Sports Notes for September/October 2005

Predictions anyone?

Baseball. Of course I'm glad the Yankees are out of it. But I don't want to see Torre fired. I do expect egos to get in the way and Steinbrenner will likely either dump the best manager he has had or make it nearly impossible for him to do his job well next season.

How 'bout dem Cowboys? You better believe I'm happy to see my Cowboys beat up on Philly. I don't expect it to happen next time (unless Detmer is at quarterback). Don't give me that McNabb wasn't healthy. It pains me to say it, but a McNabb that is half dead is probably better than what they have otherwise. Even with this "sports hernia," he's better than most quarterbacks in this league. And the man can lead a team. I'd have been happier had the Dallas defense kept spoiled Eli Manning out of the end zone, but I'll take the ugly win.

Bummed about Flo being out. Crayton, who has been playing pretty well, is going to miss some games too, but we have to wait and see. I guess Price will see some action soon.

Hockey. Hockey is back. I'm still pissed that Bertuzzi is playing. Watching the Canucks whip my Stars the other night made me think that the NHL wants this franchise to do well. The inconsistencies in the calls were startling, particularly concerning incidents where blood was drawn. Watch for Vancouver to fare better than their talent deserves.

College athletes: an oxymoron? I have to confess that I temporarily lifted my boycott of college sports to watch most of the Notre Dame/USC game. And it was a great game to watch. I just wish that when it was all over, I could have forgotten that most college athletes, especially in football and basketball, are spoiled semi-professional ballplayers whose interest in education exists only in the minds of parents foolish enough to believe the recruiting pitch. Speaking of which, I can't help but remember that this Irish team is made up of Willingham's recruits, not Weiss's. What is the difference? I suspect that Weiss's team will get in less trouble over going to class (something Willingham was criticized for).

Speaking of class...I have a proposal. Take every athlete playing in college and hand him or her a sheet of paper. On that paper instruct the athlete to list each one of his/her courses for the present semester. Have them write down what the time and location are for class meetings. Ask them what grade they believe they have in these courses. Ask them to correctly identify their professors. Here is what I think will happen: 1) female athletes will more likely know their own schedules better than men because the culture does not yet exist where women are coddled by coaches and alumni and 2)football players will know less about their own schedules than other athletes (with basketball coming in a close second), over ten percent of the athletes will put their names on the survey and turn it in (some asking how much it is worth toward the final grade).