An "After-the-Weekend" hangout to find out what happened in Sports...
Sorry, Charlie:
I sat at a table in BW3's, stunned, listening to the cheers of some Ohio State fans as the final seconds ticked off the clock in the 2006 Fiesta Bowl. My beloved Notre Dame Fighting Irish were beaten for the eigth straight time in a bowl game. They haven't won since Jan 1, 1994.
I thought this year would be different. Given Charlie Weis pedigree, his references and his obvious talent, I thought Notre Dame would win by two touchdowns. I was wrong.
Maybe Charlie's buddies Bill Parcells and Bill Belichick were too busy in the last month to give him some defensive pointers--because the Irish defense was nothing short of awful. You can't win bowl games--or any games--giving up 617 total yards. The big play capability of Ted "Ginn & Tonic" looked like it scared ND most of the game. The Irish DB's often had the "Deer-In-Headlights" look for most of the game.
Charlie Weis was a great pick for Notre Dame; he changed the way offense is played in South Bend. But if the Irish are going to have a serious shot at the 2007 Fiesta Bowl (site of next year's National Championship), then they've got to reinvent the defensive side of the ball as well.
Two Sides to Every Story
What started out as a footnote nearly a month ago, the fact that Laura Quinn was the sister of ND QB Brady Quinn AND was dating Ohio State linebacker A.J. Hawk turned into a terrible sideshow by the time the game was over. ABC interviewed her nearly half a dozen times. She wore a two-sided jersey, part Hawk/OSU, part Brady/ND. Apparently, Dr. Quinn thought it would be a great idea to equally support both players, or at least equal value to Brady's 21 years spent as her brother with A.J.'s new dating status. If she wasn't wanting the 15 minutes of fame, as she indicated, perhaps Ms. Quinn should have dressed differently and watched the game somewhere else. Or even refused to do the interviews.
Crow Eating
I'm having a bit of memory trouble, but I'm pretty sure I wrote off West Virginia, even calling out the "Big Least" conference for their automatic BCS bid. Talk about sticking your foot in your mouth: Not only was I wrong about the Mountaineers, but after Louisville's near win over Virginia Tech, I was wrong (at least for now) about the Big East.
Find a way to lose
You've got to love the persistence of the Houston Texans. Mysterious Injuries! Missed Chip Shot Field Goals! Whatever it takes to the get the #1 pick in the NFL Draft, huh fellas? Well, let's just say that the biggest accomplishment might have been getting now former Head Coach Dom Capers to go along with the "Two-Step Tank". If I were the Capers on Sunday, I wouldn't have toed the company line, especially since it was clear I was going to be canned.
For all those who think the Texans shouldn't take Reggie Bush: even if there is a chance he ends up a bust, there's an equal chance he's a superstar. If you're the Texans, what do you have to lose? You're a joke of an NFL franchise anyway. Give it a shot.
"Moore" NFL: Patriots Aren't Dumb
So if you're Patriots Coach Bill Belichick and you notice that the Cincinnati Bengals are getting pasted by the Kansas City Chiefs, do you jump at the chance to grab the #3 seed in the AFC by beating the Miami Dolphins? At first, most would say yes.
However, upon further review, let's look at the facts: 1) There is no difference in the #3 or #4 seed in the AFC. No bye week and no extra home playoff games. 2) There is a difference is the team you will face.
That's the difference. The Patriots took the loss on Sunday and actually won in the long run. Instead of being the #3 seed and facing Pittsburgh this weekend, they leave that to the Cincinnati Bengals, and the Pats will host the Jacksonville Jaguars, a playoff team that's basically just survived without Byron Leftwich. As I say nearly every week now: there's a reason the Patriots have won 3 of the last 4 Super Bowls.
As the Ax Falls: Fired NFL Coaches
They call it 'Black Monday' around the NFL for a reason. Don't feel sorry for these guys, which tends to happen as time goes on. Look, Mike Tice deserved to be fired in Minnesota. His team greatly underachieved, they missed the playoffs and were rocked by scandal. Jim Haslett insane request to the equally insane owner of the Saints Tom Benson was enough to get fired, and he defintely should have been canned. Read my comments on this from last week below.
