Shooting from the lip

Looking back at a weekend of televised sports ...

Biggest bunch of junk
Anyone who thinks the NFL and commissioner Roger Goodell allowed CBS and NBC to show Saturday night's NFL Network game between the Patriots and Giants because it cared about the best interest of the fans is nuts. The fact is, the NFL wasn't trying to be nice guys. It was smartly avoiding being the bad guys. The NFL would've been killed if that game weren't on free TV, and the league knew it. Putting the game on free TV allowed the NFL to spin it in such a way that it  came off looking good. And it gave it a three-hour commercial for the NFL Network. It would be shocking if the NFL ever farms out one of these NFL Network games again. No way. It'll never happen.

Look, the NFL has every right to start its own network and put any or all games on it. But don't tell us what you did Saturday night was in the best interest of the fans. If that were your concern, you wouldn't have the NFL Network to begin with.

Most overhyped story
Sure, the Patriots finishing the season with a 16-0 record is impressive, but doesn't it seem as if everyone is going just a tad overboard? They still have three more games to go. If they lose, they are no different than any other team that hasn't won a Super Bowl, and this cannot be considered a perfect season like the 1972 Dolphins. As Tom Jackson said on ESPN's Sunday NFL Countdown, "They are three games away from immortality and one loss from infamy.''
On Fox, analyst Jimmy Johnson said, "If they lose a game now, it won't just be disappointing. It will be devastating. Bill Belichick cannot allow himself to be a fan of this team. He can't tell them how great they are. He has to be the bad guy and demand that they get better''
But Don Shula, who coached those 1972 Dolphins, said it best on Countdown: "You have to forget about 16-0 because each game now is sudden death. 16-0 won't mean much if they get beat in he playoffs and don't win the Super Bowl. … That's what's going to make it a meaningful season, going 19-0.''

Best chance
So does anyone have a chance of knocking off the Patriots? The guess here is absolutely not. But which team has the best chance? The chic pick is Jacksonville because the Jags can run the ball and play good defense and showed they can play in bad weather when they recently beat the Steelers in Pittsburgh.
But there's only one team with a real chance and that's the Colts. Heading into Sunday night's meaningless game, they were 13-2 and, really, came as close as  anybody to beating the Patriots. And they were missing five starters the day they lost to the Patriots. And, oh yeah, they're the defending champs.

Best point
Waived Lightning goalie Marc Denis did make a good point when he asked why he never started again after turning in his best performance in maybe two years in a 3-2 shootout victory against Montreal on Dec. 11. Certainly seemed as if he should've gotten another chance before the Bolts called up Karri Ramo. Then again, he had a season-and-a-half to prove himself here and didn't.

Strangest comment
New York Post columnist Phil Mushnick beat me to this, but did anyone catch what Monday Night Football's Tony Kornheiser and Mike Tirico said last week during the Chargers-Broncos game? Both do a good job -- I like both of them a lot -- but badly slipped off track.
Kornheiser said, "What LaDainian Tomlinson is known for is wearing a visor and criticizing Bill Belichick last year. But he's not appreciated the way all the people whose records he is passing. He is an unknown person. Why is that''
Tirico agreed, saying it's because Tomlinson has "no postseason success and because he plays out here in San Diego''
Unknown? Mushnick pointed out that Tomlinson is in a ton of TV commercials, he was a feature on 60 Minutes recently, he has won an MVP, has been to six Pro Bowls and, before the season started, had the league's best-selling NFL jersey. Besides Kornheiser and Tirico, who exactly doesn't appreciate or know Tomlinson?

Best tidbits
Fox NFL insider Jay Glazer had a couple of interesting updates on a couple of former Bucs and whether they will continue playing after this season.
On Broncos safety John Lynch, Glazer said: "He said, 'This is the first season I've really had questions about whether I want to play again.' … The Broncos have come to him and said they want him back, but Lynch doesn't know.''
On Raiders defensive tackle Warren Sapp, Glazer said, "I think Warren Sapp will end up retiring.''

Funniest line
John Saunders, host of ESPN's Sports Reporters said, "It has been said that the great thing about sports is it's the only form of entertainment that is not scripted. You do not know how it's going to end and you can't go back the next day and watch it again with the same result … wait, unless it's the Knicks.''

Best coverage
It was our first look at it, but the NFL Network does do a good job covering a game even if Bryant Gumbel makes a better studio host than a play-by-play announcer. The real stars of the coverage are color announcer Cris Collinsworth and studio analyst Deion Sanders, who, not surprisingly, is excellent behind the microphone. Sanders should think about taking his act to a network seen by more people. ESPN should think about Sanders as a replacement for Emmitt Smith on Sunday NFL Countdown.

Best awards
Fox NFL analyst Terry Bradshaw handed out his annual "Terry Awards'' and a couple of Bucs made the list. Receiver Joey Galloway was named "Owner of the Year'' for his Tampa vitamin and smoothie shop. Meantime, defensive backs coach Raheem Morris was named "Assistant Coach of the Year.''

