Sadness

I think we live in a world where reality dominates television, politics are nothing but dirty with a chance of positive change only once in a while.

And senseless violence is something we often ignore. We don't pay attention to the stabbing death of an innocent cabbie in Indianapolis. We don't see that an innocent Oakland man was killed by a mob who apparently wanted to shoot at the vehicle, riddled with bullets. But the world, we are allowed into the life of one man who died at home, while in bed with his love and with his child sleeping nearby.

It's so sad. It's sad to see 24-year-old Sean Taylor is no longer part of this world. I read someone somewhere who was saying that Sean Taylor mattered just as much as everyone else who died on the same day. I agree. But Sean Taylor is the public face of an American institution. And he is the public face of something sad. Senseless crime is never right.

And I am a little sad for a lot of reasons. But one of them is that there is one less Washington Redskin tonight.

Ricky Williams isn't Back

Oh well, I was wrong. He's got a pulled chest muscle.... Out for the season.

BCS - So Many People Know It's Not The Best Way

And I am one of those people. But I can't figure out a simple solution. I can't figure out how a Ohio team with the battle wear of Kent State, Youngstown State and Akron and with a strength of schedule that looks weaker than Hawaii's is somehow 'vying' for the national championship.

West Virginia has a better schedule than Hawaii, but what about the onslaught of the SEC? Why is it that the SEC teams beat each other up and beat each other out of the national championship run? West Virginia's Big East isn't that strong yet. I have yet to see a team this year that excels like teams in past years have done. If Kansas were to win the game tonight, I would almost think that Hawaii and Kansas belong in the national championship.

I can't help but think that the Big 12 might be a bit overrated but not nearly as much as the Big 10 is overrated. Just take a look at last year's national championship... A yet again, underrated SEC team beat up, slaughtered a Big Ten team. Oh, would that be the vaunted Ohio State? I might mention that I don't dislike Ohio State. A grandfather who has passed away, but I have great pride in, he was a Buckeye through and through. I just think they're highly overrated as is their conference... currently.

But I don't know of a better way. Each way seems to shut someone out. But I just can't see it working the way it does now.

And that Heisman race, that just confounds me.

Ricky Williams is Back

I can't help but hope he steps out on the field and does what he used to do well.

I can't help but think that he'll not be so great. The guy never seemed to really enjoy the game of football. If he enjoyed it like everyone else seems to enjoy the sport (especially folks like Tony Romo and Brett Favre).

I hope that Ricky Williams brings the Dolphins a victory, because in this year while it might be likely that the Patriots could be the next undefeated team, I don't want to see the Dolphins be the exact opposite.

So, go Ricky Williams.

Despite everything that happens, I hope that everything works out.

Writers' Strike and Sports

Here's a thought. Maybe the NHL should seriously market themselves right now. There will be people who really miss late night television who may just enjoy watching Sid the Kid.

Maybe the NBA could work on cleaning up its bad boy image by emphasizing the positive. And they could seriously work on their image as well by putting up new advertisements to air in January.

At least Fox has the Superbowl.

Simply put, if the NBA, NHL and other 'less than famous' sports really need a positive spin. And with the writers' strike, they could possibly work towards doing something positive during this time frame.

Or maybe this is pie in the sky....

Ridiculous Boos

I was talking with my Mom today. That's not shocking within itself, but we were talking about sports. I have a serious opinion on booing. And it came out today.

I didn't actually watch the Kentucky game versus Gardner-Webb. I was watching something with my husband and I was convinced that Kentucky would probably polish the floor with little ole Gardner-Webb. But I didn't pay attention even after I turned the channel and noticed that the Cats were losing to the Bulldogs.

But here's what got me. My mom told me that the fans were booing. What the hell? It was the second game of the season, with a new coach, with players who were recruited to play for a different coach, and I can't believe just how much Kentucky fans are turning into the fans I hate.

I can't stand fans that whine and complain about everything and everyone unless their team makes it to the national championship, World Series or Superbowl. And I'm not kidding, Kentucky fans are there. You don't see UCLA fans whining that there hasn't been back-to-back championships, do you? Heck, even North Carolina's fans aren't all wonky because they didn't win the National Championship last year, are they?