Mike Martz also lost control of himself and his team over the years. With his health a concern and his coaching philosophy an even bigger concern, it was the right move to dump him in St. Louis.
As we finish up today, I think it's only fitting we shed a tear for the third retirement of Chiefs coach #### Vermeil.
Before we
say good-bye to the year that was in 2005, I want to make some bold predictions
before 2006 rings in, just so I can have the opportunity, like any rationale
individual, to rub it in when I'm right, and immediately forget it if I'm
wrong. So here are some of my thoughts on what will happen in 2006.
1. In March, the Dominican
Republic will win the World Baseball
Classic.
I just like what the players from the Dominican Republic are doing to be
able to represent their heritage or their country. It's much more inspiring
than Alex Rodriguez taking the 5th and Mike Piazza wanting to play for team Italy.
What does that say about the United
States?
2. Roger Clemens, like it or not, will either be playing for the Yankees or
Red Sox in 2006 for his final season.
Clemens won't retire. He enjoys the game still, he's good at it, and he loves
money. Houston
can't really provide a place for any of that now until May 1. Roger doesn't
want to wait that long for his last season, since he'll be in shape from the
World Baseball Classic. It wouldn't make sense to work hard at getting ready
for the WBC only to wait two months to pitch for Houston.
Clemens doesn't want to go out with the woeful Rangers (even with Millwood
joining the staff). Why not go back to New York
or Boston?
Great rivalry, both fan bases would accept him back at this point, he'll get
the money he wants and he won't have to bat in the A.L. Oh, and that whole
family thing? It doesn't matter if he's only doing it for one season, just over
6 months--because he's definitely retiring after this.
3. The L.A. Clippers will make the playoffs;
the L.A. Lakers
will not.
And Kobe will
wonder why he picked the Lakers in 2004 instead of the Clips.
4. Neither the Pistons nor the Spurs will win the 2006 NBA Championship.
Yeah, I know the Pistons are tied with the '95-'96 Bulls for the second best
record All-Time after 27 games. Yeah, I know the Spurs are deeper than the team
that won the NBA title in '05. Don't care. The Pistons won't be able to sustain
this kind of play for another six months--injuries and Flip Saunders will get
the best of them. And the Spurs, as always, will be in one of those years where
Timmy D gets hurt at the wrong time and Michael Finley is exposed for what he's
become (a injury plagued non-factor).
5. T.O. will be in exile.
This is more of a hope than anything else. I'm sure Terrell Owens will end up
in Denver,
Dallas or somewhere else where they'll take a risk on the NFL's version of Ron
Artest. I just wished everyone would stop giving him the attention he craves
and let him sit this one out.
6. J.D. Booty, Rudy Carpenter, Vince Young and Brady Quinn will be the 2006
Heisman Finalists.
It'll be a QB love-fest in New York a little less than a year from now as the
surprise QB's, USC's heir apparent and Arizona State's young guy challenge
Young and Quinn to a throwing contest in the Trophy room minutes before the
presentation.
7. Notre Dame will face USC for the National Championship in College
Football. The USC truck just keeps rolling behind LenDale White and J.D. Booty, the
defense gets a year better, but...so does Brady Quinn, Darius Walker AND
Charlie Weiss.
8. We'll hear more about steroids in '06 than we did in '05 when the first
major superstar is busted.
Don't know who it will be, but it will happen. The timing is perfect. Say, is
Barry Bonds coming back for long?
9. The Boston
Red Sox will win the AL East.
I'm probably jinxing the living heck out of my team, but New York's pitching is
weak, despite their line-up, and once Clemens chooses Boston, Tejada makes his
way over to the good guys, the Sox will be strong on both sides of the field
and hold off the Blue Jays for the East title in late September--as the Yankees
watch the playoffs from home.
10. The Chicago
Bears will shock everyone and win the Super Bowl over the Colts in February. Ok, that wasn't a bold pick; that was just me being selfish and wantingthe Bears defense to shine brighter than the Colts
offense this post-season.