Best feature
ESPN's Outside the Lines did a touching and updated story on the famous Uruguayan rugby team that survived 72 days in the Andes mountains after their plane crashed. They survived, in part, by eating the flesh of those killed in the accident. Last week was the 35th anniversary of their rescue. The uplifting update was that the two members of the party who  climbed nine days through the mountains happened upon a farmer who rode his horse to bring them help. Today, the rugby team includes the elderly farmer as one of its own and paid for his recent hip replacement. The piece was reported by the highly underrated and highly skilled Chris Connelly, who consistently delivers ESPN's best features.

Three things that popped into my head over the weekend
1. Penn State's Joe Paterno can still coach and the guy deserves to stay at Penn State as long as he wants.
2. No matter how hard you try, there is still too much going on to get into college basketball right now.
3. Ohio State and LSU haven't played in so long that I almost forgot they are playing for the national championship. The NCAA needs to do something about such a long break.

Nothing for nothing

It was supposed to be the blockbuster trade that finally solved the Lightning's goaltending problems after Cup-winning goalie Nikolai Khabibulin left for the free-agent money of Chicago. After a year of the failed John Grahame/Sean Burke experiment, the Lightning pulled the trigger on a huge deal, sending consistent goal-scorer and fan favorite Freddy Modin to Columbus for goalie Marc Denis.

But Denis was never the answer. He went 17-18-2 last season with a 3.19 GAA and lost his No. 1 job to Johan Holmqvist. This year, he was 1-5-0 with a 4.05 GAA and lost his spot on the roster entirely to prospect Karri Ramo. The Lightning waived Denis on Friday and, barring an unlikely chain of events, his Lightning career is over.

The only comfort Lightning fans can take is Modin hasn't exactly worked out in Columbus. He had 22 goals in 79 games last season and this season, injuries have limited him to only six goal-less games. He hasn't played since Nov. 5 and you have to wonder that at age 33 and 11 hard years in the league if his career will never be the same.

Isn't it funny that the throw-in player of the trade (Fredrik Norrena, a goalie prospect who went from the Lightning to the Blue Jackets) might turn out to have the most impact after the trade? Since the trade, Norrena has gone 29-31-6 and has become a reliable backup in Columbus.

Shooting from the lip

Looking back the weekend of televised sports ...

Biggest conundrum
Watching the Lightning lose again Saturday night, maybe this question popped into your head: What's wrong with the Bolts? The answer: maybe nothing. Since winning the Stanley Cup in 2004, know what the Lightning's record is? 102-84-14. It is 27-11 in overtimes and shootouts. If you counted those games as ties, like in the old days, that pans out to a 75-73-52 record. It is 3-8 in the two one-round-and-out postseasons. A .500 team is about what it is -- for more than two years now.
What's troubling this season is that unless Vinny Lecavalier, Marty St. Louis, Brad Richards or Vinny Prospal has the puck, you get the feeling the Lightning has absolutely no chance of creating a scoring chance let alone scoring a goal.

Best wishes
Ever have that unsettling feeling that something is missing? You check to make sure you have your keys. You check to make sure you have your wallet. You check to see if you left the oven on. That's how the weekend felt without hearing Dick Vitale, and that's how it’s going to feel until he returns in February after having surgery to treat ulcers on his vocal cords. February can't get here soon enough.

Best exchange
On CBS' NFL Today, Armen Keteyian asked a good question and Patriots coach Bill Belichick gave a better, albeit not very satisfying, answer.
Keteyian: "You have steadfastly refused to deal with what I would call the big three: SpyGate, Perfect Season and your relationship with Eric Mangini. Why is that?''
Belichick: "I think that would be a conversation for another day, Armen. I think right now … the best thing for our team is to focus on the job at hand, what we're doing, and deal with that some other time.''
That answer is why the Patriots are going to go undefeated this season.

Biggest missing player
Know whom the Lightning misses? Cory Stillman. He's a bit of an odd bird, but the guy produces. He's on pace for 84 points this season. And it seems the teams he plays on do well.

Easiest schedule
It should be no surprise that the Florida basketball team was pounded by Ohio State on Saturday because the Gators weren't prepared to play anybody. Why is Billy Donovan scheduling teams such as North Carolina Central, Tennessee Tech, North Florida, Stetson and Vermont? And those aren't the only weaklings Florida has played. Why not toughen up your team by playing a meaty early season schedule, even if you lose a few times? Look at UCLA. The Bruins have already played Maryland, Michigan State and Texas. Pitt has played Duke, Oklahoma State and Washington. Duke has played Marquette, Wisconsin and Pitt. That's how you do it.
By the way, whom does Florida play next? Temple  then High Point. High Point? Is that even a school?

Worst excuse
Well, who's to say it's the "worst excuse,'' because Tennessee women's basketball coach Pat Summitt has never really given an excuse for why her powerhouse no longer plays UConn in the regular season. The assumption, as Times staff writer Greg Auman pointed out in Saturday's paper, is that she flat-out hates UConn coach Geno Auriemma. Whatever the reason, Summitt needs to get over it because Tennessee and UConn not playing in the regular season hurts women's basketball. Summitt needs to realize that the game is bigger than she is.

Just wondering
BYU-UCLA? Nevada-New Mexico? Cincinnati-Southern Miss? With all due respect, is anyone getting into these bowl games? These aren't even good games on a regular old Saturday in October. Unless you’re a big fan of one of the schools, the bowl games are a snooze until Jan. 1.

