I was surprised, to say the least, the other night when I found out that Texas Tech basketball coach Bob Knight decided to step down as coach mid-season and hand the reigns over to his son, Pat.  Coach Knight said he was tired and didn't want to do it anymore and I believe him.  He has 902 wins, most all-time, 3 national titles, an Olympic gold medal, a legion of current and former players who are loyal to him, and nothing more to prove.  So why step down now and not finish out the season?  As always, Coach Knight has a "hidden agenda" for what he's doing.  The reports from ESPN are that he stepped down mid-season for his son because of a recent change in administration.  Two years ago, athletics director Gerald Myers promised that Pat Knight would be his father's successor once he stepped away.  By leaving now, Coach Knight put the pressure back on Myers to name a new coach right away and because of their agreement, the new coach is Pat Knight.  They signed the deal right away so that the new administration could not override the decision.  By leaving now, the team was in an immediate need for a coach and Pat Knight and Myers quickly inked the deal for Pat Knight to officially take over.  If the resignation would have waited until the end of the season, the speculation was that administration would have wanted to form a search committee and go out and find a new head coach and that would have voided the verbal agreement between Myers and Pat Knight that he would be the next coach.  Luckily for Pat, nobody knows how to "play the system" better than his father.  He knew what was going on and he knew what he had to do and when he had to do it.  And besides, he left on his own terms with no farewell tours or anything, just like he wanted it.
Now that he has gone and will more than likely never coach again, there are two things I will remember most about Coach Bob Knight.  Of course, everyone will remember the tantrums and the sometimes laughable exchange with reporters but the two things I will remember are statistics.  The first statistic is that over his 42-year coaching career, Coach Knight's players graduated 97% of the time.  That is an alarming number especially considering that today more players leave early for the pros than ever before.  For him to keep his players around for 4 years to earn an education and to have them graduate at that high of a percentage of absolutely unbelievable.  The second glaring statistic I will forever remember about Coach Knight is that during his career, do you know how many NCAA violations and investigations into violations he had? NONE, ZERO!!  Not one violation, not one phone call from an NCAA official saying they heard a report that may cause an investigation.  Once again, this is an unbelievable fact because of how difficult it is to understand the NCAA handbook of policies and procedures.  He always made sure that his players were attending class, taking care of business on the court, and following the rules of the university and the NCAA and he did it as well, if not better, than anyone.
Thanks for the memories, Coach.  I don't think I could have handled playing for you, but you are the exact kind of person I would want in my corner if I were in need.  I didn't always agree with your methods, but your loyalty to your players, your family, your university, and your community will be unsurpassed. 

As the congressional meetings continue to take place with major league baseball officials and players, both former and current, the central problem in baseball continues to be the hot topic of steroids and human growth hormone (HGH) in the sport.  However, baseball and other sports need to stop concentrating on HGH because, in my opinion, that's not the problem.  I did some research and let me tell you what I found out about HGH. First of all, our bodies give out HGH every day.  It is a vital substance needed to keep many organs running and healthy.  However, as we get older, the amount of HGH our bodies give out reduces by as much as 15-30% and this reduction typically begins when people are in their 30's and without it, we look old, we have other potential health issues like diabetes, depression, loss of energy, loss of muscle mass, and every other problem associated with aging.  On the other hand, if someone takes an HGH supplement or gets a shot, he/she can look forward to increased muscle mass, calcium retention, reduced body fat, and it also helps with immunity against diseases.  Basically, HGH is the fountain of youth.  That's why athletes in their 40's look like they're in their 20's.  Major league baseball, though, has a problem with this substance because of its assistance in increasing an individual's muscle mass which they think leads to increased athletic performance, much like what steroids do.  That theory has a problem, though, and that is there's no proof to back it up.  Yes, MLB has banned the substance, but why?  There is no proven research being circulated that HGH improves sports performance.  Also, HGH, because it's all-natural, has no side effects at all whereas steroids do.  If anything, athletes use HGH for two reasons:  to maintain their strength and to heal injuries.  Studies have shown that HGH helps strengthen muscle tissue faster so that an injury can heal.  Because of all of this, I fail to see the logic in making such a hot issue of HGH. I mentioned earlier that the problem is not with HGH so let me tell you where the ultimate problem lies:  steroids and the front office of Major league baseball and the two go hand-in-hand because apparently steroids have been used for a while and it is now literally taking an act of Congress to try and stop it.  I applaud MLB for their new drug testing policies, but it should have never come to this.  They should have taken notice immediately that something was going on when Barry Bonds went from a skinny kid to a hulking mass in just a few months back in his earlier playing days with the San Francisco Giants.  However, they let it slide and, to my knowledge, they didn't have a ban on any steroid-type substance while all other sports did.  I don't see the NFL, NBA, and NHL seeking the help of Congress to help straighten up the mess they could have prevented a long time ago.  The NFL, NBA, and NHL have governed their league and players well and have educated them on the dangers of steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs.  What have you been doing all this time, MLB?  Well, regardless of what has or has not been done, MLB is in a mess right now and some of the game's greatest players are having to answer for it.  All of the sudden, Pete Rose looks pretty good, doesn't he?  

