Friday, September 1:
Love him or hate him, here's to the ol' ball coach. South Carolina's Steve Spurrier won last night's game at Mississippi State with the right call at the right time. Up 6-0 early in the fourth quarter, the Gamecocks' defence stuffed a fourth-and-one attempt by the Bulldogs to take over on downs. Immediately, Spurrier capitalized on MSU's dejection and nailed them with a 53-yard, trick play touchdown. Game, set and match and an eventual 15-0 victory. Oh how I love college football!
Saturday, September 2:
This is it -- the first full Saturday of the U-S college football season. Can pre-season number-one Ohio State win it all with a brand new defence? How will Texas fare without Vince Young? Is Notre Dame for real, or are they just a product of the Irish hype machine? Is Cal a top-10 team and can they win their opener at Tennessee today against a Volunteer team coming off a rare losing season? Is 7-and-5 the new standard for behind-the-times Michigan, as they face road games this year at both Notre Dame and Ohio State? Time will tell and it all swings into full gear today.
Monday, September 4:
There was a time I thought -- and I held this view for a long time -- that Andre Agassi was mere flash over substance. I was of the opinion that Mr. “Image is Everything” was a pretty good tennis player, who would never win big on the tour. At the time, he hadn’t won anything, but I remained skeptical even after the victories started piling up. How wrong I was. Agassi leaves pro tennis as one of the very few to have won each and every grand slam event at least once. He was great for the sport both on and off the court and will be missed terribly.
Tuesday, September 5:
Life's embarrassing moments, dept: I read news for a living on radio. Today, whilst attempting to say "Great Barrier Reef", it came out "Great Rarier Beef." That's it. No more steaks on the bar-b-q for me for awhile.
Hats off to Damon Allen for setting pro football's all-time career passing record. No doubt this mark will be poo-poo'd in the states, where if it didn't happen in the NFL, it didn't happen. But they might want to ask recent hall-of-famer Warren Moon for his take on Allen's accomplishment. Moon has nothing but positive things to say about his days in the Canadian Football League.
Some thoughts after drinking in week one of the U-S college football season: Ohio State and Texas were impressive and should provide something of a classic this Saturday night in Austin. Notre Dame and Michigan, less so. The Irish struggled at Georgia Tech, needing a comeback to win by all of four points. The Wolverines were sloppy on offence and were fortunate they were playing Vanderbilt. The new line blocking approach wasn't the problem -- the backs and receivers were off-form. Cal was exposed by a Tennessee outfit that was coming off a -- for them -- very embarrassing season. And if you like defence, it didn't get much better than the knock down, drag-em-out battle last night as Florida State outlasted Miami.
Friday, September 8:
No Big Ben, no problem. Charlie Batch looked just fine in the back-up role for the Pittsburgh Steelers in a come-from-behind win over Miami last night. And away we go with the NFL season. Predictions? Just one -- the safest one possible. The Detroit Lions will not win the Super Bowl. Again.
Sunday, September 10:
Holy cow! I know it's only week two, but just who in thunder is going to beat Ohio State this season after that impressive 24-7 romp at Texas? And take away the questionable call on the Longhorns' lone scoring drive and it's even more lopsided for the Buckeyes. I knew they'd score with that impressive offense, but the D looks solid, despite nine new starters.
Spartan Bob is alive and well and working in Toronto. He's the timekeeper who mysteriously found an extra second on the clock five years ago in East Lansing, helping Michigan State to a last-play win over Michigan. Yesterday, he appeared at the Rogers Centre, extending the first half of the Argonauts-Tiger Cats game by a second, long enough for the Argos to crack a half-ending field goal. Final score: Toronto 11, Hamilton 9. Nice to see you're still in the land of the living, Bob.
Here it is -- the first full Sunday of the NFL season. And the day the Detroit Lions are mathematically eliminated from playoff contention.
What's the deal with the Detroit Tigers? They win the opener of every series, then lose the rest. Much more of this and both the division and wild card will be lost. But I know -- I've said all along that it's all gravy after guaranteeing a winning season. I'd just hate to see them throw it all away.
Manchester United 1, Tottenham 0. The ugliest 1-nil win I've seen in a long time. I'm thrilled the Red Devils are 4-and-0, but the Spurs deserved a far better fate. Even a draw would have unfair for the visitors.
Monday, September 11:
Five years.
Saturday, September 16:
Man, I hope the Notre Dame fans I intend on tormenting this week at work don't read my blog. I usually think Michigan versus the Fighting Irish is going to be razor-close, but this year I was expecting a romp. At it was a romp, but not the one I anticipated. I thought Notre Dame would win with ease; instead it was the Wolverines who put up almost half-a-century of points on the Domers, right in the shadow of Touchdown Jesus. Michigan 47, Notre Dame 21, and I never saw it coming. But after singing the Notre Dame Victory March at work the last two years (some sort of blather about shaking thunder), I'm looking forward to making my colleagues sing "The Victors" this week!