Worst call
Another sign that officials take their jobs way too seriously: Did you see the chintzy technical foul picked up Saturday by Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl? The guy took a couple of steps out of the coaching box — not to yell at an official, but to say something to one of his players. In other words, he was coaching. The ensuing free throw  gave Xavier a four-point lead with 3:47 left. Tennessee came back to win, but officials can't get that nitpicky in a tight game with only a few minutes left.

Worst scheduling
Can someone please explain why the NFL is playing a game on Christmas Eve? Come on, Christmas Eve? There's no reason the NFL needs to have players, coaches, media, team personnel and stadium workers, and all the extra security and police and so forth working instead of being at home with their families on Christmas Eve. Another thing, since we're talking about the NFL schedule. Doesn't it seem unfair to have Thursday night games this late in the season? Teams are battling for playoff spots and the league is making them play on three days' rest? All to make a little more money for a sport that practically prints money?

Second-worst scheduling
The NHL's big outdoor game is coming up. Pittsburgh against Buffalo at Buffalo's Ralph Wilson Stadium. Great idea. Awful timing. These knuckleheads at the NHL are playing the game on Jan. 1. Gee, anything else going on that day? Uh, let's see. Yeah — a billion college football games! It's Jan. 1. Watching college football all day on New Year's Day is an American tradition.
This is another example of why the NHL struggles in this country. This is a game that might draw in a few nonhockey fans, so why not play the game on the afternoon of Jan. 5? The NFL playoffs start that day, but the first game isn't until 4 p.m. Maybe the league worried that the Bills would be in the playoffs and needed the stadium that day, but what were the odds of that? Bottom line: Any day would be better than Jan. 1.

Check it out
Academy Award-winning actor Morgan Freeman will narrate a special Monday Night Football season retrospective at the conclusion of the game telecast. Think it's called Driving Mr. Kornheiser?

Best question
Fitness trainer Brian McNamee was the one who pointed a finger at Yankees pitchers Andy Pettitte and Roger Clemens, accusing both of using performance-enhancing drugs. Pettitte later admitted he did use HGH, but Clemens is adamant he has done nothing wrong. But Mike Lupica of the New York Daily News asked a good question during the Sports Reporters on ESPN: "Why would Brian McNamee, the trainer, be telling the truth about Andy Pettitte and then be lying about Roger Clemens?''

Best insight
ESPN's Chris Mortensen did a nice job breaking down what might happen to NFL coaches on the hot seat. He says the jury is out on Miami’s Cam Cameron and the Giants' Tom Coughlin. Meantime, it appears that St. Louis' Scott Linehan, San Francisco's Mike Nolan, Cincinnati's Marvin Lewis, Carolina's John Fox and Washington's Joe Gibbs are all safe. For now.

Most touching story
There are still good guys in sports. ESPN's Outside the Lines did a piece on Chargers defensive star Shawne Merriman, who, with his new construction company, built a new home for a family that lost everything in the San Diego fires. Merriman didn't just write a check, he poured concrete and swung a hammer on his off days. Why was it such a big deal to Merriman? Incredibly, he lost two homes to fires growing up. When he was 11, an arsonist set fire to his apartment building. When he was 16, his family had no electricity and a candle led to a fire that destroyed his home.
And how’s this? The San Diego family thought all the paperwork with their insurance company and the new construction would leave them without a home for two years. Merriman’s company finished the job in 56 days. Merriman's number is 56.

The Bucs still haven't ...

Last Sunday, the Bucs finally returned a kickoff for a touchdown for the first time in franchise history. It seemed like one of the last items to mark off the list of things never accomplished. After all, the Bucs have returned punts for touchdowns, returned blocked punts for touchdowns, returned blocked field goals for touchdowns, have had two 100-yard rushers in a game, have had a 200-yard rushing game, a 200-yard reception game and a 400-yard passing game.

Is there anything left to do?

You bet. Here's a list of things the Bucs still have never accomplished in their 32-year history.

Never have led the NFL in total offense
In fact, when it comes to total yardage, the Bucs have never even come close to leading the NFL in offense. Their best seasons were finishing 10th in 1984 and 2003. But they've finished 20th or worse 23 times. Even this season, the Bucs are 19th. Yeesh, instead of drawing up plays, maybe the Bucs would've been better off with one play: "Just everybody go out and get open.''

Never had a play from scrimmage go longer than 90 yards
The longest rushing play in Bucs history is a 78-yard TD run by Michael Pittman against Kansas City in 2004. The longest passing play in Bucs history is an 89-yard TD pass from Vinny Testaverde to Willie Drewrey in 1990. But 89 is not 90.

Never have played in Buffalo
In the regular season, that is. The Bucs did play one preseason game in Buffalo — a 17-6 loss way back in 1977. But the Bucs have never had the pleasure of going to upstate New York in the regular season. It's the only current NFL city the Bucs haven't visited in the regular season. What's weird is the Bills have come to Tampa Bay eight times.

Never have had a quarterback arrested and convicted on federal dogfighting charges
We once had high hopes for Steve Spurrier, but he went on not to abuse dogs, but to abuse Dawgs — the Georgia and Mississippi State variety. The Bucs scouting department simply needs to do a better job scouting. Isn't there another Vick out there somewhere?

