Vick Factor

When the Falcons swapped first round picks in 2001 with the San Diego Chargers, most thought that moving up to the #1 pick from #5 was a great move.  Everyone knew that they planned on taking Virginia Tech quaterback Michael Vick who had only started 20 games in college, but made such unbeleivable runs that many felt he was going to revolutionize the position.  The Chargers moved down to 5 with the trade and also picked up some extra picks.  To bad for them that they got stuck with some lesser hyped running back, named Ladamian Tomlinson (LT), who this season set a record for fastest to reach 100 TD’s.  Not to bad, and ever since he was drafted #5 overall he has led the Chargers in rushing every season.  Mike Vick may be undefendable and make unbelievable runs, but i’m sure that he hasn’t made close to as many spectacular runs as LT has.  LT is also 7-9 with 6 td’s passing in his career and he’s on pace right now to easily break the single season TD record.  And the most important thing in any sport is W-L’s.  Since the 2001 NFL Draft took place the Chargers are 47-44(9-2 this season, largely because of LT) and the Falcons are one game under .500 at 45-46 (5-6 this season, Vick inability to pass isn’t the only problem, but it doesn’t make them any better).

FSU

For a team that isn’t even bowl eligible yet Florida State is sure receiving a ton of press on the week of the biggest non-bowl game that I can remember in the 24 years of my life. Saturday they will play against Western Michigan for their sixth win to make them bowl eligible to continue a streak that started in ‘82. But that’s not the biggest news coming out of Seminole nation this week. Offensive coordinator Jeff Bowden, and son of head coach Bobby Bowden, has announced his plans to resign at the end of the season which leads to more distractions that the team doesn’t need. He apologized for the distraction, but I’m sure the $537,000 buyout doesn’t distract him much. The early talk is that Valdosta State head coach Chris Hatcher is the leading candidate to take over the job next season. He has had 68-10 record in his six years at Valdosta which is a .870% win percentage, which is tops in the nation at any level. Since his arrival at Valdosta the offense has been potent and has also won a Division II national championship. His resume is very deep including stints at Kentucky (coaching Tim Coach) and UCF. With this experience and the potential of heading up the FSU offense next season it could be said that he might be the leading candidate to overtake Bowden when he decides to step down or is booted after having a few more seasons like this one.

There’s No Crying in Basketball

Through the first 51 games of the 06-07 NBA season there have been 122 technical fouls compared to 66 through 50 games last season.  This has led to the players union director Billy Hunter asking David Stern to have the officials lighten up.  The reasoning is that every ‘tech’ a player receives he is fined and Hunter is claiming that this is an unfair labor practice.  Once again the NBA has a problem with it’s character.  Instead of the players responding to the referees trigger finger when it comes to calling technical fouls by calming down their emotions, they would rather whine about it.   Players are saying that it restricts their emotions on the court, but I don’t remember Jordan throwing the ball off the bottom of the goal after the opposing team scores a meaningless basket in the second quarter.  The NBA already has enough character issues to deal with on and off the court and every time that David Stern attempts to improve the image of the NBA he has to put up a fight.  The NBA is digging itself into a deep hole with its problems and the dress code and more technical fouls are going to be the cure unless the players are on-board, which it might be awhile before this group is on-board for any type of help.

World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party

This is what most college football fans have come to known the week long celebration in Jacksonville before the UGA and University of Florida annual meeting.  That is until both school presidents decided that this gives their respective institutions a bad name and that it is causing many drinking related accidents among students.  So what do they supose that it is called.  The World’s Largest Outdoor Picnic or The Worlds Biggest Outdoor non-Alcholic Party(sponsored by O’Douls).  The point is that even with the station broadcasting the game not calling it the “World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Pary” most people still do.  ESPN and other stations running highlights of the game still referred to it by its old name that is sure to be around long after both school presidents are forgotten.