Now that the season is over for the Dallas Cowboys, there could very well be some interesting shake-ups in the coaching staff as some of them are looking towards other opportunities.  Offensive coordinator Jason Garrett and Assistant Coach Tony Sparano have been interviewed by such teams as Atlanta, Baltimore, and Miami and there are rumblings that at least one of them will leave.  That one person could very well be Sparano, who could be headed to Miami to coach the Dolphins.  Sparano is thought of very highly by new Dolphins boss Bill Parcells and so the hire would make a lot of sense.
Garrett seems to be more sought after by Baltimore than anyone else and is regarded as the best candidate for a coaching position out there among all coordinators.  However, there are two issues that Garrett needs to address should he have an offer come his way.  First, he still has unfinished business in Dallas grooming Tony Romo and the offense.  Romo just completed his first full year as a starter and I think he needs a solid 1-2 more years under Garrett's teaching to become a bonafide superstar that can perform well in the playoffs.  Along those same lines, Garrett has a very happy and unexpected team player in Terrell Owens, who support and friendship of Romo was evident Sunday as he became emotional during a post-game interview defending Romo when a reporter questioned Romo's focus on the game following his romantic getaway with Jessica Simpson.  Garrett's offense was spectacular, but it faded down the stretch and I think he needs to stick around to work out the rough edges.
The second issue Garrett will need to face is in the form of none other than Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, who absolutely loves Garrett.  Jones has said time and again how proud he is of Garrett's success and how much he appreciates what Garrett means to this organization, both as a past player and now its offensive coordinator.  Garrett would have to provide Jones with the sales-pitch of his life if he decides to skip town.  Even then,  it may not be good enough because Jones is extremely eager to keep him and he has the money and incentives to do it.  For instance, those experts close to football, in terms of an incentive,  are predicting that the next coach of the Cowboys after Wade Phillips will be...Jason Garrett.  Interesting.
My advice to Jason Garrett is to stay with the Cowboys for another 1-2 more years.  Not only can he work out the kinks of the offense and be a great mentor to Tony Romo, but he can discover within himself as to whether or not a head-coaching job is actually the best move for him personally and professionally.

Over the weekend, the NFL playoffs took another step forward as to who would make it to the Super Bowl.  On Saturday, there were no surprises as both home teams, Green Bay and New England, prevailed in their divisional playoff games.  Sunday, however, provided more surprising results as the New York Giants beat the Dallas Cowboys in Irving 21-17 and the San Diego Chargers beat the defending champion Indianapolis Colts 28-24 in Indy.  The Chargers beat the Colts essentially without 3 starters as running back and the NFL's leading rusher, Ladanian Tomlinson, went down with a knee injury in the first half.  Then, quarterback, Phillip Rivers was injured in the 4th quarter, and Pro Bowl tight end Antonio Gates came into the game hobbled by a dislocated toe.  Even after all of that adversity, the Chargers still prevailed.  The Giants beat Dallas for the first time this season after losing two in the regular season. 
Now here is the question...was winning their respective games the worst thing that could have happened to them?  Oh sure, they won their games to live on to play another day in their efforts to represent their conference in the Super Bowl, but now look what they have to contend with and where they have to go.  First, the Chargers have to go to New England and face the undefeated Patriots who trounced them 38-14 in the second game of the season with the status of Tomlinson, Rivers, and even Gates, questionable at best at this point.  Now many people are going to say that neither team is the same since that second week of the season and that's true.  The Chargers to their credit are a much better team and their reserve players are certainly better than many would anticipate.  The Patriots are not the same team, either, as they have proven now that they can win the close games if challenged and there is also the new revelation that they have a running game to go along with their unstoppable passing game.  So let me see if I have this correct, the Patriots, who were an offensive juggernaut but one-dimensional because of their passing game, is now more balanced because they have discovered that Laurence Maroney can run the ball.  Scary.  Good luck, San Diego. 
After the Giants beat the Cowboys, we can now look and see what the Giants really won...a trip to Lambeau field in Green Bay, Wisconsin to play in the snow (perhaps a driving blizzard) against the Packers and the ageless Brett Favre.  The Packers beat the Giants 34-13 in the regular season.  Once again, the two teams are different than when they faced earlier in the year.  The Giants are revitalized with Eli Manning playing mistake-free football, their running game has been reborn, thanks to 265-lb. bruiser Brandon Jacobs, and a defense that specializes in putting pressure on the quarterback.  What about the Packers?  Brett Favre is, well, Brett Favre.  They have discovered their running game, too, in Ryan Grant who ran for 201 yards against Seattle in the snow.  However, the biggest change in my mind that has taken place with the Packers is with their defense.  They are physical, nasty, and they will hit you hard and often.  They're certainly a great deal better than they were earlier in the season. 
Congratulations to the Giants and Chargers for their wins, but the celebration is over because of the reality that lies ahead.  The Chargers must now try and beat the seemingly unbeatable on their own home field while the Giants must try to beat the Packers at Lambeau Field, considered by many to be the ultimate home field advantage and THE toughest place to play if playing there in January because of the conditions.  Seems as if "Congratulations" is not enough for the Giants and Chargers, but rather "Good luck, you'll need it" could be more accurate.

