Plenty of blame in this one

Neither USC nor UCLA escapes blame for the way their football game ended Saturday night.
What should have been an ugly, 21-7 win for the Trojans turned into a 28-7 win, a near-fight in the middle of the field with less than a minute to go and black eyes for both coaches.
UCLA's boss is Rick Neuheisel. He's the one who started the problem by stopping the clock when his team had no chance to win. Yes, give your team a chance to win. But be realistic, too.
USC"s boss is Pete Carroll, the same Pete Carroll who was on the receiving end of a "run-up-the-score" effort by Stanford a couple of weeks ago (it wasn't called for either), nor was his decision to throw a long TD pass in response to the timeout. You took a knee once. You can do it two more times, hop on the bus and go home. It's quite easy. The pros do it all the time.
The reaction from both teams – a big stare down in the middle of the field and the restraint of some players – was predictable and uncalled for.
It could add some life to a rivalry whose game was pushed back to the evening hours this year because neither team is particularly good. Me? I'd rather see a good rivalry played out in the name of an athletic contest, not for the benefit of two grown-ups who think the game is about them and them alone.

Blah blah blah blah

Note to Ron Jaworski and Jon Gruden, this year's analysts on Monday Night Football.
Shut up.
The analysis (?) is way too technical. Because it is so technical, it sounds like the two of you are rehashing your respective playing and coaching days and not including your audience. Most of the world isn't interested.

A penalty-kick championship

Love to know some thoughts about deciding outcomes of championship soccer games by penalty kicks.
Not sure there's a lot of athletic skill when it gets to that point in a soccer game. Can't tell you how many times I heard the MLS championship analyst say, "He guessed right" last night.
Jump in ...

A new low

And now, we present to you the Denver Broncos' own TV-station's medical doctor weighing in on the starting quarterback's ankle injury.
Breathless.
Worthless.

Brain cramps happen to the best

We've had a couple of days to digest the finish of the New England-Indianapolis game. And the only thing that explains the ending is a brain cramp.
Why else would Bill Belichick ordered a fourth-and-2 play from his own 28-yard line with a couple of minutes left?
Yes, even the exalted NFL coaches such as Bill Belichiok are entitled to brain freezes.

Theater imitates life

It's an old wheeze, but it seems to be true.
The Denver Center for the Performing Arts sent a warning to its subscribers about an upcoming production, "Spring Awakening." The show deals with mature themes (teenage sexuality, depression, suicide, molestation and abortion, partial nudity, brutality and masochism, not to mention raw language). It's not appropriate for those 15 and under, so says the theater.
My question is does this sort of entertainment belong on stage? Weigh in ... anxious to hear your comments.

Out of whack

It's a wonderful lesson that the University of Oregon is sending by reinstating LaGarrette Blount to the football team.
He's the one who sucker-punched a player from Boise State – on national TV, no less – earlier in the season and was suspended from the team for the rest of the season.
Or so we thought.
He may be a talented football player – obviously the school and the coaches think so. But at some point, this young man has to take some responsibility for his actions. Sucker-punching someone in the face may not amount to a legal definition of an assault, but it amounts to anyone's definition of a pampered college athlete run amok.
The fact that Oregon has a chance for a bowl game – and the money that goes with it – shouldn't get in the way of using common sense with this kid (namely keeping him out of the lineup for the rest of the year).
But when the bills are as green as the school colors, all hope of common sense is out the window.

Over votes?

As we sat last night awaiting election returns for everything from a term limit extension to a mayor's race to school board and council seats and looking at unopened liters of soft drinks and uneaten cookies (thank you, Mrs. Denke), there was one thing that seemed rather odd.
The number of so-called "over votes" in the election. An "over vote" is voting for too many choices in a particular race. In yes or no questions, you can't vote both ways. Yes. Chicago has made that famous. But it really isn't cricket, yet 24 people did on one issue, which invalidates the vote.
I can see "under votes." Voters aren't familiar with issues so they decide not to vote for a council candidate, dog catcher, etc.
But "over votes?"
It happens every election cycle. And it's no less bizarre this time.

Series, Broncos loss no surprise

The World Series is playing out about the way I thought it would.
Philadelphia is good, but the Yankees (even with buying most of their players for prices equivalent to the gross national product of most countries) are better. The main reason is pitching, which has borne itself out the last three games.
The Broncos weren't going to go 16-0, no matter how much Kool-Aid the Denver press forced down our throats. Baltimore was superior in every way, shape and form Sunday and exposed a lot of weaknesses that other teams hadn't been able to find.
We'll see what sort of a coach Josh M. is these next few games. If he can addresses the warts that Baltimore found, it could be an interesting next two or three months. If not, well ... there's always the preps.