It happens no matter what sport I watch, from NFL football to NCAA Division III Lacrosse.  I sit down with a cold drink, snacks and remote control; take off my shoes and prop my feet up on the stool in front of the couch.  I switch on the TV and hear some talking head start the pre-game show and talk 'till they have nothing left to say.  Then, they bring out their resident expert to tell what the determining factors are that might give one team an edge over the other.  Now, instead of saying something that is even remotely intelligent, this moron will start talking about the "X" Factor.  The X-Factor this and the X-factor that.  Aaaaarrrgh! 

What the hell is an X-Factor?  Why do I care?  Out of the thousands of things you could choose to say, why X-Factor?   It's gotta be the single most annoying, and overused phrase in recent memory.  It's usually the same guy that describes any team that has won more than 5 games consecutively as "developing a swagger"...another phrase I could do without hearing for the next 40 or 50 years.

Am I alone on this one, or can you sum up 80% of everything these guys say into a list of about 10 stupid phrases?

1 The X-Factor
2 Team is playing with a swagger (they make corrective shoes for that)
3 They've gotta dig deep if they are gonna have a chance today
4 At the end of the day, all that matters is blah blah blah blah
5 etc...

AAaaaaaargh!   Chris Berman shut up!  I'm watching Sports Center and Boomer just dropped two X-Factors on me.  It's been nice, but I have to scream now!

Forget all of the wrangling and foolishness that happened with Atlanta in the last few days.  Forget all of the bickering between he and Terrell Owens.  And, forget about his apparent dislike for the media and his abrupt answering of questions in press conferences.  Bill Parcells is the right man in Miami and Dolphins owner, H. Wayne Huizenga, for once in his tenure as the Dolphins owner, got this hire right!

From an article written by Michael Lewis for the New York Times, "Bill Parcells is the only coach in N.F.L. history to take four different teams to the playoffs, but that only begins to set him apart. In 1983, in his first N.F.L. head coaching job, he took over a New York Giants team that had one winning season over the previous decade, turned it around on a dime and led it to Super Bowl titles in the 1986 and 1990 seasons. In 1993, he became head coach of the New England Patriots a year after they finished 2-14. Two seasons later they were 10-6 and in the playoffs for the first time in eight years; another two seasons later, they were in the Super Bowl. From there Parcells went to the Jets, who were coming off a 1-15 season, and coached them to a 9-7 record in his first year and a 12-4 record in his second. The Cowboys had finished 5-11 three seasons in a row before Parcells arrived in 2003. His first year they were 10-6 and reached the playoffs."

"No N.F.L. coach has ever proven himself so clearly to be a device for turning a losing team into a winning one. "

Parcells is a perfect fit for Miami.  He is one who tolerates few equals and likes to do things his own way without interference.  For all of his hiring and firing during the off-seasons, Huizenga is usually a hands-off guy during the season.  That may have played into his hands for taking the hiring of Parcells away from Atlanta; Arthur Blanks, with no athletic background, still likes to meddle in the on-field stuff during the year.

Parcells is one of the best evaluators of NFL talent in the league; a skill that has been sorely missing in Miami.  For a team who, since Huizenga took full ownership in 1993, has traded away 6 first round picks and drafted Jason Allen, Ronnie Brown, Ted Ginn, Vernon Carey OL, Jamar Fletcher, John Avery, Yatil Green, Daryl Gardener, Billy Milner and Tim Bowens with the rest (A list in which only Carey and Bowen have even gone on to be consistent starters); Parcells is a "God send."

Concerning Parcells recent stint in Dallas, many will point out that Dallas is doing much better with Wade Phillips.  Don't forget, though, that Bill Parcells built the ship in which Phillips is sailing.  The criticism that his coaching style and draconian manners are outdated in the era of today's multi-million dollar players may hold merit.  But Parcells will not be on the field and in the locker room in Miami,  he will be manning a desk and  pulling the strings above the stage. 

For a person that has shown that he gains very little joy from the everyday rigors of dealing with locker-room personalities and constantly facing the media that being an NFL coach today requires; moving into the upper office may just be the best move to finally make Parcells happy also.

The very mentioning of Bill Parcells name in a group of people seems to spark a controversy with members of the group polarized on one side or the other.  Still -  love him or hate him, the simple fact is Parcells has always left an organization in much better shape that when he arrived - Miami is lucky to have him!

It all started in 2000, his rookie season.  I don't know if he had a chip on his shoulder because Cleveland passed on him and took Courtney Brown out of Penn State with the first pick in the draft.  I don't know if he liked the history of a town who named their team after Joe Lewis, the Brown Bomber, or he just liked the new-car smell in the freshly-christened Cleveland Browns Stadium.  What I do know is the moment that Jamal Lewis stepped onto the field in that stadium rising from the banks of Lake Erie, something clicked.

The young man, drafted fifth overall from the University of Tennessee, who had managed just 215 yards on 44 carries up to that point in the season, torched the Browns for 86 yards rushing and caught a 7-yard pass to setup a score to seal the 12-0 shutout.  In the same year, he rushed against them for 170 yards and 2 TDs while helping Baltimore dismantle Cleveland 44-7.  Not since the original Browns were moved to Baltimore under the cover of darkness had the City of Cleveland hated Art Modell so much.  They had passed on the very player that could have helped their newly re-formed team back into NFL prominence; and worse, Modell got him.
 

