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Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Keeping sports in perspecitive
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Jeff Schultz
THE TUESDAY COUNTDOWN…
10: First, something even more important than the Super Bowl, although my old pal probably would disagree. The day before the big game, ESPN’s Len Pasquarelli checked into a hospital because he wasn’t feeling well. He ended up having quintuple bypass heart surgery, which really messed up his weekend plans. He’s doing well today, except for the part about missing the game.
9: Len and I were co-workers at the AJC (we were hired the same day in 1989) and have been friends for over 18 years. So this story didn’t surprise me: He looked and felt so bad during a meeting of Hall of Fame voters Saturday in Arizona that he was implored by others to just fill out his ballot and leave. Typically, Len refused, sticking it out through the rounds of voting before leaving. There are three levels of dedication for reporters: 1) Working lazy; 2) Working hard; 3) Working Lenny. Take a rest, my friend.
8: Couldn’t find the Boston Globe’s prematurely planned book on the Patriots, “19-0,” which was on Amazon.com last week. But you can still buy a commemorative 19-0 gold coin for $33.95. Alleged retail value is $149.95. Don’t know what the melt-down value is. (Here’s the link: http://www.amazon.com/England-Patriots-19-0-Super-Champions/dp/B0013HT0FU/ref=sr—1—2?ie=UTF8&s=sporting-goods&qid=1202225014&sr=8-2)
7: I’m not necessarily predicting the decline of the Patriots, Red Sox and all of New England’s sports team. But given the years of suffering by Boston fans prior to the Pats’ and Sox’ rise, could there be a more appropriate signal for a collapse than this Super Bowl loss?
6: Given all of Bobby Knight’s career mandates about hard work, dedication and respect for your peers, I have one question: Where does quitting in the middle of the season fit in?
5: In case you’re wondering about Pat Knight’s qualifications to be the head coach at Texas Tech, he once coached the Wisconsin Blast of the now defunct International Basketball Association. Also, there’s his last name.
4: Good news for Michael Vick: a judge’s ruling allows him to keep $16.25 million in bonuses, which means he can move into a much nicer cell block in Leavenworth.
3: Florida State president T.K. Wetherell said he doesn’t trust the athletic department to investigate itself of academic fraud. I’m not sure, but I think Bobby Bowden may retire in about five minutes.
2: Don Waddell has said he still expects to sign Marian Hossa, which I guess explains why he was scouting in Montreal the other night. Wait. Huh?
1: So much for one-game perceptions: Early odds on Bodog.com lists the Patriots as 4-1 favorites to win next year’s Super Bowl, followed by San Diego (6-1), Indianapolis (8-1), Dallas and New York (each 10-1). The Falcons are tied with Kansas City, Miami and Oakland — at 100-1.
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