Never had a 1,600-yard rusher
There are 16 games. That means the Bucs have never had a player average 100 yards rushing per game for the entire season. James Wilder came close. He rushed for 1,544 yards in 1984. It's not easy to do. Pittsburgh's Willie Parker leads the NFL in rushing this season with 1,317 yards, meaning he needs a hefty 283 yards in the final two games to be the only player to rush for 1,600 this season. San Diego's LaDainian Tomlinson, who needs 289 yards, and Minnesota's Adrian Peterson, who needs 322 yards, also have an outside crack at 1,600. Earnest Graham needs 723 yards!

Never have stopped arguing whether Gruden or Dungy deserves credit for the Super Bowl
"Jon Gruden won the Super Bowl,'' says one side.
"Yeah,'' says the other, "but he did it with Tony Dungy's players.''
As old as the "Tastes great, less filling'' routine. Everyone is right. But now Tony is gone. Great coach. Even better human being. But gone. So let’s all move on, shall we?

Never had an NFL Offensive MVP
Lee Roy Selmon and Derrick Brooks have won various defensive MVP awards. Selmon, Brooks and Warren Sapp were all named Associated Press Defensive Player of the Year. But no Bucs offensive player has been named MVP. And, really, it's not like a Bucs offensive player has been given a raw deal. No one really has even been a serious contender for the award.

Never landed the Big Tuna
How many times did the Bucs cast their line to catch the Big Tuna — Bill Parcells? Three? Four? They even hooked him once, but couldn't get him in the boat. Know what we mean, Atlanta?

Never have had a field goal blocked and returned for a touchdown
That's a good thing, one the Bucs hope never happens. Here's another positive one: they've never allowed an opposing receiver to have a 200-yard reception game in the regular season.

Never had an offensive tackle make the Pro Bowl
Paul Gruber is, without question, the finest offensive tackle the Bucs have ever had. And, truth be told, he probably should've made a few Pro Bowls and would have had it not played for some of the worst teams of his era.

Never have won in ...
There are few places the Bucs have never won. They are 0-5 in the city of Houston against the Texans and old Oilers. They are 0-2 in Jacksonville, 0-2 at Tennessee, 0-3 in Pittsburgh, 0-5 in Oakland. And, as we mentioned, they've never played at Buffalo. But New Jersey/New York has been almost a complete loss cause for the Bucs. They are 1-12 all-time on the road against the Giants and Jets. In the Meadowlands, they are 1-6 against the Giants (with the lone victory in 1997) and 0-4 against the Jets. To make matters worse, the Bucs have never beaten the Jets on the road. They were 0-2 at Shea Stadium before the Jets moved to the Meadowlands. Check out some of the losses to the Jets, too: 34-0, 62-28, 31-0. Fuhgetababoutit!

Never have returned two kickoffs for touchdowns in the same game
They’ve also never returned a touchdown and a punt for a touchdown in the same game. And never have returned a kickoff for a touchdown in California when the temperature is below 40 degrees.

(Photos: Associated Press, Times files)

Shooting from the lip

Looking back at a weekend of televised sports ...

Biggest story
Baseball's Mitchell report has been out a few days, long enough for some thought and reaction. The biggest poststory is Yankees star Andy Pettitte admitting he used HGH to help recover from injury. Does the reason matter? The bottom line is he used it. He shouldn't now get a pass for either coming forward and/or taking it because of injury. And speaking of the guys who claim they used steroids or HGH for recovery from injuries, how come they aren't getting it from legitimate doctors instead of trainers, dentists and a guy who knows a guy who's a trainer?

"We're not allowed now, as guys defend themselves,'' Mike Lupica said on ESPN's Sports Reporters, "for them to say they only took it for recovery. Yes, it may help recovery. But they took it to get a competitive edge. And the idea that a guy like Pettitte can say, 'I'm not like these dirty, scummy other guys; I just did it for (injury)' is a preposterous notion.''

Most irritating story
So West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez threatens to walk out of a news conference if anyone dared to ask ''one more question'' about rumors he was going to Michigan, then less than a day later he takes the Michigan job. Obviously, the media were on the right trail, not just throwing darts in the dark.
Is anyone else sick of coaches refusing to talk, denying rumors or flat-out lying to the public about talking to other teams and schools? There's nothing wrong with a coach leaving one program for another if it means a better financial situation for his family or a better career move. Just be up front about it instead of criticizing the media and fans for asking obviously legitimate questions when you're the one who created the questions in the first place. And then started more rumors by lying or being vague. Just be a man and tell people the truth.

Funniest line
Late in the first half, after Fox showed singer Jessica Simpson sitting in the stands watching boyfriend/Dallas QB Tony Romo, Fox's Joe Buck said, "Romo has a 9.8 quarterback rating in this game, proving it's never easy to play in front of your girlfriend.''

Biggest question
Someone tell me again why it is that New England coach Bill Belichick is the one who cheated and it's he and the Patriots who were seeking revenge on the coach (Eric Mangini) and team (Jets) they cheated against? As Mike Ditka said on ESPN's Sunday NFL Countdown: "Here’s the thing I don't understand: You cheated, and I caught you, and you’re going to punish me?''

