A Little Sports Potpourri

1. I miss Dandy Don. Early Monday Night Football announcer Don Meredith passed away yesterday. For all you folks who like watching football, I am not sure I can explain the importance of Don Meredith and his two buddies, Howard Cosell and Frank Gifford to the sport. They came along when football was just another game, along side basketball, and right after the baseball season. But Monday Night Football changed that. It was an event. It was appointment viewing, either at home or in a bar. Monday Night Football made the NFL and sports television what it is today. If you go to sports bars to watch games these days, thank Don, and Howard, and Frank. Rest in peace Don Meredith... and say hello to Howard. 2. Auburn vs. Oregon in the BCS Championship. I admit, I am conflicted about this. I grew up rooting for the Pacific 8/10 and have been a fan all of my life. But my son went to Auburn and I have come to love that school. I have many friends who have attended Oregon, and a nephew who is also an Auburn grad, so picking a winner is going to be tough. But here is where I am. I am taking Auburn in a lower scoring game than most people think. I think Auburn coach Gene Chizik is a better defensive coach than Oregon coach Chip Kelly, and defense wins championships. Sorry Gordon. 3. Adrian Gonzalez signs with the Red Sox. With apologies to my blogging friend Shaw over at Progressive Eruptions, this is another nail in the baseball coffin. Following a trend that started when Curt Flood challenged the reserve clause of baseball, Gonzalez is the latest star to leave the team that gave him his start for more money. Is it any wonder kids have no allegiance to a specific team. Except for a few rare exceptions, gone are the days when players were identified primarily with one team. Think Mays and the Giants, Ripkin and the Orioles, Koufax and the Dodgers, and now Jeter and the Yankees. While good for the Red Sox, this was bad for baseball. 4. With apologies to Peyton Manning, Tom Brady is the man in the NFL. A winner and champion to me is someone who can elevate those around him to another level. Think Magic Johnson here. He came to a team that had all the parts and made them champions. If you take Tom Brady off the Patriots, they are not the same team. They'd still be good, but not the dynasty they are on the verge of becoming. If this team wins the AFC and the Super Bowl this year, Brady just might replace Joe Montana in the eyes of many as the greatest quarterback in NFL history. 5. A judge has ruled in favor of Jamie McCourt in the Dodger Divorce Duel. This potentially means that to settle their divorce, the McCourt family will have to sell the Dodgers. I could only hope that maybe Magic Johnson might be interested. We could do a lot worse.

Gordon's Ducks Get Some Love

Gordon e mailed me the other day asking for a little love for his beloved Oregon Ducks, now that they have beat everyone in sight with the exception of that little team from CAL. Well Gordon, this is your week. They made the Mission Top Five! Now just tell your boys not to screw it up and maybe they can move up a notch or two in the next poll. Last time they were on ESPN Gameday, we all saw how that panned out. Lose this week and you'll be known as just another PAC 10 pretender, just like USC. The Mission Top 5 (W-L) (Computer Ranking is in the brackets)* 1. Ohio St. (9-0) (3) – Stewart Mandel on SI.com had an interesting observation about the Ohio St. win over Penn St. It was similar in all facets from buildup to result to quality of the opponent as the Iowa game last year. While I won’t go that far, the Ohio St. defense still hasn’t really been tested, and it won’t be this week either. 2. Arizona St. (8-0) (7) – The Sun Devils earned some more respect last week, but with the quarterback ailing this week, a win at Autzen just doesn’t seem to be in the cards. 3. LSU (7-1) (1) – The Saban Bowl this week marks the Tigers last big game until the SEC Title Game. Win this one and it’s on to Atlanta. Lose and it’s root for Auburn and hope for a victory in the three-way tiebreaker. 4. Boston College (8-0) (8) – Matt Ryan was great in the end, but there is one big problems left on the schedule. Schizophrenic Clemson who could kill this team by 30 or lose by 40 to them on any given day. 5. Oregon (7-1) (5) – College Gameday visits Oregon for the second time this year. Ducks fans hope it goes better than the last visit (loss to Cal). (*thanks to Shadow Sports for their rankings. for the complete top 25, visit the blog. also, you know the rules, take all you want, just give us credit!)