Singletary confinement

The stare. Mike Singletary had it and every football player, fan and coach knew it. He was by himself a Monster of the Midway as linebacker for the Chicago Bears. You did not want to mess with him then, and as he proved in his coaching debut Sunday, his own players do not want to mess with him now. In the day and age when over paid professional players think they can do whatever they want, Coach Singletary sent Vernon Davis and the rest of the 49ers a message. It is about team. Singletary sent Davis to the locker room for an early shower after he was penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct in the 4th quarter. I have an immense amount of respect for a coach who would do this at all, especially in their first game. Principles and respect for the game are not held in as high reagrd as they should be, but Singletary is a true football player. He loves the game, and more importantly respects the game. Yes, he awkwardly participated in the Super Bowl Shuffle with the rest of the 1985 Bears, but that was off the field and more importantly was dome with the TEAM, it was not a solo effort (and thank goodness because he could have given American Idol reject William Hung a run for his money). I do not get a vote, but even though Jeff Fisher has the Tennessee Titans at 6 and 0 on the season, I would already give coach of the year honors to Singletary. Keep up the good work coach!

War Chicken?

I just read an interesting little nugget of sports info that makes one well known football program a joke. Auburn likes to use the War eagle cry and yet, I think it should be War Chicken. Now before you think that I am railing on Auburn just because I married a woman of the Roll Tide persuasion this is what I just read on espn.com. Tonight's Auburn loss at West Virginia was their first non conference road game since 2003. What? I want to know if there is any other team in the country that can "boast" something that pathetic. Even David Letterman leaves his home more than that! What a joke. I think this makes Auburn's recent success a fraud. Yes, the SEC is a brutal conference to play in, but this reeks of arrogance and fear. You may not have to win non conference road games to be legit, but you certainly have to play them. Shame on you Auburn that it took this long, and I bet after your second half no show tonight if you have any more non conference road games scheduled in the next five years the athletic director is on the phone first thing in the morning trying to beg off. War Chicken indeed.

Twenty Eight Years ago...

It was October 1980. I had been five years old for all of two months, and have no idea what the letter of the week was in Mrs. Hudson's afternoon kindergarten class. History classes later told me there was an election that year. Some guy who liked jelly beans beat a peanut farmer I believe. The only thing I recall about the election is that I voted for some guy named John Anderson in the Weekly Reader magazine poll at school.

What I do remember is my dad waking me up to see Tug McGraw on the mound for the Philadelphia Phillies in the bottom of the ninth to clinch the World Series over Kansas City. It is my first memory of watching a sporting event on TV. The Tigers have always been my team, but if I did pull for a national league team in my childhood it was certainly the Phillies. Born in Pennsylvania, and visiting my grandparents there each summer I fell in love with the unmistakable voice of announcer Harry Kalas on the television broadcasts, and we mangaed to catch one game a year at the old Veterans Stadium. The Philly Fanatic was the BEST baseball mascot by far (although the then San Diego Chicken's weekly appearances on The Baseball Bunch gave him a run for his money) and in my book there was no cooler player than "Michael Jack Schmidt" at third base. So even though I don't have strong attachments to these Phillies or the Tampa Bay Rays, I guess it was somewhere deep in my inner child that an "atta baby" came out of my mouth when Chase Utley hit his first inning home run to give the Phils the early lead in game one. It is fun to think that somewhere in the country within the next week the parent of some five year old sports fan will wake up their son or daughter somewhere to see the final out of the fall classic and create a memory that they may blog about twenty eight years later.

Tuesday night football

I love college football. The tailgates, the marching bands, the mascots, not to mention random games on weeknights. Tuesday night football is a great idea for lesser known schools looking to get a little national exposure. In fact some of the most intriguing and exciting things happen in these games. Last night was such an occasion. Flipping channels in a motel on a road trip to see family, I stopped on ESPN2 with :53 seconds left in the Florida Atlantic/Middle Tennessee State game. The outcome was in doubt so I stayed with it until the end. Questionable clock management looked like it would cost MTSU the victory, but a "Hail Ma" pass (I think it needs to be over 50 yards to be a full Hail Mary) from Blue Raider quarterback Joe Craddock was caught in heavy traffic by receiver Malcolm Beyah with no time left on the clock, and an extra point later, it was a Tuesday night party in Murfreesboro! These teams have no chance to play in a BCS bowl, but under the bright lights of Tuesday night football it was not only watchable, but enjoyable!