In 2003, Lewis became just of one of 5 backs in NFL history to rush for more than 2,000 yards in a single season and fell just 39 yards shy of the all time record held by Eric Dickerson with 2,105.  This was also the year that he would break Corey Dillon's single game rushing mark of 279 by running for 295 yards and 2 touchdowns against ...you guessed it...the Browns (a record broken this year by Adrian Peterson, 296).  In week 16 of 2003, he again showed his dominance against the Browns, rushing for 205 yards and 2 TDs and catching 2 passes for 21 more yards.  In his 12 career games against the Browns, Lewis has averaged 23 carries for 127 yards and a TD.  He also has his career longest run (82 yds) and longest TD run (72 yds) against them. 

Cleveland had once again squandered an immense opportunity, by overlooking a potential star and picking an also-ran.  Then, the "Angel of Brown" stepped in and stirred the pot of fate.  In 2006, the sound of Coach Brian Billick and Jamal Lewis bickering at each other through the press had to carry the melody of seraphim's singing to the Brown faithful.  Might they actually get a chance to hire the player they spurned and who had been returning the favor to them for the last 6 seasons?  And - would he be able to play at the same level in Cleveland Brown Stadium FOR the Browns as he had against them all these years?

The answer to both questions is a resounding yes.  In just his second game with the Browns, he turned in one of the best performances of his career; rushing 216 yards against Cincinnati and helping his team win a close game between the inter-state rivals.  In home games this season he has averaged 93 yards on 20 carries and a TD.  Cleveland has also been able to twice defeat the Ravens this year with him registering 156 yards rushing yards, 30 receiving and 2 TDs against them.   While he has not returned to his early career form, he is still on pace this season to rush for over 1,400 yards with 14 TD's.  Suddenly, the world seems alright again in the land of "Brown." 

So, am I surprised Jamal Lewis has done this well in Cleveland? NO.  The way this guy delivers in brown, they should make him the poster-boy for UPS.   I should file a claim with his agent; if he gets this endorsement, I want a cut.

 Just what is a buckeye anyway?    Do they have any redeeming qualities at all?  Why can't we seem to get rid of them?  What causes otherwise sensible people to like them so much? 

According to Websters the buckeye is 1.  "A tree (Aesculus glabra) that is a relative of the chestnut and horse-chestnut tree.  2. "The nut from said tree is the same rich, mellow warm-brown as a chestnut, but it is less readily edible, due to its high tannic acid content." 

So it is a tree and a nut. 

The OSU website states the actual nickname for the school, buckeye, is named after the buckeye tree.  However, the mascot for the sports teams and the most recognizable symbol of the athletic teams seems to be the nut, also known as a buckeye, that comes from the buckeye tree.

Upon further investigation I also found the following on the Ohio State University website: "In general, the trees and their nuts are of little practical use: the wood does not burn well, the bark has an unpleasant odor, and the bitter nut meat is mildly toxic. Still, the tree has grit. It grows where others cannot, is difficult to kill, and adapts to its circumstances.  The nuts, although inedible, are attractive and folk wisdom had it that carrying one in a pocket brings good luck and wards off rheumatism.  Maybe that's why they play in a horseshoe - they think it brings them good luck?!?

So for the purpose of our discussion, we'll focus on the nut.

Are the buckeyes valuable?  I found I found a bag of 175 of them for sale on eBay for only $4.99 - well that answers that question.

So, to sum it all up:  A Buckeye is a worthless, bitter, lucky nut!

 They say a picture says a thousand words.  So, here are a few thousand words for you:

 The Annual OSU Cheerleader "Cop-a-Feel" day. 
Even the cheer-guy on the right gets some of the action.

Jim Tressel's Christmas wish list.

The Incredible REVERSIBLE Ohio State Buckeye Fan -
If this guy with the H had one on his back too; he could turn around and we wouldn't know the difference.

In a classy move...the Buckeye fans wish Lloyd Carr a happy retirement

Train up a child in the way he should go; and when he is old he will not depart from it. - Proverbs 22:6

Welcome to another episode of "Former OSU Stars - Where are they now?"

Ohio State's Homecoming is steeped with tradition -
The Band, the Parade and the selection of the Homecoming King and Queen.

I didn't realize that Count von Count from Sesame Street followed College Football.

A Note to the Ohio State Football Team- YOU $UCK

Ohio State YOU $UCK.  The problem is you don't know you $uck.  You played in the Big Ten which this year $uck$.  All of the non-conference teams you played really $uck.  Akron (4-8) is really $ucky even in the really $ucky MAC conference.  The only team that really $ucks worse than Akron in the MAC is Kent State (3-9), another juggernaut on your schedule.  Youngstown State (7-6) is even really $ucky in one of the $uckiest conferences in 1AA, but you still scheduled them.  The only team that you played that just somewhat $ucked was Illinois (9-3), who beat you...thus proving that you Buckeyes do indeed $uck!

Buckeye fans will never forget ...
The Official 2006 BCS Championship Game Logo and Crest

And, of course, you all recognize -
The Ohio State vs. Any SEC Team in a Bowl Game "Postgame Ritual".   ...sigh

**PLEASE NOTE**  This is all in fun.  A Buckeye fan asked me to "take my best shot" and post it for fun - so I did.  Those commenting should keep this in mind.  Obscene and/or vulgar comments will be deleted. 

• It isn't because Greater Atlanta has close to 1.2 million black inhabitants.
• It isn't because the black community needs a role model to rally around and point their children to after the debacle with Michael Vick.
• It isn't because it would create a new ground-swell of support for the team and fill seats in the Georgia Dome.
• It isn't to try to lessen the disparity between the numbers of black and white head coaches in the NFL.
• It