In This Corner

Jim Sturgeon is out as football coach at Ganesha High School in Pomona, according to first-year athletic director Jesse Altamirano.

Altamirano said Sturgeon, 66, turned in his resignation on Dec. 9, a few weeks after his third consecutive 0-10 season with the Giants.

Ganesha hasn't won on the field since the opening game of the 2003 season -- 48 games ago.

Ganesha last season broke the state record for longest football losing streak. The record previously was held by Moorpark, which lost 46 straight three decades ago..

I spent several hours talkling to Sturgeon and some of his players after the last practice of the 2007 season, and Sturgeon seemed a bit beaten down. And this is a guy whose nickname was/is "Blue Skies" -- because of his relentless optimism.

Sturgeon said he didn't know about Ganesha setting the state record for consecutive defeats, and the knowledge certainly didn't buoy his spirits.

"I'm a big part of that," he said almost to himself. "Maybe I should be gone."

Altamirano said Ganesha is looking for candidates both inside and outside the Pomona School District. He indicated he has been contacted by "several" interested coaches.

He said the closing date for applicants is Feb. 15.

Ganesha's problems are deep and wide, as I wrote in this column from last November. In short, it's a school with zero feeder system (middle school or junior football), modest, enrollment, a high dropout rate and limited administrative interest, in recent years, in producing a competitive football program.

Sturgeon is a good man, and he tried hard ... but the problems were too daunting.

Posted by Paul Oberjuerge at 3:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Someone asked me the other day "how many Super Bowls have you been to?" ... and I honestly didn't know.

I took a guess.

I said, "Maybe 12, 15?"

So just now I looked it up ... and I'm pretty sure it's 12. Or will be, if I get to Glendale, Ariz., as planned ... and get into the stadium, etc. (I am constantly reminded, these days, of something Vin Scully told me: "If you want to make God smile, tell Him your plans.")

The list, chronologically:

1. SB XIV, Pasadena, 1980: Steelers 31, Rams 19; my favorite Super Bowl; great game; lead changed six times

2. SB XVII, Pasadena, 1983: Redskins 27, Dolphins 17; John Riggins and the fourth-down TD run

3. SB XXI, Pasadena, 1987: Giants 39, Broncos 20; I should have been there, but I have no memory of it. Probably should check to make sure I WAS there.

4. SB XXII, San Diego, 1988: Redskins 42, Broncos 10; Denver scored the first 10, Redskins the next 42

5. SB XXVII, Pasadena, 1993: Cowboys 52, Bills 17; Defeat No. 3 of the Bills' four consecutive; ugly game, aside from the Don Beebe/Leon Lett incident

6. SB XXIX, Miami, 1995: 49ers 49, Chargers 26; I was the second-to-last guy out of the press box; that's what I remember ... other than the Seifert-Young Niners rolling.

7. SB XXX, Tempe, 1996: Cowboys 27, Steelers 17; Neil O'Donnell kept throwing interceptions

8. SB XXXI, New Orleans, 1997: Packers 35, Patriots 21; game was ordinary, but Bourbon Street and the SB Party were outstanding

9. SB XXXII, San Diego, 1998: Broncos 31, Packers 24; biggest surprise; I was sure Packers would win

10. SB XXXVII, San Diego, 2003: Buccaneers 48, Raiders 21; the last bleat from the Commitment to Excellence crew

11. SB XXIX, Jacksonville, 2005: Patriots 24, Eagles 21; I drove to this game with my daughter and did a daily diary; the trip was far FAR more memorable than the game

12. SB XLII, Glendale, Ariz., 2008: I suppose this one will be The Patriots Did It ... or not.

The thing about the Super Bowl: Fans/journalists may want to see it in person ... once. I can understand that.

But after going once ... you're better off watching it on television with friends, or at a party. Trust me. It's just such an overblown, out-of-hand zoo, in person. Better to turn it on TV, walk away if you want, ignore the commercials, or embrace them.

The food and drink probably are better, and so is the company, and the halftime/pre-game stuff will be easier to see than from the stands ... and it will cost you $1,000-plus less.

Posted by Paul Oberjuerge at 10:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Man, tough spot.

You consider yourself the Face of the Franchise for most of a decade, and actually you are.

You retire semi-young, get a commentator job with a network and waste no time criticizing your former teammates, who are expected to struggle without you ...

And then they go to the Super Bowl. And it looks a lot like the New York Giants profited by what sports people call "addition by subtraction."

Tiki apparently is persona non grata in Glendale, Ariz., this week ... at least around the Giants.

Here is an Associated Press story about the Barber situation. With the Giants lining up to criticize him ... and Tiki unavailable for comment.

This is a more sympathetic take, by Peter King of Sports Illustrated, who works with Barber.