ESPN reported the other night that the Atlanta Falcons were interested in speaking to USC head football coach Pete Carroll about their head coaching vacancy, and, just to sweeten the deal, owner Arthur Blank would give Carroll full control over personnel, which means he can pretty much have any football player he wants and hire or fire any coach, water boy, towel boy, and trainer under his command.  Pretty tantalizing, isn't it?  Just a minute.
Mr. Blank, haven't you gone through this before?  You hired a college coach in Bobby Petrino to lead your team this season and where is he now?  Hollering WOO PIG SUEY as the new head coach at Arkansas, leaving you high and dry with 3 games left in the season.  Do you really want to try your luck again with a college coach?  Not that Pete Carroll is a novice to the NFL.  After all, he has coached in the NFL before with the Jets and Patriots, even leading the Pats to 2 playoff appearances before being handed his pink slip and replaced by some guy named Bill Belichick.  However, I truly believe that Coach Carroll has found his true calling in the college ranks.  His record speaks for itself.  Check out these numbers:  In the last 6 seasons, his USC teams have lost a total of 8 games and all of those losses were by a touchdown or less.  His USC teams have produced 30 NFL players and 3 Heisman trophy winners.  Not bad. 
So it leads me to wonder why college coaches would give up all that success for a shot at the professional level.  Maybe it's prestige, maybe it's the glitz, the glamour, the television exposure, I don't know.  One thing I do know is that it's apparently much tougher to coach in the pros than it is in college.  Here's a few differences between the college and pro game (in any sport) that I find very interesting.
First, in college, you can go out and attempt to get the exact kind of player you want through recruiting.  Just like Todd Blackledge of ESPN said, "Being a good college football team is about recruiting."  In the pros, you are stuck with the players you have.  You just can't go out and get any players you want.  After all, the pros are playing for big bucks and some of those players you're stuck with will be there for a long time because they're fixed in long-term contracts that can't be undone and trading these players is out of the question because no other team wants to pay them what they're currently being paid. 
Second, professional players have different concerns than college players.  College players usually gripe about playing time (or lack thereof).  Pro players gripe and complain about money, the coach, the owner, their endorsement deals, contract extensions, and trade demands.  Professional sports is a business, a huge business, and the players know that.  College players have two choices:  stay where they are, play hard, and earn your education or transfer to another school and do the same thing.
Third, college coaches must understand that at the college level, they are dealing with young people 18-22.  You can get in their face and structure your team with good, strong discipline.  You can almost get away with being a dictator if you want to.  However, you can't do that at the pro level.  Sure, you can discipline your players, but you have to remember that you're dealing with grown men or women and especially today's athlete is not going to take verbal abuse without firing back.  A professional coach must pick his/her battles very carefully and must have their players' respect in order to engage in that battle.  What college coaches call fear and respect is what some pro coaches might call stupidity because the same vocal tones and disciplinary antics may work on young college kids, but not grown adults. 
Very, very few coaches who were successful at the college level tasted success at the pro level.  Of course, the two that stand out are Jimmy Johnson and Larry Brown.  Some of you may be wondering about Barry Switzer, who won national titles at Oklahoma and then a Super Bowl with the Dallas Cowboys.  Sorry, Barry, but you won that Super Bowl with a team and coaching staff that Jimmy Johnson put together.  You just waltzed in and fill a vacancy.  Many speculate as to whether or not you actually performed the job.
Bottom line:  College coaches, please stay where you are.  Pick up the phone and call Coach K from Duke or Roy Williams from North Carolina and find out why they stay in the college game.  Continue to influence the young minds of tomorrow and give them the tools for success in life.  Playing with the big boys in the pros is a completely different breed of tiger.  I know that many college coaches are pursued for jobs in the pros, but they need to weigh their options very carefully before making the leap.  It's a big leap, too, into a huge, mass-marketing, mass-money business juggernaut that few, if any, can explain or comprehend.

Last night, LSU beat Ohio State 38-24 in the NCAA Division I (or FBS) National Championship game marking a first time for two things:  First of all, LSU was the first team with 2 losses to play in the game and, because of their win, the Tigers are the first 2-loss team to win it all.  Their victory should result in a celebration all around that college football crowned an undisputed national champion.  Ha, Ha, not so fast.  If anything, it will result in an even more heated debate on whether or not Division I should have a playoff system, much like Division I-AA, Division II, and Division III.  Many so-called experts have given their opinion on what kind of playoff system to have such as the "Plus-One" system where you play one more game featuring the top two teams to come out of the top two bowl games.  Also, there has been discussion about taking the top 8 teams and seeding them and playing the games out in a single-elimination tournament-style format.  Those are all interesting ideas, so now let's see what this sports novice has to say.
After a little checking, I have discovered that there are 11 conferences playing Division I college football and there are 4 teams that claim themselves as Independent teams:  Notre Dame, Navy, Army, and Western Kentucky.  First of all, in order for one of my ideas to work, these 4 teams would need to declare for a conference.  Notre Dame can go to the Big East which is where their college basketball teams play.  Army and Navy can go to the Mountain West conference where Air Force plays (make sense, doesn't it), and Western Kentucky can go to the Sun Belt conference where their basketball teams also play.  Then, each and every conference would need to have an outright winner, which means there would have to be a conference championship game in every single conference.  Yes, even you in the Pac-10 and Big-10.  Every conference would have enough teams where you can split them into two divisions and the top two teams in each division then play for the outright conference championship.  Once you have your conference champions, you then come up with an 11-team bracket with either the top-ranked team getting a bye in the first round or there would be an elimination game between the 10th-ranked and 11th-ranked teams who would play for the right to play against the top-ranked team the next weekend, which is when the playoffs would officially start.  This way, the best teams out of each conference, regardless of record would qualify for the playoffs.  All they would have to do is win their conference outright. 
Another playoff system method is to keep it like it is with a twist.  You still have the computer rankings and the strength of schedule averages and all that other technical jargin, but here's where it's different.  The teams that finish in the top 10 then are placed in a playoff tournament bracket according to their final rankings.  The top 2 teams would get a first-round bye and the teams would then play it out to determine a true national champion.  If this method were used, I am not entirely certain if a conference championship game is needed, but that's another subject.
Now, what about the rest of the teams?  Real simple.  You keep the bowl games and anyone who qualifies with at least 6 wins (I almost want to increase wins for bowl eligibility to 7) plays in a bowl game.  Now this means that you may have to do away with some bowl games like the Papajohns.com bowl, the Texas Bowl, or the GMAC bowl just to name a few.  You keep the rest and match up teams just like always with those who finished 2nd or 3rd in their conference getting a shot at a more prestigious bowl game. 
After the craziest, most unpredictable college football season in recent memory in which the BCS system failed miserably, there are talks of a possible playoff system once again, but this time, the rumblings are much louder.  The question is will the NCAA listen?  Will they finally put their foot down and announce that a playoff system is coming to NCAA Division I college football whether you like it or not?  You need to do something, NCAA, because this year the BCS worked against you.  Do you really want to go through this again?
Stay tuned for an interesting off-season.

