Superbowl thoughts

I wanted to wait before posting my thoughts on last nights Superbowl. I am still trying to decide where it ranks among the previous ones. It has to be up there as one of the biggest upsets of all time. Very few people honestly thought the Giants had a real chance to win. Kudos to those that did. For me I did not really care either way. I am not a fan of either team. I will say I was hoping for a good game and in the second half was openly rooting for the Giants. Why? Because I cannot stand Bill Belichick. I still have a bad taste from when he was the coach of the Browns. Yes, I can hold a grudge for a long time. And he really showed his class when he ran off the field when there was still one second on the clock. His defense had to get themselves on the field so the final play could be run. Would it have been better if they won and were the second team to finish undefeated? After spygate and the way they shamelessly ran up the scores early in the season I say no. Karma has a way of coming back and biting you in the ass. The Patriots found that out last night...

The dangers of the double dip

Here is something to think about this Superbowl Sunday--

On average, the students found that three to six double dips transferred about 10,000 bacteria from the eater’s mouth to the remaining dip.

Doesn't that make you want to try the dip at this weekend's big party?

A $35,000 Horse Collar...

Football is a violent sport. And we encourage that. Fans love to see the hard hits. There is a limit though. Thanks to Roy Williams a rule was put in against the horse collar tackle. That is when you grab a player behind the neck by their shoulder pads and pull them down. It is frightening to see a player pulled down like this. Roy Williams is the one player who seems to do it more than anyone else. In fact he was warned by the league that based on his previous infractions if he did it again he would face a possible suspension. So where is the surprise that when he did it again this past weekend he was suspended by the league for one game. A one game suspension means one lost paycheck. For Williams that comes to $35,000. Maybe that will finally get through to him. Plus the fact that now he has let his teammates down by not being available for a crucial game as the Cowboys fight for home field advantage in the playoffs. What bothered me the most was comments by some of his defensive teammates who thought the fine and suspension were excessive. I agree that some of the penalties called trying to protect players--in particular the quarterbacks--are silly, in this case I don't agree. All Williams and his defensive teammates have to do is ask fellow offensive teammate Terrell Owens what he thinks about a horse collar tackle. Williams did one on him while he was with the Eagles that broke a bone in his leg and tore ligaments in his ankle. No one thinks it is ok to tackle a player by his face mask. So why do some think it is ok to do a horse collar tackle? Hopefully the fine and suspension will make players think twice before they do it again...

Wild finish in the Browns-Ravens game...

What a finish. The Ravens scored 16 straight 4th quarter points to take a 30-27 lead. The Browns drive down and with 3 seconds left Phil Dawson gets the chance to tie the game with a 51 yd FG. It is up--hits the left goal post--bounces and hits the crossbar--then bounces back on the field. No good and the Browns lose. But wait--one judge thinks it went over the crossbar and hit the back extension. The Referee says he wants to review it. Then he finds out that field goals are not reviewable so he cannot look at the replay. The officials huddle and then decide it did hit the extension. Field goal is good and the game is tied. The players are forced out of the locker room and back onto the field. The Browns win the coin toss and drive down for the winning field goal. I have never seen a finish like that in my life! Amazing...

As a side note they did show the replay several times on the screen in the stadium. The Referee insists he did not look at it to change the call. Hmmm...

College Football...

What a weekend. Thursday night we saw the number 2 ranked team in the country go down. Number 4 went down tonight. I managed to catch the fourth quarters of both games. Wow is all I can say. That is why I think college football is better than the NFL. Anyone can lose any game. Don't think so? Ask Michigan fans about Appalachian State. I had an email conversation earlier today about fans supporting their team. Actually it was about people who never went to a university being rabid fans. I just don't get it. It is nice if a team from your state does well, but if I did not go there I will not automatically give them my allegiance. And I don't think anyone else should. Now that is not what happens though. Countless people who never even went to college claim the local team as their own--especially if they are a good team. People love jumping on the bandwagon.

People also love the underdog. Tonight in the Oklahoma--Texas Tech game I was rooting like crazy for Texas Tech. For one thing I wanted Oklahoma to lose since they were the 4th ranked team. They lose and my team moves up in the rankings. But as I was watching it was more that I wanted unranked Texas Tech to win. I wanted the underdog to upset the favored opponent. Why? Does it matter in the grand scheme of things? Of course it doesn't. But I still wanted it. We all love it when the favored team loses. Ok, maybe not all of us. There is a sizable group of people that root for the favorite. But there is a large group of us that love it when the underdog is able to defeat the unbeatable opponent. I am a sports fan. I love the whole idea of competition and love it when I see an event where the opponents fight a good fight. Win or lose--if it was a good battle than it was a good fight. That is what competition is all about. And the college game knows that better than the pros. In the pro game it is more about how much am I paid and what are the business aspects. At least the college kids play because they love the game and winning and losing really matters to them....

NFL=No Family League...

I still can't believe it. I have read the article several times and still am speechless. His maternal grandmother who helped raise him dies. He helps plan the funeral and travel arrangements. As a result he misses a game and then gets docked one game check. Yes the NFL is a business. Still it is a cheap, gutless move on the Vikings part. Minnesota is 4 games out of first with a 3-5 record. It is not like his missing one game would really matter. What kind of organization are they? This is the message they want to send to their players and fans? I hope they NEVER win another game. I only wish they were my home team so I could protest in person...


Post script...
It looks like my scathing commentary had an effect! So maybe others had something to do with it. Either way the Vikings have had a change in mind and decided to pay him after all. Justice is served...