Anyway, gotta be tough on your ego. You think you're The Man ... then your team heads directly to the Super Bowl the minute you leave.

Cause and effect? Gotta cross your mind.

Posted by Paul Oberjuerge at 10:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Just play the game.

This two-week run-up to the game is ridiculous.

And I know, having been inside the sausage factory a dozen-plus times.

This week before kickoff can seem unending. Especially if you have the misfortune to be in the same city as the game ... or the even worse fortune of covering it as a journalist. Which I have done ... a lot.

Way back when, the days before the game could possibly be vaguely interesting. Before it became a fully scripted and rehearsed event. As it has been for, oh, at least 20 years.

There is precious little real journalism going on this week. It's about 50-some guys on two teams who are going to say nothing for several days, then go into seclusion, while, what, 10,000 "journalists" try to find something interesting to relate to readers.

About half the stories will be about "how awful Super Bowl hype is." And those are THE worst stories, because that's been written almost from Year 1 of this game.

I firmly believe the Super Bowl should be played the Sunday immediately after the conference title games. Keep at least a vague sense of freshness to it. Over 14 days of waiting, it goes dead.

Anyway, I have llitle interest in what anyone says this week because they won't actually SAY anything ... and what little they say will be the cliches coaches have ordered them to mouth.

It's stultifying. Can we go to kickoff and skip all this? No? Well, at least, let's have the two winning teams fly directly from the conference title games to the Super Bowl city, and have this over and done one week later.

Posted by Paul Oberjuerge at 12:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I've mentioned before that the idea fans have of how marvelous it must be ... inside a professional team's clubhouse/locker room ... is wrong-headed.

And the other day I was reminded why hockey fans really do NOT want to be inside an NHL locker room.

It starts with the smell.

It's awful.

Hockey locker rooms are easily the worst-smelling in sports. And they stink even when the players aren't there.

I'm told that the culprit is hockey equipment, which gets wet and then never quite dries ... and smells worse than some athletic socks left at the bottom of a laundry hamper for a year or two.

The essence de P-U of the hockey locker room is particularly flavored by players' gloves, which are made out of leather.

Apparently, nothing stinks quite like sweaty leather.

A player once told me that if you watch a hockey fight, players make a point -- before dropping their gloves -- of sticking them in the face of the other guy. Because they smell so badly.

I was reminded of that special hockey stench on Monday when I was in the Ducks locker room shortly after Teemu Selanne announced he would be coming back.

No players were in the room. Four big floor fans were blasting warm air through the room ... and it still smelled awful. The kind of smell you fear might get in your clothes or your hair and never come out.

So, no, you don't want to be in a hockey locker room. Wait for the lads to shower and come out -- having left behind their reeking equipment.

Posted by Paul Oberjuerge at 11:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel has seen the light, and he's all about doing things right. That's the corporate line out of Westwood.

UCLA and its new football coach must be hoping nobody down here sees the series the Seattle Times newspaper is running on Neuheisel's "great" Washington team, the 2000 team that won the Rose Bowl and finished ranked No. 3 in the country.

Seems as if those Huskies weren't choir boys. Well, football teams rarely are. But this one seems a bit sketchier than usual.

Sort of like Neuheisel himself.

It looks as if this is going to be a four-part series.

The overview of the series can be seen here. It appears to offer a link to the first expanded story of the series, on Washington tight end Jerramy Stevens. And there is a link to another story, on a Washington safety who was arrested EVERY year he was at the school yet continued to play.

We're guessing Neuheisel isn't going to look good in any of this.

He certainly doesn't in the overview and the Stevens story.

But this is the New Improved Rick. No longer Slick Rick. The upright, law-abiding one.

We'll see how that works out for UCLA.

We also will see his the Seattle Times series unfolds.

Posted by Paul Oberjuerge at 4:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I wrote about the Struggling Kings (their official name now, I believe) a few weeks ago, and a reader sent me a note about how tough it is to be a fan of that hockey club.

Like, no kidding. Still the worst team in the league ... and it's made worse that the defending champions live and work just down the 5 freeway in Anaheim.

Anyway, this guy ... he calls himself "Bobo" ... came up with some suggestions for making Kings games more bearable.

Had to tweak his list a little. He had one interesting, perhaps popular suggestion we can't include in a "family" blog.

His stuff is below.

Well...I've used this All-Star Game break and to talk to my favorite team's management and found out there are going to be some changes following the break and five-game road trip....I'll just name a few...

Following the break, Kings will change their uniform colors...The new colors (or color) will be all black...The management is also encouraging all fans to wear black so everybody feel like they are attending a funeral at each game (personally, I've been wearing all black-hat, shorts and shirt since beginning of October and I'm getting a lot of sorry looks and condolences everywhere I go!!)...