Two years ago while en route to Florida, I attended the Florida-Tennessee showdown in Knoxville -- a great game with a great finish. This year, the Gators have arrived at Neyland Stadium with secret weapons -- blue pants. The Chompers rarely lose when wearing those duds, and they don't trot them out very often.
Monday, September 18:
Say, here's a suggestion for Detroit Lions receiver Roy Williams: If you're going to try your hand at prognostication, start slowly. Begin by predicting that the sun will set in the west. Get bolder by telling folks that rivers will run downstream. You'll eventually get the hang of it. But don't start by smugly guaranteeing a football victory. Williams went that route last week, telling one and all that the Lions would prevail yesterday, on the road, in Chicago. Final score? Bears 34, Lions 7. Oops. With the history of this franchise, I'd be hesitant to call for a guaranteed Lions win over the Glendale Grade School Green Grapes.
Florida + blue pants = another victory. Gators 21, Volunteers 20 last night. And mercy, the Oklahoma Sooners got robbed by the zebras in their loss at Oregon. Strange things happen to visitors on that field against the team with the worst sports uniforms in history. Officiating 101 recruits know that an on-side kick has to go 10 yards, but evidently not when the Ducks kick it at home with the game on the line.
Friday, September 22:
WINDSOR, Ontario -- My cousin Shirley Bodnar died Monday; her funeral is today here in Windsor. She was 77, which is impossible, because she was always young and vibrant to me. Shirley was 24 when I was born and was, for all intents and purposes, my second mom. She took me to the Hi-Ho (Windsor's 50's-60's version of Mel's Burger City from American Graffiti) as often as she could get away with. No one in the Disney family did a better Donald Duck. And no one could tickle me as successfully as Shirley. She was kind, loving and saw the good in everyone she met. Her passing is a bit of a blessing, as she suffered a major stroke 15 months ago (and her son Kevin has lived every day of that hell from then 'til now, nursing her constantly). I'll miss her terribly.
Monday, September 25:
Remember that old childhood saw, “never count your chickens 'til they’re hatched?” Might have been good advice for the Michigan State Spartans Saturday night. Playing at home -- in a downpour -- they carried a 16-point lead into the fourth quarter against Notre Dame. But they tried to get conservative, allowing the Irish to get close. Then they gambled on an ill-advised pass that was picked off for the winning points. When the smoke had cleared, the Irish had scored 19 unanswered points to win 40-37. Eww! Now we're going to get bombarded by stories that the mighty Irish are back and that their lopsided loss to Michigan was a mere aberration. Hossie poop. They're not that good, folks. They just don't have many more toughies on their schedule, save for the season-ending trip to U.S.C.
The Detroit Lions’ obvious goal of finishing 0-and-16 is still going strong with an ugly loss at home to the woeful Green Bay Packers. Seeing as they don’t play the Sisters of the Poor, Solid State or Whatsamattah U. this season, the Lions have an excellent chance.
Maybe Team U.S.A. can add Canadian golfers to its roster for the next Ryder Cup. Couldn’t do any worse than the star-spangled spanking the Americans were given by the Europeans over the weekend in Ireland.
Wednesday, September 27:
Gravy. It's all gravy from here on in. All I wanted from the Detroit Tigers this season was a winning record. Now they're in the playoffs and are trying to hold off Minnesota for the division title. But honest, if they're merely the wild-card winners and happen to be swept by the Yankees in the Division Series, then that's fine. I'll be disappointed sure, but October baseball for the Tigers, to me, is just gravy on a great season.
How the mayor of Toronto can point to a three year-record of openness and honesty at City Hall is beyond me. Secrecy, deception and controversy seems to be the way of Toronto council in the last term. But hey, if Toronto voters care more about voting for a guy with good hair than good policies, well that's their business. I'm just glad I don't live there. It's bad enough working there
Saturday, September 30:
There's a lot I like about John L. Smith, Michigan State's head football coach. But after blowing last week's game to Notre Dame, there was no reason for his team not to be ready to play today against a weak Illinois team, especially on homecoming. Yes, his players could have been looking ahead to games against Michigan and Ohio State the next two weeks, but it's the job of the head coach and his staff to gets players prepared. To lose 23-20 to the Illini is inexcusable.
One of my colleagues at work today is no doubt over the moon today at the finish of the Manchester City-Everton game, while another colleague from the junior hockey forums is probably gnashing his teeth. City scored on the last kick of the game almost four minutes into injury time to salvage a 1-1 tie at Goodison Park. Fantastic finish.
