Still crazy after all these years

They may need Dr. Phil While many Pittsburgh Steeler fans are calling their team a "Jekyl and Hyde" outfit, one that performs very well one week and putridly the next, the use of that word is not fair to author Robert Louis Stevenson. Stevenson created these two (or one) character(s). He wrote "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde" more as a statement about morality than about the inner turmoil of woeful/wonderful athletic teams.  However, the root of that story focuses on the idea of a split personality, which psychiatrists call "dissociative identity disorder." Since I know little about psychiatry or about Sigmund Freud, I can try to talk about the Steelers in laymen's terms of that split personality instead of dissociative identity disorder. First, teams really do not have a personality. Perhaps a "peoplenality," but not a person. They adopt a peoplenality because they have so many individuals on a team. However, teams do...

I will root for the Penn State Nittany Lions, who are struggling, against the Temple Owls, and for the Pitt Panthers, who are also struggling, against the North Carolina Tarheels this weekend. However, the number one team in the NCAA Div. I right now is the Mississippi State Bulldogs, who have never been in that spot prior to this season. They have to face the despicable Crimson Tide of Alabama. Many Alabama fans are looking for their team to overwhelm the Bulldogs. I will root for the new guys on the block to demonstrate that they deserve the number one spot. In my life, I have never rooted for a Mississippi team, so this a first. Maybe they are overrated, but we will know tomorrow.

Just the BCS with four teams instead of two This whole scenario in which four teams will play off for the NCAA Div. I football championship is not much better than the previous idea. Since four teams are involved, many people seem to be excited about it. To me, it sounds just like the BCS with some glitter on it.  If the final field is like the one that was released this week,  can you imagine the uproar that would have ensued if the field included just one SEC team? The four teams in the college playoff selection committee are listed below. The interesting part of this is that only Mississippi State is from the SEC. Yes, the SEC would be outraged with this group.  The field is balanced with one SEC team, one from the PAC-12, one from the ACC, and one from the Big 12. Alabama is not included in this group, but Mississippi State has to travel to Alabama to face the Tide this weekend. This may tell the tale of whether or not they are overrated,...

So, Johnny Football was going to save the Cleveland Browns franchise, transforming it from its perennial spot in the AFC-North cellar.  Guess what? The Browns are in first place in the AFC-N after the Steelers' debacle against the Jets. Even more interesting, Manziel is not listed among the top 40 QBs in the league.  Cleveland QB Brian Hoyer has been impressive and is ranked 14th (2,212 yds) in the NFL rankings, and other rookies like Blake Bortles (22, 1,921 yds.), Derek Carr (23, 1,903 yds), and Teddy Bridgewater (31, 1,321 yds.) are ranked among the top 40, but no Johnny Football. How much are the Browns paying him?  How many Browns fans wasted their money on a Manziel jersey? 

I am going to post a melange on topics on this blog. I hope to be more regular than I have been in weeks. Here is the first of them: Charlie is trading Snoopy? Loving the saga of Charlie Brown right now in GoComics.com. Here is the gist of it.  Peppermint Patty has offered Charlie five baseball players from her successful team for his woeful team if he will part company with and trade his faithful dog, Snoopy. Charlie's team is one that is a perennial loser, and he will do anything to win some games -- or just a game.  Not sure how this is going to end, but how could Charlie trade his dog, who has been his close friend and companion?  Charlie Schultz was a genius in analyzing human nature. Maybe he can figure out the Steelers.