winning a playoff game! The tension of a playoff football game with your favorite team in it is unmatched. I will be a Dallas Cowboy fan for life come win or lose. However it is much better to win! Go Cowboys!

I am feeling somewhat blue now that the college football season is over.  No I do not count the various All Star games.  What a let down that Colt McCoy got hurt and missed most of the game.  He deserved better, we all deserved better.  I do not know if Texas would have won the game or not but it would have been fun to see.  Mark Ingram definitely impressed and proved he was a deserving winner of the Heisman Trophy.  It was good to see this Alabama team was motivated to play this year.  Since the BCS likes to play the game on paper I have decided to crown on paper Boise State as Co-National-Champions.  I guess that is what I will have to do for the next four years at least.

Three teams have ever finished the season 14-0.  Two of them were crowned BCS National Champions.  That would be Ohio State when they beat Miami and now this years Alabama team.  One team finished 14-0 and never even had a chance to play for the championship.  Boise State beat the Pac-10 Champs Oregon and then beat TCU.  TCU was favored and ranked higher in the BCS than the Broncos.  Most of the experts thought TCU would win and most thought they could play with the Tide and the Longhorns.  Somehow Boise overcame all of that and finished 14-0.  There was not much outcry because the system wins and most of the public accepts that you can not fight city hall.  So I will have my own individual protest and congradulate the Boise State team on being Co-Champs.  I counted 35 players on their roster from California so that is great representation for the National Champions.

I am not sure if you saw it or not but there is a new BCS executive director named Bill Hancock.  Bill has worked with the BCS for some time and no surprise here, he sees no reason to change.  They have a new four year contract with ESPN and so the playoffs will have to wait.  Bill says they will not go to a playoff system for some of the same great reasons you have heard before.  Come to think of it they are some of the same reasons I have heard from ESPN guys.  Playoffs lead to more injuries; conflicts with final exams; they would kill the bowl system; and it would diminish the importance of the regular season.  I am not sure but I heard that Mark McGwire had a hand in these reasons.  He and Bill both seem to have trouble with coming clean.

Some more quick notes on the season:  How bout my old guys Bobby and Joe coming through in the bowl games.  Guess the head coaches on the other side must have had the game pass them by.  Bowden finishes 7-6 and they run him out of town.  Lane Kiffin goes 7-6 and gets to be the head coach at USC.  Go figure, I guess Lane must be a bright new mind in the game.  Good choice bringing along his old man, Monte.

Back up quarterback Aaron Corp from USC is transferring to Richmond University.  Good luck to the former Orange Lutheran High School standout.

The Pac 10 went 2-5 in bowl games and the mighty SEC went 6-4.  By the way did you know that the mighty SEC Champs, Alabama played powerhouse teams like Florida International, North Texas and Tennessee-Chattanooga?  Here is another fact you won’t care about.  There have been twelve BCS Championship games and eight were decided by 10 or more points.  What incredible drama that is right?  In my opinion there are only two that really are memorable.  Ohio State over Miami and Texas over USC.  I did enjoy the tradition of having the game played on Thursday night.  Why I remember when I was a boy and all of my relatives would come over to celebrate New Year’s day on Thursday January 7th.  I have a tear in my eye right now thinking about how important tradition is in college football.  Thank you BCS supporters.

Let’s end on a positive note.  I suggest that every high school coach record the interview with Colt after the Championship game was over.  That should be shown to every high school and college team across America.  That was as classy as you can get.  The guy was so disappointed and yet he gave credit to his opponent, his team, his backup and said he had given his all.  I do not know if he and Tim Tebow will be great pros or not.  I want to thank them both for being great athletes and for being two great things about college football.