Best point
On ESPN's Sports Reporters, Jeremy Schaap made a great point about all those Baseball Hall of Fame voters who try to make the case that maybe Barry Bonds and, now, Roger Clemens were Hall of Famers before they were tied in one way or another to steroids and should still be voted in. Schaap pointed out that it shouldn't matter what kind of players they were before the scandal, just like it didn't matter that Pete Rose was Hall of Fame-worthy before he was busted for gambling and just like it didn't matter that Shoeless Joe Jackson was Hall of Fame-worthy before the 1919 Black Sox scandal.

Best 'times have changed' moment
NBC had an astonishing set of numbers about how golf and sports have changed in the past 20 years during its weekend coverage of the Target World Challenge. It was 19 years ago when Curtis Strange became the first golfer to earn $1-million in prize money in one season. In 2007, 99 players earned at least $1-million.

Best hustle
Talking about Falcons coach Bobby Petrino leaving the team with three weeks left in the season, Fox football insider Jay Glazer relayed an incredible story:
"You want to talk about the irony of all ironies? Two weeks ago, Bobby Petrino printed up T-shirts for his players and on the T-shirt the message: Finish! How about that? Finish?!?! These players are looking at it this week and they're saying, 'Finish?!?! You have to be kidding me.' They took the T-shirt; they threw it on the floor and started kicking it around. John Abraham, their Pro Bowl defensive end, said to me, 'Believe it or not, the last couple of weeks we actually started to buy into this guy. Thinking this would be the right guy for us next year. Now with what he did, that was just garbage.'''

Strangest story
This whole Les Miles/Michigan story sounded fishy from the start. You might remember the LSU football coach huffed and puffed through denials that he would leave LSU for his alma mater. Then it came out that he, indeed, had spoken with Michigan officials. But, Miles said, it was just to give his input because he was being a good alumnus. Are you kidding me? Miles is at another school now. Why would Michigan, regardless of who called whom, have any interest in getting advice from a coach who is competing for the same recruits and national titles?

Three ideas that sprang up during the weekend
1. Baseball fans now need to treat Roger Clemens the same way they treat Barry Bonds.
2. Because of the growing trend of coaching changes in football, schools should not be allowed to recruit from the end of the regular season until the end of the bowl games.
3. If Rich Rodriguez brings the same type of offense to Michigan that he had at West Virginia, the big, plodding defenses in the Big Ten might have trouble catching up for a while.

Best sign
Good news for the NHL. In the next few weeks you should start seeing Penguins star Sidney Crosby in national Gatorade commercials. Not just during NHL games, but on regular network programming. You have to go back to the days of Wayne Gretzky to find a hockey player while watching some random sitcom, drama or even sporting event on NBC, CBS, ABC or Fox.

Most intriguing breakdown
If you think what happens now during the NCAA basketball season has no impact on the NCAA Tournament, you're wrong. Kudos to CBS's Verne Lundquist and Billy Packer for breaking down how the NCAA Tournament selection works with Tom O'Connor, chairman of the selection committee, during Saturday's Purdue-Louisville game. Bottom line: If a bunch of Big East teams beat a bunch of SEC teams during the early season, not only does that help the winning team, it helps that conference if, for example, it comes to taking either a seventh-place Big East team or a seventh-place SEC team.
Something to think about while you’re watching all the holiday tournaments.

Best interview
CBS's 60 Minutes had a topical piece, with Katie Couric interviewing Yankees baseball star Alex Rodriguez in the wake of the Mitchell report. Couric flat-out asked A-Rod if he had ever used any performance-enhancing drugs and A-Rod said no. The best exchange:
Couric: "So many huge players have been named in this investigation and MVPs, Cy Young Award winners, Hall of Famers, what's your reaction to this investigation?''
A-Rod: "Well, Katie, you're putting me in a tough spot. I mean these are guys that I play with, they're my teammates, friends, people that I respect, people that I play with every day. If anything comes of this, (I) would be extremely disappointed. I mean it would be a huge black eye on the game of baseball. A lot of fans, they just want to know a lot. They want to know the truth and I think in this George Mitchell investigation … maybe they will get what they want.''

Dumbest line
On ESPN's Sunday NFL Countdown, Emmitt Smith, who is good for a couple of lame-brain comments a show, said, "The Steelers are overrated as a team.'' Who, exactly, is overrating them? Anyone picking them to win the Super Bowl? Anyone even picking them to have a shot at getting to the Super Bowl? Anyone suggesting they are better than New England or Indianapolis in the AFC? The answers are no one, no, no and no. That's just a dumb comment.

Shooting from the lip

Looking back at the best and worst from recent televised sports ...

Best coverage
Kudos to ESPN for its feature during the Heisman Trophy presentation show on how much God and faith have meant to Florida quarterback Tim Tebow. Sometimes the big networks get a little squirrelly when it comes to talking about God and faith and sports, but ESPN made the right call of profiling Tebow the way it did because that's the way Tebow is. You can't tell Tebow’s story without talking about the most important thing in his life. Another pat on the back to analyst Kirk Herb-streit, who made it a major part of his live interview with Tebow during the show.