West Virginia was not supposed to win the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl game against Oklahoma.  They had too much going against them.  Not only did they win, but they put up 48 against a bewildered and shocked Sooner team that just couldn't solve the issue of how to catch up with the overall speed of the Mountaineers, who were certainly faster than I thought.
This wasn't supposed to happen.  Oklahoma was big, strong, fast, and nasty.  West Virginia was just fast.  The Sooners came into this game on an emotional high after trouncing then-#1 Missouri 38-17 in the Big 12 Championship game.  West Virginia on the other hand was dazed and confused following an upset loss to Pittsburgh that cost them a chance to play for a national title.  The most glaring advantage Oklahoma had, though, was not on the field, but on the sidelines.  The Sooner players know who their coach is, they knew who their coach was going to be for this game, and they knew he would still be around the next day.  In fact, Bob Stoops may be the coach in Norman forever and could someday have a building on campus enshrined in his name like legendary coach Barry Switzer did. 
On the other hand, West Virginia was without a head coach when Rich Rodriguez decided to bolt for Michigan, a move that some might see as a "prestige" move or a "resume-building" move.  You just don't turn down a chance to coach at Michigan, do you?  His decision to leave may have created an overall negative feel among the players that they weren't good enough for him, although none can deny he built a good, strong program there.  Added to that is the fact that the University of West Virginia has now decided to sue Coach Rodriguez for what appears to be a failure of his contractual obligations.  So here are the Mountaineers without a head coach and some guy named Bill Stewart, a 55 year-old assistant, taking over the reins as interim coach for this game.  He was supposed to be their coach for one game so the players at least knew who their coach would be for this game, but what about tomorrow?
Well, they don't have to worry or wonder anymore.  After running and dashing over, around, and even through the Sooners 48-28, making the Sooners look old and slow in the process, it was an easy decision to remove the "interim" tag from Stewart's title and make him the full-time head coach.  Had they lost, it could have ended up being a long and very stressful search for a head coach, but coach Stewart made it very simple for them.  Besides winning the game the way they did, how about the players' reactions to coach Stewart afterward?  With their hugs, their Gatorade shower, and their hoisting of him on their shoulders, the players showed that they love the man and star players like QB Pat White even provided a sales pitch at the end of the game stating that Stewart deserved to be the next head coach.  Sold.  Request granted.
Coach Stewart said in his "acceptance speech" press conference that this was an easy decision, that he is a born and bred West Virginian, that he loves what the university represents, and that he will never leave.  I believe him.  First of all, I perceive him to be a smiling, down-to-earth, West Virginia country boy who loves his home state, his university, his coaches, and his players and he strikes me as a man who has a firm belief in life/career stability, family, and happiness.  Remember, he has coached there for 7 years and earned his Master's Degree there.  Second, he's mature enough at age 55 to stay grounded and settled.  I'm no expert, but I think that once you've reached a certain age, especially if you're in your 50's, that if you're happy somewhere, it's a safe bet you may never leave.  I fully expect him to finish his career as the head football coach at West Virginia.  He was offered a 5-year, $4 million contract.  Obviously, he'll evaluate his status later on, but for right now, the football players at the University of West Virginia can rest easy because they have a new head coach and what's even better is that it's someone they know, love, and respect.

32 bowl games and so many to choose from.  Which ones will I watch?  Turns out I watched the right ones...and the wrong ones, too.  First, the right ones I watched were the Outback Bowl between Tennessee and Wisconsin.  Tennessee prevailed 21-17 in a bruising, physical contest that I picked Wisconsin to win because they're the bruising, physical team right?  I guess not. 
The second game I'm glad I watched was the Gator Bowl between Texas Tech and Virginia, which Tech won 31-28 on a last-second field goal.  Sound familiar?  It should because that's how Tech won their bowl game last year.  They won the game with their defense, forcing a fumble with 3 minutes left in the game and down by 7.  They then made one more defensive stand before driving into field goal position to set up the game-winner.  Their defense won the game?  This offensive juggernaut has a defense?  They did a couple of days ago and I will say what I've been saying all along.  If Texas Tech can get their defense to be as aggressive and unstoppable as their offense, they will be a serious threat for a national title.
The last good game I've seen was Lloyd Carr's last game as he coached Michigan to a 41-35 win over Florida.  NOBODY expected Michigan to win except the Wolverines themselves.  They looked like a top-5 team in this game and their defense, which has been picked on all year long, held Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow to 100 yards below his total yards average for the year.  Tebow did throw for 3 scores and ran for another, but he was only 16-33 passing and only ran for 59 yards.  HUGE Kudos to Michigan for sending their beloved coach out with a win.  Interestingly enough, Carr's replacement, Rich Rodriguez, was on the sidelines watching.  Now for Michigan, here's what to look forward to.  Will Rich Rodriguez be successful in implementing his spread-option offense to a bunch of players not fast enough to pull it off right now?  Also, will Coach Carr remain at Michigan as an Associate AD?  He's been offered the job if he wants it.  Stay tuned.
Finally, on to other games that surprised or disappointed me.  The disappointment was Georgia running all over Hawaii 41-10 in the Sugar Bowl.  From the beginning, Hawaii looked overwhelmed and looked as if they didn't belong on the big stage.  Well, they didn't and this is the problem for most mid-major, non-BCS conferences.  They play a weak schedule all year long and then wonder why their success is not rewarded with a BCS game.  You saw why the other night.  Teams like Georgia are bigger, faster, stronger, and more battle-tested than those from mid-major conferences.  Not that those teams are not good, but they simply don't play the caliber of competition that a team like Georgia does week in and week out in the SEC.  Thanks for playing, Hawaii, but you're going to have to play some national powerhouses and beat them to really get noticed.  The other night was not your finest hour.
Last, the game that surprised me was last night watching an old-fashioned butt-whipping by West Virginia as they rolled over Oklahoma 48-28.  With an interim coach (who was promoted to head coach today), with a chip on their shoulder due to a loss to Pittsburgh in the last game of the season which eliminated their national title hopes, and the departure of former coach Rich Rodriguez, who some people felt bolted too soon because he had a good thing going in Morgantown, the Mountaineers played inspired football.  There were two things that surprised me about West Virginia.  First, they played nasty, physical football on defense last night.  I honestly didn't know they were that good, or that fast on defense.  Speaking of fast, I knew their skill players on offense were fast, but I didn't know they were that fast.  Oklahoma has a very quick, fast football team, but they looked so slow against West Virginia.  Big congrats to the Mountaineers and now that they have their head coaching spot filled, they will now wait to see if quarterback Pat White and running back Steve Slaton, both juniors, will return for one more year.
Here's my picks for the next games.  In the Orange Bowl, I am picking Virginia Tech to beat Kansas and I'm choosing Ohio State to beat LSU for the national title. 