Maybe it's because I wasn't really part of the 'fire Tubby' chain. I was, in fact, one of the people who told the rest of my Kentucky friends (and family), get over it! Tubby wasn't a bad coach. He wasn't even an average coach. He just needed a really good recruiter. He lost the recruiters he needed. And when that happened and Kentucky lost the sheen to Billy-Ball in Florida, there has been some serious issues.

Come on... if you are a 17 1/2 year old kid and you get to choose between Lexington and Gainesville... Well, I'm just sayin'. I lived in Lexington. I lived in Lexington in 1996 for their national championship, and that was exciting.

But it is absolutely beyond me how anyone can boo this early in the season. How uptight and arrogant are Kentucky fans? That's all I really am asking. I am beginning to think, I love the team, but the fans, I could do without.

Thanks for reading.

Colts, Patriots and the 4th Quarter

Colts versus Patriots, Patriots versus Colts. It's three minutes left in the game. Indianapolis is down 24-20. And there just was a missed pass. The Colts are dealing with injuries, and I'm not copping any excuses (as a Colts fan). The Patriots have had some seriously bad calls against them. I'm a fan of any sport before I am a fan of the team. If the Colts don't win this game, they have no excuse. They've been given the breaks and not exactly taken them.

Seriously, right now, they would be down by 1, if it weren't for the nearly perfect Adam Vinatieri being 'blocked' by Richard Seymour. And the Colts (Peyton Manning in a rare fumble) just turned the ball over.

You know, I saw a bunch of people try to say that the score of this game would be high. And then they were counteracted by those who would say that the game score would be held down. But I seriously doubt anyone would have said that this game would have been 24-20 at the two minute warning.

And the Colts lose. On the one bright side, that's what I picked for my pick'em game. I just wanted to lose that. Patriots are 9-0. I can't help but hope (for the sake of the sport) that a team like the Patriots would not get the perfect season.

And I get to watch the last 10 laps at the Texas Motor Speedway. Gosh, isn't this country great?!

Colts and that other Really Good Team

It's a strange world that I live in. I'm a huge Colts fan. And I was, and always will be a Colts fan. I used to cheer for the Colts when they were in Baltimore. And when they pulled their stakes out in the middle of the night, I had my stomach turn for a few more minutes, and then I was thankful that they were closer to where I lived. I was only 13 when it happened, and I wasn't all that big a sports fan back then, but I would cheer for the Colts back then and continued to do so when I was in Japan.

In 1998, Jim Mora was the coach of the 3-13 Colts, Peyton was the starting quarterback for most of the season, and I would wear a Colts t-shirt to bed every night. 1999 (13-3), 2000 (10-6), 2001 (6-10), 2002 (10-6), I was seriously wavering on my Colt's fanship, not because of their QB (who I loved) but because I was living (for the most part) in Japan. It's tough to root for a team you never saw on televsion. By November 2002, I returned back here (that spot in Kentucky, painfully close to Indiana) and went to college. It was amazing, seeing all the Colts fans all over the place. Around here, it's Colts, Titans and Rams (in that order for favorites) and the occasional Cowboys, Patriots, and other teams. As of late, because of Jay Cutler, who's nearly a local boy, the Denver Broncos have been getting some pub, therefore more t-shirts, therefore more fans.

But I have to say, I shook my head in 2002 when they hired Tony Dungy. I can be stupid sometimes. I realized in early 2004, just as I was getting ready to graduate from college, that Tony Dungy was a mild mannered genious. And I was happy for that.

So, we come to this weekend, one of the most anticipated games (especially around here), where the New England Patriots march into the RCA Dome (its last year in existance) and I am simply afraid to say that my Colts will beat the Patriots.

I've seen them play, on television (I was going to pay 600 dollars for tickets, but I had no one to go with, how about them apples?). I understand the best offense versus the best defense mentality. I wonder who really has the best of either, offense or defense.

There are a lot of people who are thinking that the Patriots will win. I am not sure of this. There are quite a few people who think that the Colts just might pull out a win. I'm not sure of this either.

But I am sure of one thing: Go Colts!