Nicest comments
Speaking of Tim Tebow winning the Heisman, his two biggest fans might have been ESPN analysts Kirk Herbstreit and Lee Corso.
Herbstreit: "You think about ambassadors for this award, you think about ambassadors for college football, I don't think you're going to find a better guy than Tim Tebow.''
Corso: "I don't know that we've had a better winner for college football and for life than Tim Tebow.''

Worst comments
Know what was annoying? All the comments like this:
"Tim Tebow won it, fine,'' Fox's Jimmy Johnson said about the Heisman Trophy. "But I think (Arkansas running back) Darren McFadden will make a better pro.''
Johnson wasn't alone in making this sort of comment. Several analysts said something close to that. You know what? There might be a dozen linemen and linebackers and defensive backs out there in college who will have better pro careers than both Tebow and McFadden, but why are we even talking about it? The Heisman Trophy is for the best college player, not who is going to be the better pro 10 years from now. So what's the point? Why even make such a point?

Strangest argument
The Lightning lost in overtime Saturday night when the Islanders scored on a power play after a slashing penalty against Lightning defenseman Paul Ranger. The call sent the crowd into a frenzy and the question is: Why? Ranger clearly slashed the stick out of the hands of the Islanders player. It's a textbook call. How could anyone argue it?

Funniest line
Fox's Howie Long, talking about the playcalling of Lions offensive coordinator Mike Martz:
"Mike Martz suffers from a rare form of the Al Gore syndrome; Al Gore still thinks he's the president and Mike Martz still thinks he's the head coach.’’

Number of the weekend
244. Maybe the holiday college bowl season isn't all that it's cracked up to be. The combined number of losses of all the teams playing in the 32 bowl games this season is 244. Uh, that's an all-time high, which proves a rather simple point: There are too many bowl games.

Most interesting comment
NASCAR seemed to lose a little steam this season. It's still wildly popular, but some of the shine appears to have come off it. Just a bit. That led to some critical comments about how it's being run, including this one from the Charlotte Observer's David Poole:
"I believe NASCAR's brass spends too much time looking out the back of the tower to see how many fans are buying T-shirts and not enough looking at the track to see what's happening where it really matters.''

Best team
A team that seems like a lock to make the Super Bowl? Don't say New England. Mitch Albom made a great point on ESPN's Sports Reporters: "I think Dallas has an easier run to the Super Bowl than New England does on the other side of the picture, having to deal with Pittsburgh and Indianapolis. There is no parallel of that for the Dallas Cowboys.’’
Then again, New England still looks pretty darn good.

Best quote
Doesn't it seem like every team in the NHL is riding a roller coaster? Win three, lose three, win five, lose four. Why is that?
"The very best (in the NHL) is not far away from the very worst,'' Maple Leafs coach Paul Maurice said on Hockey Night in Canada. Then he added a pretty cool comment: "The teams that come together and exemplify the most important parts of our game — playing together, caring about each other, being good teammates, pulling together — all the things that we teach our 10-year-olds, maybe if we could do that in the National Hockey League, you'd win a Stanley Cup.''

Worst scheduling
Again, another example of how messed up the NHL schedule is: Pens superstar Sidney Crosby is in his third NHL season, and yet it wasn't until last week that he played in front of hockey-mad fans in Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver for the first time.

Strangest move
Paul Johnson has done a fabulous job at Navy. Yet it seems odd that he would jump ship (jump ship — get it?) to join Georgia Tech. No disrespect to Georgia Tech, but it seems as if Johnson could've hung on for a better job. Michigan, maybe. Or replacing who ever leaves his job for Michigan. It's just that it seems hard to win consistently at Georgia Tech. By the way, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that Tech interviewed eight men for the job, one being a familiar name: former Auburn coach Terry Bowden. Gee, 10 or 12 years ago, wouldn't you have bet that Terry or brother Tommy would eventually replace their old man at Florida State?

Biggest question
One of baseball's oldest adages is that all good teams are strong up the middle. Marc Topkin, the Rays beat writer for the Times, wrote on Sunday how the Rays lineup is starting to look. In looking it over, you’ll see what the Rays have up the middle. The catcher is Dioner Navarro. Akinori Iwamura, who has never played second base regularly in the majors, moves to second. New addition Jason Bartlett is at short. And B.J. Upton in center even though he had never played center before last season. The pitching staff is Scott Kazmir, James Shields, new guy Matt Garza and then who knows?
So, do you think the Rays are strong up the middle?

Best point
Redskins coach Joe Gibbs still is taking heat from last week when he called back-to-back timeouts to ice the Bills kicker before a  winning 51-yard field goal in the rain. Calling back-to-back timeouts like that is illegal. The penalty moved the ball up 15 yards and Buffalo won on a much easier 36-yard field goal. Gibbs later explained he didn't know the rule.
On Sunday's Fox NFL Sunday, Terry Bradshaw hit the nail on the head: "The head coach doesn't know the rules? He's the highest paid coach in the NFL and he's already in the Hall of Fame. How is that possible?''

Strangest decision
I'll never understand why boxing insists on making it so difficult (and expensive) to watch its premier events. Saturday was another example as Floyd Mayweather fought Ricky Hatton. I get the whole pay-per-view thing and it allows boxing to make a ton of money. But doesn't it make sense (and, in the long run, cents) to occasionally make some of your biggest events available to the mass audience of free network television at a time when people can actually watch?

