Still crazy after all these years

Franco Harris racing for the TD in 1972 with the iconic Immaculate Reception … Tatum did indeed touch the football John Madden did indeed leave an indelible print upon the game of football. He was indeed an enigmatic figure who would not fly but yet had no problems leaving his likeness on video games for kids.  His winning percentage was one of the best in history, yet he suddenly left the profession of coaching and never returned.  He was an Irishman who was the proverbial motormouth, but people listened to him for decades.  Nevertheless, when he left this world on December 28, he remains unconvinced that his football team, the Oakland Raiders, lost the AFC playoff game to the Pittsburgh Steelers on December 23, 1972.  The game is iconic. The catch was iconic. The finish was iconic.  Madden, however, was hardly laconic when asked whether his team was cheated out of a win.  Until his final breath, he insisted that Jack Tatum had never touche...

Humiliation for ESPN: School was fake … ESPN should be embarrassed for their lack of judgment Back in August, ESPN humiliated itself with a high school kickoff program that featured a team that did not exist.  Seriously.  The school was a scam, and ESPN fell for it hook, line, and anchor.  Last week, after Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine asked for an investigation of the school, the state department of education issued a report that made clear that this school was a “scam,” conducted no classes, had no actual school building, but yet convinced a national media outlet that it did exist.  The football “kickoff” The game was sponsored by GEICO, but even the announcers questioned whether or not the school was for real.  Here is some of the background, The report was issued late last week, The Ohio Department of Education said Bishop Sycamore High School is "a scam" and was a way for students to play football in hopes of increasing their chances of playing at the college leve...

… call it the “Aaron Rodgers effect” I guess the obvious question is this, “How many NFL players did what Antonio Brown did? And, is that the reason that 100 are in Covid protocol at this time? A.B. lied and forged a vaccination certificate. Aaron Rodgers lied. Did Roger Goodell also lie about the 95 percent? They are blaming the new variant, but is that the whole story? In the NFL, it is like “1984,” and Goodell is "Big Brother." Vladimir Putin would the thrilled with the secrecy that Goodell has built in his league.  At this juncture, three games have been postponed, and the future, which looked so rosy in August with vaccines paving the way to a secure year, now looks shady.  They finally understand -- a little The NFL has caved to the player’s union and has agreed to changes, but it may be entirely too late, The Omicron variant has been detected in multiple leagues, and spawned what NFL chief medical officer Allen Sills called “a new phase of the pandemic.” League officia...

The foundation of the dynasty … football is not as vital as war, but --- More than 53 years ago, a president of the United States realized that he had, in essence, lost his job because of something major.  President Lyndon B. Johnson had significantly mismanaged the war in Vietnam, and a very influential figure informed him of that.  At the time, the war was tearing apart America, and the people in South Vietnam were in dire straits. One of the leading figures in journalism, Walter Cronkite, traveled to the country, and when he returned, he was blunt.  Things were so bad that Cronkite, a long-time supporter of the war, said that we should leave.  “The Cronkite Moment” The evening news back in the 60s was a staple in most households, and the most respected man in that area was CBS’s Cronkite, The “Cronkite Moment” occurred February 27, 1968, when CBS News Anchor Walter Cronkite declared on air that the U.S. war effort in Vietnam was mired in stalemate and sug...

  Penn Trafford captures first state title ... Western Pa. dominates Philadelphia The Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (WPIAL) has been competing in the PIAA state football championships since their inception in 1988.  Never, though, have they done as well as they did this year. Four teams captured titles: Mount Lebanon (6-A), Penn Trafford (5-A), Aliquippa (4-A), and Central Valley (3-A). It is noteworthy that the Quips are actually a single-A school in terms of enrollment, but were forced to play up by the PIAA. While the headlines in recent years have focused on the success of the newbies in the PIAA, the Philadelphia schools that so often are private and charters, the WPIAL saw four public schools capture titles, which made life happy for so many in Western Pa.  For instance, Penn Trafford captured its first state title in a stunning manner, It might not equal the Miracle on Ice, but Penn-Trafford’s 17-14 stunner against Imhotep Char...

… talked about NFL owners’ “slave mentality” Three years ago, LeBron James castigated the NFL owners for having a “slavery mentality.”  However, today he is being chastised by a Turkish-born fellow NBA player for using slave labor to make his $100 a pair Nike shoes.  Is it hypocritical on his part to do that? Of course it is.  First, let’s look at the background. The slave mentality James’ comments about slavery occurred almost three years ago, LeBron James, who has consistently used his platform as one of the most famous men in America to discuss social issues, has said that NFL owners have a “slave mentality”. The Los Angeles Lakers star made the comments on Friday’s broadcast of his HBO discussion show, The Shop. “In the NFL they got a bunch of old white men owning teams and they got that slave mentality,” James said. “And it’s like, ‘This is my team. You do what the #$#$ I tell y’all to do. Or we get rid of y’all.’” “LeBron James says NFL team...

"It's all about loyalty: … probably will not win it, but probably should Just about three months ago, Pitt fans were saying, “Same old Panthers.” A humbling loss to Western Michigan had them feeling poorly about their 2021 potential.  However, give Pitt Coach Pat Narduzzi credit. He held them together and the Panthers won their first ACC football title while compiling an 11-2 record.  In ordinary seasons, that might give him the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year award. It probably should this season, but Luke Fickell’s 12-0 record with Cincinnati and Kirby Smart’s success with Georgia, both reaching the CFP, will likely move Narduzzi to third on the list.  “It’s all about loyalty” While Narduzzi was never considered for any of the top profile coaching openings this year, perhaps he should have been. However, he says loyalty, not big bucks, are the most important aspect of college coaching, “I’m all about loyalty. It ain’t about the money,” Narduzzi said “It sh...

NFL.com picked the Browns to win the division.  … the word is pitiful Often, the NFL prognosticators are horrible, and that is what has happened with those who in the preseason picked the AFC North to be the premiere division in the AFC. They and the NFC West were supposed to rule the league. The NFC West has delivered with arguably the best team in the West being the Cardinals. Only the Seahawks have failed to deliver.  As for the AFC North, the Browns and Ravens were supposed to dominate, but both have been somewhat woeful. The Ravens lost to the Dolphins and the Browns were pummeled by the Patriots, who have been resurrected from oblivion.  As for the Steelers, they are .500 only because of the woeful Ravens and their superstar QB.  How wrong were they? Here is how far out there the prognosticators were about this allegedly tough division, from one of the weakest divisions in the media, NFL.com, THE GOOD: It says plenty about the strength of the AFC North...