Welcome to the Jungle Baby!
I think Axel said it best. This is a Jungle this week. The College Football season is a jungle. The NFL is a Jungle. THE MLB is a Jungle. Everything is a mess. I’m totally a child of the 80’s and nothing better sums up the current state of sports than a Gun ‘N Roses song. Who better to express the incredible amount of angst even fans of good teams are feeling? Who better displays raw emotion like a band that was completely messed up when they did all their recording and yet still sounded perfect? Nobody I tell you. Nobody!
A Conversation That Will Happen This Week
Bobby Bowden: You know, I think I can do this ’til I’m 90 Teek {T.K. Wetherell, FSU President}
“Teek”: Bobby if you don’t resign in the next 10 seconds I’m gonna jump across this table and strangle you. Do you know that trustees are calling me telling me it’s time for you to go? Did you know that I have better things to do than wait for you to retire?
Bobby: Well, Teek, you know that our kids are playing hard and the ball just didn’t bounce our way…
Teek: {seething with anger} It’s bad enough that I have to sign Jimbo Fisher to a contract that will allow him to make personnel decisions even if you don’t retire. Could just retire because you’re making me look bad.
Bobby: Well Teek, you know we can turn this thing…..
Teek: {showing Bobby the “hand”} Don’t speak again. Just shut up. You’re fired…I’ll be the guy that fires Bobby Bowden….I can’t take it anymore…
And now we see the repercussions of hiring the wrong successor to someone who will not retire when he has completely lost control of his program. I like Bobby Bowden, I do, but he doesn’t look like he’s doing anything. He doesn’t look like he cares. If you’re a FSU fan let me ask you a question:
If the University is going to sign Jimbo Fisher (a guy you apparently don’t want) to a long term deal that will allow him to make personnel decisions even if Bobby doesn’t retire, doesn’t that make you wonder what Bobby’s been doing for the past 5 years or so? Doesn’t it make you think that he’s been stealing money and not doing anything…I mean NOTHING for the past 5 years. Have you considered that? If you’re not pissed you should be. I would be. Actually, I am and I’m not even emotionally invested in FSU. Yikes! [I expect an announcement before Friday.]
Generally Speaking
– The Colts keep winning and one must beg the question: Who do you want with the ball in their hand with one play left? Peyton or Brett? Peyton Manning is the Greg Maddux of the NFL. He’s just performing surgery on the other team, doing as he wills and making things happen, seemingly, out of thin air. He could be throwing the ball to me (I’ve got good hands, but I’m no NFL receiver) and I could have 8 catches for 120 yds and a score. Brett Favre holds all the passing records, but those records don’t mean anything when it comes to clutch. Really, he was clutch once, in the Super Bowl, a game he wasn’t even the MVP of. Peyton has had to be clutch a million times just to get close to the one ring he won and he does it every week. Peyton’s the man (and he’ll break all of Brett’s records anyways.)
– Mike Singletary has sent me back to “expectation land”. In case I haven’t made it clear, I’m a 49ers fan. Always have been since I was a kid. When the team got sold and it went downhill I threw my expectations out the window because I hate being angry all the time that my team sucks. Well, Mike Singletary has sent me back to a time long goneby where I EXPECT the 49ers to win every friggin’ week.
“Well, they beat the Rams, that’s no feat!” I know it’s not small feat. I could take you and a couple other dudes off the street and beat the Rams short a couple men. It’s not a feat to beat a monumentally crappy team (only the Browns are worse) but you see the 49ers were SUPPOSED to beat the Rams and they crushed them (35-0). Teams don’t lose 35-0 that often in the NFL and now I believe that Mike Singletary has found his niche. As great a player as he was (Hall of Famer and all that) he’s turning out to be an even better coach. He works for one the worst owners in sports and he’s got this team rolling. (They are a miracle from Brett Favre away from being 4-0.) Tell me you don’t see them steamrolling their division and winning a playoff game this year. That’s a major turnaround for a franchise that drafted the wrong QB (Alex Smith) in the 1st Round and an doofus (Michael Crabtree) in the 1st Round a few years later. I love you Shaun Hill. I’ve always loved you Mike Singletary! (BTW – Michael Crabtree, you can kick rocks!)
– Miami just ruined Oklahoma’s season on Saturday and all I have to say is: When are people in Norman going to get tired of being disappointed? I know that Bob Stoops isn’t going to get fired (and he shouldn’t) but how long before people really start screaming for a shake-up? This isn’t working and he’s sat on the Championship he won 10 YEARS AGO for long enough.
