A break from sports

There are times when the most moronic of athletes deserve a break from criticism.
This is one of those.
Fires are raging all around the foothills of Los Angeles County. One is almost 105,000 acres in size and stretches some 20 miles. It's burning through land that hasn't been burned in 60 years and – oddly enough – isn't getting help from the warming Santa Ana winds, one of the main contributors to fire season in Southern California.
Two firefighters are dead. As of late this afternoon, their brethren are trying to find ways to rescue five people who stayed behind in Little Tujunga Canyon, which is north of Los Angeles, and now want out. The east side of the fire is threatening the L.A. area's answer to Lookout Mountain plus a 104-year-old observatory.
We'll have time to get back to games on the pro, college and high school level. But not now. Instead, we'll send nothing but the best thoughts and wishes for families, friends and firefighters in the fire area.

Marshall suspension

Is anyone honestly surprised?
He doesn't know the playbook, doesn't want to know the playbook, thinks the whole world is against him and generally acts like a 4-year-old.
I ask again ... does this surprise the masses?

Free advice

Because the Denver media think John Elway has something to say about all things, I'll offer my free advice to the Denver media.
Stop subjecting him to us.
Thank you.

Once burned, twice shy doesn't apply

Brandon Marshall of the Denver Broncos and John Calipari, the mens basketball coach at the University of Kentucky, have something in common.
They don't learn very well.
Marshall's case (he of the repeated accusations of violence against women) isn't all that unusual among highly paid college graduates who don't have an ounce of brains. Instead of blaming his teammates for not supporting him after his acquittal on the most recent charges, Marshall should take some steps to correct his behavior. That's where the "I in team" comes into play.
In Calipari's case, his Memphis team had to surrender 38 wins from the 2007-2008 basketball season and its Final Four appearance. Why? Because someone took an entrance exam for one of the players. This is the second time in Calipari's coaching career that mysterious exam-takers have popped up to save his bacon.
Hey John – did you ever stop and think someone might actually find out what you're doing is not on the up an up? Or did you ever stop and think?

What will we do now?

It seems that the former Green Bay quarterback with the ego that matches all of the state of Wisconsin has signed with Minnesota for at least two years.
He said his daughter made the decision for him.
I can't say what I really think. Even free speech has its limits. But it wasn't his daughter that made the choice. The QB's out-of-control ego did.
Now that he has a place to play, we can turn our attention to something just as asinine.
Is Michael Jackson still dead?

Leave it alone already

Did anyone else notice a certain amount of glee in the on-field problems of one former Denver quarterback over the weekend? -- you know, the one whose last name sounds like a collection of silverware on the dinner table?
Yes, he did have problems. So did his replacement in Denver. Yes, it's the first game of the preseason.
And, more to the point of this --
No one cares.
The former Broncos QB is a top-notch jerk. But he's not news in this part of the world any more. If the local media want to take a critical look at something, examine the yearly made-up quarterback controversy. But leave the dinner-ware dude out of the discussion.

Eagles land Vick

So jump in with both feet ... good move? Bad move?
First glance says Vick may not get a lot of playing time once he's reinstated. After all, there is some guy named McNabb in front of him who still plays pretty well.