The Dallas Cowboys suffered their second loss of the season yesterday in a 10-6 loss to the hated Philadelphia Eagles.  Tony Romo, in his worst game of the year, went 13-36 with 3 picks.  So why did Romo have such a tough outing?
First, the Eagles are not a bad football team.  In fact, they may be the best team in the NFL not going to the playoffs.  Four of their losses have been by a combined 12 points and their defense got re-fired up after holding the New England Patriots juggernaut to respectable numbers in a 3-point loss.  I think the Eagles defense realized that as long as they listen to defensive coordinator Jim Johnson and do exactly what he tells them to do, they will be successful.  They certainly were yesterday.
Second, Romo and the Cowboys, along with many other teams in the NFL, looked tired.  Does anyone besides me think that the NFL needs to go to a 12-game season?  Over the years past the 12th game, there have been several injuries to key players on playoff-bound teams (Dallas had 5 yesterday) and teams have just been lackluster in their performance.  I still don't think the Cowboys have emotionally recovered since defeating the Packers a couple of weeks ago.
Third, Romo did have a bad thumb on his throwing hand, which caused many of his throws to sail on him or be behind his receivers.  However, he just never looked into the game from the beginning and that leads to...
Fourth, Jessica Simpson was in the stands.  Remember last year when the Cowboys played the New Orleans Saints on Sunday Night Football and Romo was caught talking to then-girlfriend Carrie Underwood on the field before the game?  Remember how irate then-coach Bill Parcells was at him?  The result was a 42-17 whipping at the hands of the Saints.  With Simpson on hand Sunday, Romo had a poor performance.  I see a trend here and I know how to stop it...leave the girlfriend at home.  I'm sorry to say that, but I know she was a distraction yesterday.  Now if Romo does not want to leave her at home, then he needs to learn to find the balance in his life and know when to shut off his personal life from his on-field life.  When does he tell himself that it's time to leave the personal business at the gate and handle the business on the field?  I know there are many, many players who have girlfriends, wives, and families and many of them still play well even with the distraction.  Romo needs to seek advice on how to do that himself even if his situation may be a little different...after all, look who he's dating.
On a side note, the Cowboys need to wrap up home field advantage throughout the playoffs.  They could have taken a big step to doing that Sunday, but it didn't happen and if they don't want to play at Lambeau Field in January in the snow, here's their best-case scenario.  This weekend is their best chance because I'm picking the Chicago Bears to beat Green Bay in Chicago.  Should that happen, then the Cowboys will have to beat Carolina in Carolina which may be a little more difficult to do because of the Panthers' win over playoff-bound Seattle yesterday.  The reason I say that this weekend is their best chance to clinch home-field is because the final week of the season has Green Bay taking on Detroit which should be a blowout if the Packers have something to play for and Dallas going to Washington.  It'll be extra hard for the Cowboys to beat the Redskins because I can think of nothing better that the Redskins can do to honor the memory of Sean Taylor than to close out their tragedy-filled season with a win over their most-hated rival. 