– Did you see the horrible excessive celebration call during the LSU/UGA game? I think A.J. Green scored a touchdown and enjoyed it. Apparently the ref thought that was bad, and flagged him. Today, the SEC came out and said the official was wrong. DUH! Georgia should have lost the game, but can we please get some decent officiating in sports? I’m already freaking out over the NBA replacement ref thing and now we have old white officials in the SEC who don’t want young black kids to celebrate? (Sorry, but it has to be said. Racial prejudice didn’t go away down here.) Get it right or get another job. Once again, I’m not saying someone should be fired, but people need to rethink if they’re going to be an official in a highly televised sport like College Football AND suck. That’s just not good.
– Tim Tebow hasn’t practiced? It’s a big deal? This kid is Steve McNair{RIP} times a million. He could never practice again the rest of the season and they’d still probably make the BCS title game. He might have to practice for that one.
Now, if his head is effed up….then we’ve got a problem Houston. His draft stock (which was already really low) will plummet faster than the Titanic if he’s got a major head injury.) This could be nothing or it could be disaster…it’s too soon to tell.
– The Tigers and Twins have to play a one-game playoff on Tuesday (not today because of the Monday Night Game at the Metrodome) and I have to say this could be fun.
If the Twins win they’re the hot team going into the playoffs and they would have a massively good shot at beating the Yankees. IF the Tigers win they’re the sluggish team that barely made it in and will be creamed by the Yankees. The game itself should be exciting (I hope they play 27 innings. Like when I get up for work tomorrow I want the post-game interviews to just be starting.) If the Tigers win can we just pencil in the Red Sox and Yankees to duel in the ALCS. And this time can the Red Sox beat the Yankees in 4 or 5 instead getting down 0-3 and making history? (That was cool and all, but I’m over it. Yes, I’m a Yankees-hater and proud of it.)
If Jim Leyland has anything to do with it the Tigers will win this game 24-0. He doesn’t mess around (and at his age can you blame him?) I remember those two ALCS series with the Pirates where Jimmy looked like the little Manager that never could, then the Marlins bought him a title, and now he’s getting stuff done in Detroit. I have to respect that.
– Denver’s 4-0. Whodathunkit? I guess I was wrong about Joshie and Kyle Orton. Kyle Orton manages the game well and he’s 17-2 as a starter. Damn! The defense in Denver can play and I’m starting to think they are for real. I guess with all the other garbage in their division we can pencil them in for the playoffs. (You know San Diego isn’t as good as advertised, right?)
– Is it possible for us to put a fork in some teams? I vote that we stick a fork in the following:
UGA, Cal, Tennessee, Ole Miss, Oklahoma, the Raiders, the Chefs, the Rams, the Browns, the Bucs, and the Bills.
– I also vote that we stick a fork in Wade Phillips. {and if Jerry Jones is as smart as he claims to be he’ll hire Mike Shanahan faster than I cal whistle “Dixie”
– I want to get back to UGA for a second. Have you noticed that that team hasn’t been the same since the “celebration” game against Florida a couple of years ago? I feel like the team has lost its focus and they can’t get it back. I mean, Mark Richt has had some crazy people (Odell Thurman) on his older teams, but they could keep it together. I’m thinking Georgia might barely play .500 ball this year.
Some Other Thoughts
– The Twins will win the one-game playoff
– The NBA season will be wrought with bad officiating (not that that’s really any different than any other season, but I guess we can “officially” say it now)
– The 49ers are going places…this makes me happy
– The Cowboys are not…this makes me happy
– The Redskins got lucky this week
– I loved being right about the Chargers not being any good
– I still don’t know how the Titans are 0-4
– Eli Manning is clutch AND he doesn’t need his heel
– I’m calling the Red Sox and Yankees in the ALCS
– I have no idea what to do with the National League yet
– I’m thinking that the Vikings/Packers game tonight will be a bloodbath (but most of it will be Packer blood…they can’t hang with the Vikes.)
– I’m done with Bobby Bowden (but not with Joe Paterno…I love him and he has resiliency)
I predict…
that Bobby Bowden is out after this season
that the Yankees are going nowhere
that Joe Torre CAN get the Dodgers to the World Series, but I don’t know if his team will cooperate
the Top 5 in College football isn’t going to change the rest of the season
no one cares about Hockey (but that Sidney Crosby seems like a cool kid. Did you know he still lives in Mario Lemieux’s house?)
I have an NFL power ranking edition coming up Wednesday
that I’ve said enough for today.
