It's been a while since I put fingers to keyboard and shared my thoughts. A number of things have happened in the last few months in sports and I've been chomping at the bit. A few thoughts:
First off, Heisman winner Troy Smith and his NFL prospects. I really like Smith as a player and I thought he deserved the Heisman. But to win with the highest percentage of first-place votes ever, well that seems strange. Both Brady Quinn and Darren McFadden put up eye popping numbers. In fact, if I had a Heisman vote it would have been for McFadden; he was easily the most explosive player I saw all year. And how does Brady Quinn win the Maxwell Award, given to college football's most outstanding player, but he's not considered the best quarterback (Smith won the Davey O'Brien.) Consequently, the same thing happened on the defensive side of the ball. Paul Posluszny won the Bednarik Award, given to the outstanding defensive player in America, but wasn't considered the best linebacker. Patrick Willis took home the Butkus Award. I digress. Troy Smith has gone from the class of "another great college QB who won't make it in the NFL," in the mold of the Andre Wares, Charlie Wards, and Eric Crouches of the world, to a possible top-5 pick in the Draft. Again, I like Smith a lot, particularly his mechanics and arm strength. He is a true quarterback, he's not "Slash" like Kordell Stewart or Vince Young. He's a QB. But I think his prospects are somewhat limited. Don't believe me? Let's look at the player to me Troy Smith is a carbon copy of, Michael Bishop. Bishop starred at Kansas State in 1997 and 1998. 6'2", 215 lbs with a strong arm and laser release, Bishop finished the 1998 season as the runner-up to Rickey Williams for the Heisman and led the Wildcats to an 11-1 record. Bishop passed for 2,800 yards with 23 touchdowns to only 4 interceptions (to Smith's 2,500, 30, and 5.) He added almost 750 yards and 14 touchdowns on the ground (Smith didn't run as much in 2006 as he did in '05, when he rushed for over 600 yards and added 11 scores.) Bishop was an All-American, Big 12 Player of the Year, and took home the Davey O'Brien Award. Bishop spent a year with the Patriots as an undrafted free agent, had a stint in the Arena League, and now plays in the CFL. Smith is such a mirror to Bishop's skill set it's uncanny. Identical in size, throwing motion, athleticism. Bishop was a phenomenal college signal caller and won with much less talent around him than Smith has. But the NFL didn't want him. I marvel how Troy Smith looks like he'll have a much different fate. Call him Troy Bishop.
A few other NFL thoughts. It's no secret I'm not a big Vince Young fan as an NFL QB (loved him in college) but let's examine his season. Everyone is pimping this guy as the absolute truth, saying he's the best rookie out there, and he's headed for Hawaii if not Canton. True, he's won games (6-4 as starter) but he still has more picks than touches and his QB rating is 65.7, sorry. On a sad note, a guy I absolutely love, David Pollack, LB, Bengals, looks like his career may be over after suffering a neck injury earlier this season. This dude was 100% all the time whether it was a tuesday practice or the 4th quarter on gameday. It's such a tragedy when good guys like Pollack have bad luck with injuries, and T.O. and Randy Moss play like they're half asleep.
Next, I must discuss the uncomparably-maligned NBA basketball. The laments have been heard far and wide from NBA players at how horrible the composite ball is compared to the old faithful leather one. It's been hilarious to hear of players getting "paper cuts" from the new ball (Jason Kidd, for example.) Players have said they are more prone to finger injuries, that the ball bounces so much differently, etc. Have you ever held an NBA leather ball? OMG, the thing is unbearable. Zero grip, the ball feels like a basketball sized baseball, only with no laces. I had a friend who had an NBA leather ball (cost him $90) and would bring it when we played pick up games. An array of Wilson Jets and Spalding Top-Flights ALWAYS were picked ahead of his NBA leather; no joke, we didn't play with his ball once. I can't believe these guys would rather play with that ridiculous rock than the composite that everyone grew up playing with. I'm not calling them babies for crying about the ball. I'm calling them idiots for wanting that despicable ball back.
Allen Iverson wants out of Philly. Pound for pound the guy is probably the best to ever play. He's top-5 all-time in points per with over 28 a night. He's averaging 31 ppg this season to lead the league. Obviously no true contender wants to disrupt chemistry with the season already about a quarter in. But a fringe team could really make a big splash. Indiana seems like a great prospect because they could go from middle of the pack to front-runner in the weak Eastern Conference. I'm an A.I. fan but any way you slice it he comes at a price, and that has nothing to do with the commas and zeroes in his contract. Would I want him on my team? Well...
Finally, go see The Nativity Story. At this time of year we must all remember that Christmas is not about the hustle and bustle of shopping and 'crack-o-dawn' sales but giving and goodwill. I'm not going to go into a religious rant but Christmas is about love, the one time of the entire year when people should stop and think about what's really important. Shout to all faiths as well. I say Merry Christmas, but how myopic that is. Happy Holidays, whatever your beliefs are.
Quote of the Week:
"We hang the petty thieves and appoint the great ones to public office."
-Aesop.
-Aesop.
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