Shocked, stunned, bewildered.  Those are just a few of the adjectives that describe how I felt the other night when I found out that Bobby Petrino had abruptly resigned as head coach of the Atlanta Falcons and  had accepted the head coaching job at the University of Arkansas.  What?!?!?!?  Less than 24 hours after losing to the New Orleans Saints on Monday Night Football and after a post-game press conference in which he kept saying how they needed to stick together and improve and get ready for Tampa Bay, he quits and is holding a press conference of a different kind...accepting the head coaching job at Arkansas and doing a WOO PIG SUEY with his wife and cheerleaders at the end.  So let's analyze this for a minute. First, the Falcons players are very angry and rightfully so.  In a season of turmoil following the Michael Vick conviction and sentencing, they need a leader to keep them together.  Usually, that would be the head coach, but he's not there anymore.  According to the players, he's classless and selfish.  I have no problem with him accepting another coaching job, but he couldn't wait 3 more games?  Second, it will go down as another disaster for college coaches trying to make it at the next level in any sport.  Some coaches are just made to stay in college because of their demeanor and perhaps the fact that coaching in the pros is a lot harder than they thought.  Just ask Steve Spurrier, Pete Carroll, Mike Montgomery (NBA), Butch Davis, Tim Floyd (NBA), and many others who have tried and failed to succeed at the pro level but ended up going back to college, except for Montgomery because I don't know where he is.  Obviously, Jimmy Johnson and Larry Brown did well in the pros after college, but that's because they adjusted their approach according to the personality of their players.  They maintained a firm grip, but it was the type of control that caused NFL and NBA men to respect them.  Bobby Petrino did not do that from day one.  According to Falcons players, he tried coming in as a dictator and that type of attitude just won't work with grown NFL men.  Obviously, that attitude does work at the college game and Petrino made a good move going back.  It was the timing of his move that's all wrong here. That leads me to talk about the Arkansas job.  A good job, no doubt, because Arkansas is a great school that has enjoyed good success in the SEC, which is no doubt the toughest conference to play in.  They are playing in the Cotton Bowl, which by many is regarded as an honorary BCS game.  There is some speculation, though, as to how this job offer came about.  First, Petrino said that his only contact with Arkansas administration was the day he resigned.  So let me get this straight.  He resigns from the Falcons, calls or gets a call from Arkansas, does an interview (I guess by phone), they offer him the job and he accepts...all on the same day.  I'm no CSI agent, but I don't believe that at all.  Here's what I do believe.  I think they have been in contact for the last couple of weeks at least.  Then, either he flew to Arkansas or someone from Arkansas flew to Atlanta to meet with him discretely.  Petrino told them he needs to iron out a few details and then he'll be in touch.  Then, and I don't know the order that this may have happened, but either he accepted the Arkansas job and then resigned from Atlanta or the other way around.  I agree with ESPN who said that he would not have resigned from the Falcons had he not accepted a deal from Arkansas.  Then his afternoon was spent in Arkansas finalizing the deal and then a late-night press conference (which is rare) was held.  Oh, by the way, he took a nearly $2 million a year paycut to go there.  WOW!!! What a 24-hour period!  And it's just another negative blow to what's already been a nightmare season for the Falcons.  I hope they bounce back and have a good season next year.  As for Petrino, once again I don't mind you taking another coaching job, but you could have waited 3 more weeks to accept it.  I think Arkansas would have done that for you.  Atlanta will be mad at you for a long time not for your decision, but the timing of it and the fact that you broke a promise.  You said you'll be there for the long haul and that you and your team have to stick together.  I have a feeling your first year at Arkansas will be rough, especially on the recruiting trail. 
Oh, here's something interesting.  Can you imagine if Arkansas makes it to the SEC Championship game next season?  Do you know where that game is played...the Georgia Dome, which is where the Falcons play. 

A couple of nights ago, Indiana Pacers point guard Jamaal Tinsley and a group of his friends were shot at while leaving a nightclub...at 3:40AM!!!  Doesn't anyone go to sleep at a decent hour anymore?  One man was hurt, but will recover.  This will go down as the 3rd time a shooting incident has involved Tinsley and so that leads me to this question...will teams set and enforce more strict rules for players when they leave a game or practice? 
Apparently, it looks like it's not going to be the Pacers because team President Larry Bird said the team will not take any action against Tinsley because they said he's learned his lesson and will never do it again.  Anybody that believes that can stand on their heads.  Once in trouble, always in trouble.  When you get used to a certain lifestyle, it's very hard to change it so here's what I think the Pacers and every NBA team should do.
They should implement a rule that says as long as you're a member of this team, you are not to put yourself in a possibly dangerous situation and you are not go to any nightclubs or consume alcoholic beverages unless it's in the privacy of your own home.  By not going to nightclubs or casinos, you eliminate the risk and danger of being caught up in a situation that could potentially be fatal.  If these rules are put in place and are broken, then a player gets fined, then suspended, and ultimately, they lose their roster spot.  Depending on the player, it may not win you a lot of games, but it could save somebody's life. 
Wake up, NBA.  Many of your players are out of control and they need to be brought back down to earth.  Dennis Rodman got this "movement" started, but this next generation has taken it to a whole new level.  If something is not done to control the behavior of the players off the court, then someone is going to end up seriously hurt or dead. 

Now that Michael Vick has been sentenced to a longer-than-expected 23 months in jail, there has been a great deal of discussion about his potential future in the NFL.  Interestingly enough, I have heard several ESPN analysts say that they fully expect Vick to get another chance in the NFL once his prison term is up.  I, however, am not so sure so here's my opinion.
Michael Vick's career in the NFL is over.  It's definitely over now because we are talking about a 2-year prison term instead of the 1 year they were expecting.  Then, when he gets out, you have to wonder what kind of shape he will be in because he will be limited in what he can do from a training standpoint.  I don't think the prison will allow sprints to take place, do you?  Second, who's to say that he would even play quarterback?  Playing the QB position takes constant study and improvement on accuracy, throwing motions, defensive reads, and cohesiveness with your wide receivers and skill players...something that he won't have the luxury of doing while in prison.  Also, can you imagine the media circus that will surround him and the team that does give him a chance?  Is there a team out there that wants to deal with that?  I've got a good feeling that it won't be the Falcons, but would there be a team desperate enough to give him a shot?  The Dolphins gave Ricky Williams another chance so I guess anything's possible.
Then, what about NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, who has made it his personal mission to get players to clean up their image or suffer the consequences?  Who's to say that he won't suspend Vick for another year when he's eligible to return?  I know that Goodell is a fair man, but he must also take into account what's best for the league so whether or not he would suspend Vick when he gets out of jail remains to be seen. In my mind, though, we have seen the last of Michael Vick on the football field.  However, anything can happen. 
It's all up to Vick now.  He must suffer the consequences and, if he wants to come back, must make a commitment to keep himself out of trouble and surround himself with people who will have a positive influence on his life.  He'll need to do that anyway, even if the NFL turns him away.  If he does come back to the NFL and is productive, it could very well be the feel-good story of the last 20 years, but right now, I don't see anyone taking a chance on a convicted criminal who will have served a prison sentence of this magnitude, regardless of the fact that he is the best athlete to put on pads since Deion Sanders. 
A message to the Falcons, too...he's gone and it's time for you to move on.  You can show all the support for him you want, but it doesn't change what's happened.  You still have games to play and careers of your own ahead of you.  You can't dwell in the past and you can't be consumed by a teammate that probably will not be back with your organization anyway.  Time to move forward, Atlanta. 