Most overblown story
Analysts and announcers made too big of a deal about the Steelers' Anthony Smith guaranteeing victory over the Patriots. First, if  you saw the orginal clip of Smith, he merely said the Steelers had a good week of practice and had a chance to win. Then he was asked if that was a guarantee. At that point, he really couldn't back down. And, anyway, are you telling me that the Patriots didn't plan on playing hard UNTIL they heard Smith's comments? That's ridiculous. Speaking of that game, here's the scary part for the NFL. The Steelers are good. Really good. And they actually played pretty well Sunday. And they still lost by three touchdowns.

Three questions discussed, with no answers, over the weekend
1. How is it that Isiah Thomas still has a job with anyone in the NBA, let alone the Knicks?
2. Do you think Bill Parcells would've walked away from the Cowboys if he knew they were going to be this good?
3. What the heck is going on with his divorce that Arizona basketball coach Lute Olson has to take off the entire season? Something just seems odd about that.

I am ...

I Am Legend Moron. I'm talking about Tim Brown.

Someone needs to take Brown's Heisman voting privileges away. Brown, who benefited from the Notre Dame PR machine and a couple of punt returns against a stinky Michigan State team to win the 1987 Heisman Trophy, was quoted as saying he doesn't even have Florida's Tim Tebow on his ballot. To quote Mr. John McEnroe: "You CANNOT be serious!''

Listen, Tim, if you want to make a case for Arkansas' Darren McFadden, I'll listen for a few seconds before rolling my eyes. But to say you don't even have Tebow in your top three? That's just stupid.

Here's the worst part: Brown said muttered something about Tebow's team losing three games. This guy is something. Did he forget that his team lost three games (four if you count the bowl game) when he won the Heisman????? And correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't another Notre Dame guy (Paul Hornung) win a Heisman in a season when his team only won two games? And lost eight?

Besides, I don't remember Tebow being on the field when Auburn, LSU and Georgia were driving the ball down Florida's defense.

I think Tebow is going to win the Heisman on Saturday, but if he loses by a couple of points because Tim Brown didn't have him among his top three, not only should they consider taking away Brown's ballot, but I think we should take away his Heisman.

Seriously, Tim, if you can't treat your toys nicely, we're just going to have to take them away.

Going so soon?

Doesn't this Bobby Bowden thing smell a little rotten?

First, he gets a contract extension. But it's not the standard two- or three- or five-year deal. It's one year. Then the Noles wait like eight seconds before saying who the next head coach is going to be: Jimbo Fisher. It's like having a house guest for dinner and saying, "Hey no need to rush off, here's your coat.''

Have you ever heard of such a thing? The last time I did was when Johnny Carson was shoved out of the Tonight Show chair for Jay Leno. And that was a mess. So is this. This is FSU's way of shoving Bowden, the guy who put FSU football on the map, out of the door. That's what a seven-win season and a trip to the Music City Bowl gets you. I personally think Bowden should coach until he's 120 if he wants.

But back to the point: You're telling me that Jimbo Fisher is so good that FSU just had to lock him away right now? Come on, this is Florida State. It's still one of the best jobs in the country. Seriously, other than Florida's Urban Meyer, Jim Tressel at Ohio State, Pete Carroll at USC, Joe Paterno, of course, and maybe Oklahoma's Bob Stoops, there isn't a coach in the country who wouldn't at least listen if FSU called. And that includes NFL coaches.

Yet Jimbo Fisher, who didn't exactly light it up with FSU this season and has never been a head coach at this level, is so hot you can't afford to let him go?

My gut tells me this has little to do with Fisher and a lot to do with Bowden. It's not that FSU really wants Fisher. It no longer wants Bowden. That's what it smells like, anyway.

Shooting from the lip

Looking back at the weekend of televised sports ...

Craziest story
Is he going? Staying? Staying for now? Going later?

The Les Miles story turned crazy Saturday. First, ESPN's Kirk Herb-streit reported in the morning that his sources told him the LSU coach was leaving to take the Michigan job. Later, Miles held a news conference to say that the story wasn't true and that he was LSU's coach. Then, even later, he told CBS's Tracy Wolfson that he would be at LSU next season.

A few things about all this.
First, Herbstreit is as solid as they come, and it's likely those close to Miles did tell him Miles was taking the Michigan job. Yet, in this get-it-first media world, ESPN jumped the gun, relying on people who were jumping the gun before getting final word from Miles. It  took a gamble and lost, and lost some credibility in the process. It's not how things should be done. But, at least Herbstreit went on camera to explain why he reported what he did. And let's just wait until next season to see if he is wrong.