For the first time ever, a sophomore has walked away with college football's biggest prize as QB Tim Tebow of Florida claimed the Heisman Trophy this past Saturday night.  Perhaps the biggest offensive threat in the last 10 years besides Vince Young, he is an incredible blend of power, speed, accuracy, and leadership.  He had 29 touchdowns passing and 22 rushing.  And, more importantly, he was consistently consistent all year long.  He played well even in games they lost.  Let's remember their competition, too, in the toughest conference in America in the SEC.  Think about who they played:  Georgia, LSU, Tennessee, a rising Kentucky team, an always dangerous Florida St. team, and Auburn, among others.  Ouch!
And in all those games, Tebow statistically played well.  Certainly better than Darren McFadden of Arkansas, runner-up to the Heisman for the 2nd straight year.  McFadden had some rough games in October, including a 44-yard performance against Tennessee.  As far as the other finalists are concerned, Chase Daniel had a rough game against Oklahoma in the Big 12 title game which put him out of contention and Hawaii's Colt Brennan put up some awesome numbers, but against who?  The argument can be made that  Hawaii really didn't play anyone except Boise St.  They will play someone, however, in the Sugar Bowl, in perennial BCS power Georgia.  We'll see how well Brennan plays against a legitimate national power.
Out of all those guys, Tebow played the best for the longest amount of time and because of his consistently great stats, he deserved to win the Heisman. 

Beno may have left San Antonio Spurs and some have said it was bad that he left and went to California. I disagree. He didn't get to play much for the Spurs and didn't get to show what he was really made of. Now that he is with the Kings, he is really showing his stuff.  He may not be in Texas anymore, but he is still playing like a Texan. I wish the Spurs had given him a chance to show what he could really do. I am still a spur fan but now I am a King fan too. I know he wasn't the only one playing for the team and they are a great bunch of folks and all, but he stood out as soon as he hit the court playing for the Kings.  I say "You Get ur Done Beno"

The BCS matchups are now set, but I want to go back to late Saturday night.  I had just watched the #1 and #2 teams in the country get beat and the following blog is my initial reaction.
I am laughing at the NCAA right now.  Their worst nightmare and biggest headache has all of the sudden become reality.  There are not 2 dominant teams in the BCS rankings who deserve to play for the national title.  I knew it would happen someday and now it has and I'm enjoying every minute of this chaos.  But chaos is nothing new to the NCAA.  In fact, I think those gutless bureaucrats thrive on it.  They must because it's all they've got. 
Let's analyze the NCAA for a minute.  First, they have a rulebook that not even Einstein could understand.  In fact, I have a friend who's an Athletics Director and he told me that in order to clarify a rule, he has to go find the rule, then go to another section and cross-check it to make sure the interpretation is correct, and, if all else fails, call NCAA headquarters for an absolute confirmation.  Even his NCAA Compliance Officer has to do that. 
Second, the NCAA is notorious for probing, prodding, and picking on these young student-athletes asking them about the Champions t-shirt they received from their YMCA coach while they were in Junior High.  It's all about that "can't take any gifts" portion of the rulebook.  Third, the NCAA gets bullied into lawsuits by population groups that has forced them to change the mascots and heritage of universities all across the country.  Do they have a backbone or not? 
Finally, doesn't the NCAA have other things to worry about rather than a university's mascot?  What about the increasing crime rate of student-athletes?  What about their declining GPA and their performance (or lack thereof) in the classroom?  What about the ongoing issue of a major lack of African-American head coaches in college football?  I believe these are all issues that have been put on the back-burner and they will all explode if not checked on regularly.
And then there's the BCS.  The Bowl Chaos Situation.  Oh, I don't see them fixing this problem, either.  The NCAA right now needs a hug and some Tylenol.  I hesitate to give them Tylenol and I definitely won't give them a hug.  They were arrogant and stubborn to think that nothing would happen with the BCS and it would work itself out.  Well, something has happened.  The worst thing is that it could have been prevented.  Now, they have to sleep in the bed they've made for themselves.  Pleasant dreams.

The question was posed to me recently about who my all-time NBA team would be.  After careful thought and deliberation, here are my picks:
The starting lineup would be Larry Bird, Tim Duncan, Bill Russell, Magic Johnson, and Michael Jordan. 
Reserves would be Scottie Pippen, Kevin McHale, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bob Cousy, and Jerry West.
Rounding out the team of 12 would be John Havlicek and Hakeem Olajuwon.
Honorable mention goes to Shaquille O'Neal, Julius Erving, Elgin Baylor, Wilt Chamberlain, Willis Reed, Robert Parish, Oscar Robertson, David Robinson, Joe Dumars, and Clyde Drexler.
Many of you may be wondering where Charles Barkley, Karl Malone, John Stockton, Kevin Garnett, Patrick Ewing, Allen Iverson, Reggie Miller, and Kobe Bryant are.  Kobe Bryant is not on the team because of his selfishness and everyone else is not on the team because they haven't won a championship.
These were very difficult picks, especially considering who I had to put on the Honorable Mention list.
I know a lot of folks who will agree to disagree with this list, but the men who made the team are players of integrity and teamwork and would work together to win a basketball game.

Barry Bonds' baseball career is over.  Bank on it.  He faces charges of perjury and obstruction of justice and at least one of those charges will stick because the court apparently has a document proving that Bonds did lie under oath and so the result of that offense will be some jail time.  Only time will tell how much jail time he will have.
Based on this latest development, as I mentioned earlier, his baseball career is now officially over.  There is NO TEAM that will even come close to taking the risk on a 44 year-old player who is nowhere near as productive as he used to be.  Not only that, but he would be a constant distraction from the team's overall task and that is to win baseball games. 
Not only is his baseball career over, but he can more than likely eliminate a trip to the Baseball Hall of Fame, too.  Although his on-the-field numbers are stats for the ages, nobody will vote to enshrine a performance-enhancing criminal who also exhibits such a negative attitude on television.  He is certainly not going to win Sportsman of the Year anytime soon.
Like Michael Vick before him, another high-profile athlete is headed to jail and his already-tainted career just took another huge hit.
Bye, Bye, Barry.

If you live in texas you know how important the dallas cowboys are. Now i know not everybody likes them. They are a love or hate team, so dont have a cow. But the cowboys are doing really good this year, and i was wondering what you thought about them making it to the superbowl. I am a vendor and i know that when dallas is doing good, we sell a ton more product. Everybody knows that the patriots are almost 100 percent going to be going to the superbowl. I hate the patriots personally, so im hoping dallas can make it to the superbowl and have an awesome come back...

I was watching ESPN last night and I had to rewind something several times that was said by one of the baseball analysts to make certain that what he said was exactly what he said.  He told the viewing audience that Scott Boras, the controversial agent of Alex Rodriguez, said that he is shopping his star client to any baseball team who wants him for the unheard-of contract of 12 years, $360 million.  Yes, you read that right.  According to ESPN, A-Rod's asking price is $360 million over 12 years!!!  Can you believe that?  I am going to go out on a limb and say that no team, absolutely no team, can afford to pay him that much.  In fact, there are entire franchises who are not worth that much.  Aren't they setting their standards a little bit high?  A 12-year, $360 million price tag is being placed on a player who is out of position at 3rd base and, in the playoffs, can't hit a baseball if it were held out in front of him.  What is wrong with this picture?  He's a great player, but he's a great player in the regular season.  He has faltered miserably in the playoffs, including an 8-for-59 slump at the plate that he's currently in.
You know, even if a deal is reached for the asking price, it will never get past the commissioner's office.  But, then again, Bud Selig is one of the most disrespected and overrated commissioners in all of sports.  Can even Bud Selig, though, be crazy enough to approve such a deal?  He had better get a salary cap in place and fast because the spending on baseball players is way out of control.  No baseball player is worth that kind of money.

Alex Rodriguez has opted out of his remaining contract with the New York Yankees and has become a free agent, leaving behind a very questionable legacy and a very angry family of Steinbrenners, who said that he obviously doesn't want to play here and so it's goodbye.  The Yankees said that if A-Rod opts out, they will not pursue him in the free agent market.
A-Rod's career in New York was strange, to say the least.  I always questioned why he signed there in the first place, especially since he had to make a position move to 3rd base from his natural position of shortstop because Derek Jeter was firmly entrenched in the shortstop position.  Making the move from shortstop to 3rd was a move that Hall of Famer Cal Ripken, Jr. did very well and with ease, but A-Rod looked lost at times playing a position he's unfamiliar with.  There were instances in which he looked as if he might be trying to avoid stepping on the toes of Jeter, who has a knack for making incredible plays in the infield.  At the plate, he was his usual brilliant self, but he faltered in the playoffs just like he's done his whole career.  Looking back on it, did he play in New York because he wanted to try and win a championship on "the best team that money could buy" or did he simply go for the money, the big lights, the glitz and the glamour?  Only A-Rod knows.
Now that he's no longer a Yankee, there will be much speculation on where he will end up next and, with the exception of the Yankees, Mariners, and Rangers, and possibly the Red Sox,  I don't know of any team who won't at least entertain the possibility of having him on their team.  And while I have no clue of any team who might be in the running, what I can do is at least look at the criteria of the team I think A-Rod needs to play for.
First, he needs to be interested in a team that has a void at the shortstop position.  I think it's time that A-Rod goes back to his natural position where he can be as productive defensively as he is offensively.  As I mentioned earlier, I don't think that 3rd base is the best position for him and it's time to go back to what you know best and that's playing shortstop.  Offensively, no team will have a problem putting him in their lineup as the #3 or clean-up hitter.
Second, I think he needs to look for a team that has a very strong manager who has a gift of motivating players to reach their maximum potential.  Because of A-Rod's struggles in the playoffs during his career, he needs a skipper who can help him become a major contributor in the playoffs and help him carry his regular-season productivity over to post-season play. 
Finally, A-Rod needs to decide the caliber of team and size of the city he wants to go to.  Does he want to go to a team that is on the verge of striking it rich in the playoffs and they need that one big bat or that one more great player, no matter what kind of "market" they're in?  Or does he want to stay in the big city, the big lights, the glitz, the glamour, and the big money?  If it were me, I have already had my taste of the big lights and big money and so I would want to go to a team that is on the verge of greatness that already has good players in place for a winning team, regardless of how big or small the market is.  Besides, everyone knows who A-Rod is, right?
And so the decision is his...does he want the big money and the larger-than-life status or does he want the ring?  This is going to be a very interesting off-season.