But here's the big thing: Miles is the clueless jerk in all this. He holds a news conference two hours before the SEC Championship Game and, essentially, chews out the media and Herbstreit for getting the story wrong. Listen, folks, the rumors of Miles going to Michigan have been swirling since the moment Lloyd Carr stepped away two weeks ago. At any point, Miles could've stopped the story from gaining steam, and he chose not to. So he had no right to come off all surly and high and mighty before Saturday's game and say he needed to set the record straight because his team might be distracted.
If he were truly concerned about Michigan being a distraction to his Tigers, he would've said the moment Carr stepped down that he was not interested in leaving LSU. So why didn't he? You’d have to be a fool to think Miles has not considered it. And in the past two weeks, either he didn't like the offer from Michigan or LSU stepped up to keep him. But there's no way Miles wasn't thinking or even talking about leaving for Michigan over the past two weeks. He's as much to blame for the distraction as Herbstreit, ESPN and the media. In fact, he's to be blamed more. He had two weeks to put this story to rest.

Most unwatched sport
Dick Vitale might get in a lather over this item, but it's just impossible to get into college basketball while the college football season still is in full swing. Maybe we’ll watch a game or two in the next couple of weeks waiting for the bowl games, but don’t most of us start getting into it as soon as the bowls and the Super Bowl are over?

P.S. - Dickie V left a voicemail on my work phone Monday morning to say that, in part, he agrees with me. Says he has long been a proponent of starting the college hoops season after Thanksgiving so as not to compete with college football. Geez, I love Dickie V.

Best on-the-mark line
Just as the final seconds were ticking off Pitt's massive upset of No. 2 West Virginia on Saturday night, ESPN announcer Mike Patrick said, "This will be the biggest disappointment in the history of West Virginia football.''

Worst goalie of the weekend
Hey, next time you (or Lightning coach John Tortorella) feel like complaining about Lightning goalie Johan Holmqvist and Marc Denis, remember what it was like a couple of years ago. Here's a reminder: former Bolt John Grahame gave up eight goals on 25 shots — some of which came from the top of the faceoff circles — in an 8-1 Carolina loss to Buffalo on Saturday.

Best point
Fox football analyst Howie Long pointed out that it might be time for Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb to move out of Philadelphia: "To me, this all started back on draft day (in 1999) with the boos and despite three NFC Championship Games, that locker room and city seems to be divided at all times. I look at New England's Tom Brady who came out this week and did not just defend Randy Moss in the papers, he defended him vehemently, enthusiastically and with great passion. Then you look back to Philadelphia. When have you ever seen anyone in the Eagles organization or in that city defend Donovan McNabb? It’s time for Donovan to move on.''

Don't be surprised if McNabb ends up in Minnesota next season.

Question of the day
Was anyone else shocked — shocked, I say — that Boston College quarterback Matt Ryan was named first-team All-American by college coaches? Ryan had a nice season, but better than Florida's Tim Tebow? Missouri's Chase Daniel? Oregon's Dennis Dixon? Hawaii's Colt Brennan? West Virginia's Pat White? Kentucky's Andre Woodson? Oklahoma's Sam Bradford? Ryan might not have even been one of the top 10 quarterbacks in the country.

Most underrated show
NBC showed a tightly produced and highly watchable 90-minute special on the Ironman World Championships, sort of the Super Bowl of triathlons from Hawaii. No one wants to watch 10 hours of a triathlon except tri­athletes. But NBC's coverage had interesting and poignant back stories, interviews and drama. They turned an all-day event into an interesting broadcast without wasting all day.

Worst officiating
The Big East needs to completely overhaul its officiating. Several big games this season were ruined by horrible calls — including the USF-UConn game and the Louisville-UConn game — and Saturday night almost broke the camel's back. Against West Virginia, Pitt was twice signaled for you-got-to-be-kidding holding penalties. One wiped out a touchdown. Another wiped out what could've been a game-ending first down. And, simply put, neither was holding. An obvious defensive holding call against WVU (on, by the way, the same Pitt receiver who was given the two offensive holding penalties) was not called. It came after one of the phantom holding calls against Pitt and denied it another game-ending first down.
Then came a no-need-to-call celebration penalty after Pitt stopped West Virginia. Fortunately, that turned out not to hurt the Panthers. The Big East is lucky that Pitt held on to win.

Still, the night was an embarrassment after a season full of less-than-solid officiating. It was so bad Saturday night that one couldn't help but wonder if the officials were thinking that a West Virginia victory would put it in the national championship game and would make the Big East look good. A thought like that should never pop into anyone's mind.

No complaints
Hey, anybody out there complaining his  school got a raw deal being shut out of the BCS national title game, there's one word for you: SHUTUP! Any team not playing in the national championship has only itself to blame. Want to go the national championship? Win your games. Don't lose two games. And as far as undefeated Hawaii goes? Play real teams and get back to us.

Funniest line, part I
"You hear a bunch of Canadian being spoken down there.''
Lightning color man Bobby "The Chief'' Taylor when microphones near the ice of Saturday's Lightning-Bruins game picked up a few obscenities between players.

Funniest line, part II
"Now I'm not sure about all the idiot math that goes into the BCS poll, but I do know this: If the regular season had gone on a couple of more weeks, Notre Dame would’ve been right back in there.''
Mike Lupica on ESPN's Sports Reporters.

Worst show
How bad was the BCS bowl announcement show Sunday night? You knew Fox was going to drag out the announcement of which teams were playing the national championship game until the end, but that didn't make it any less frustrating. And while Barry Switzer and Jimmy Johnson are entertaining analysts, they are more geared toward the pro game these days. Neither has coached or covered college football in nearly 20 years.