Fans not wearing all-black will not (I repeat, WILL NOT!!!) be allowed to enter the premises....

Next change is that during the game, there will be about 20-40 entertainers (some of them will be adult entertainers) walking between fans and telling jokes, making fun of other teams' players, coaches, refs, politics.......After the game, fans will be leaving thinking that our team sucks and lost again, but at least they had some fun at the game.

Next new thing is that all fans will get a free parking, because even the hard-nosed-counting-every-penny people in management realize that you should not pay to park to see your team lose every game...

And the best for last:All season ticket holders will get all the food and drinks for free plus after every lost game (and there will be plenty of them) ... Also, there will be open bars around Staples Center during and after the game for all fans in the audience, including people who already came to the game drunk (exception is the age under 21, but they are working on that part, too).

So, after all, looks like we're going to have a lot of fun for the rest of the season...Now I just wish our season's lasted longer, but we'll see.

Posted by Paul Oberjuerge at 11:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

People talk about a team game, yeah. But the teammates here pretty much cancelled out each other.

Ultimately, LeBron James was better than Kobe Bryant.

James got easier shots, because he's so much stronger and more physical, and made more shots late, and the Cavs overcame an eight-point fourth-quarter deficit to defeat the Lakers 98-95.

LeBron scored 41 on 16-of-32 shooting with nine rebounds and four assists.

Kobe scored 33 of 10-of-21 with 12 rebounds and six assists.

The key was the fourth quarter.

LeBron scored 14 in the fourth quarter on 5-for-7 shooting, including two made free throws with :09 to play.

Kobe scored nine on 1-of-7 shooting in the final 12 minutes. He was 7-for-10 from the line.

Kobe and LeBron went man-to-man for much of the quarter, and James clearly had the advantage. He could always get to the basket, and at the other end he pushed and bumped the lighter Bryant away from the basket and made him settle for bad shots.

That's three consecutive defeats for the Lakers, by the way.

In this one, Kobe's ego got the best of him. So did LeBron.

Posted by Paul Oberjuerge at 3:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

That leak Staples sprung in the first quarter ... it's over now. Some water on the ground, but at least it's still not entering the building, which is nice.

Maybe they took a collection of chewing gum.

Or maybe there were guys up there spreading a tarp.

Anyway, it's not an issue, for now. Maybe want to check into re-roofing, though.

Water on the Grammy's might be a real issue.

Posted by Paul Oberjuerge at 3:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Doesn't look good for the Lakers. They have only 40 points at half (only 14 points in a futile second quarter) against the Cavs fairly relentless defense, and where they are going to get points is a fair question.

The Kobe Bryant vs. LeBron James matchup (well, they rarely guard each other, so it isn't quite a matchup) is fairly even, after 24 minutes.

Kobe: 13 points on 6-of-6 shooting, seven rebounds, five assists.

LeBron: 21 points on 9-of-17, six rebounds, one assist.

Kobe has been to the line only once (missing one of two), which gives you an indication of how well the Cavaliers are doing at keeping him away from the rim.

This is a game where the Lakers really miss Andrew Bynum's inside presence.

Posted by Paul Oberjuerge at 2:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This is the counter-culutre baseball hall of fame.

It's an organization run by historian Terry Cannon of Pasadena, who is more interested in the weird and the unusual and the trend-setting than he is in outright stars.

It's fun and can be enlightening ... though his interest in all things PC and "progressive" can be a bit tiring.

This is not for Every Guy with 3,000 Hits or Wins 300 Games. I mean, when Moe Berg is in your "hall" and Babe Ruth is not ... you know it's a different sort of organization. And, you bet, there is a place for people who made impacts in the game in ways we don't normally associate with "stars."

Anyway, the 50 candidates are out, and the public can vote on them, if it cares to join Cannon's organization.

Here is the press release from today:

Baseball Reliquary Announces Candidates for
2008 Election of the Shrine of the Eternals

The Baseball Reliquary, Inc. has announced its list of fifty eligible candidates for the 2008 election to the Shrine of the Eternals, the membership organization’s equivalent to the Baseball Hall of Fame. This year marks the tenth annual election of the Shrine, which has become a major national component of the Baseball Reliquary, a Southern California-based organization dedicated to fostering an appreciation of American art and culture through the context of baseball history. The twenty-seven individuals previously elected to the Shrine of the Eternals are, in alphabetical order: Jim Abbott, Dick Allen, Moe Berg, Yogi Berra, Ila Borders, Jim Bouton, Jim Brosnan, Roberto Clemente, Rod Dedeaux, Dock Ellis, Mark Fidrych, Curt Flood, Josh Gibson, William “Dummy” Hoy, Shoeless Joe Jackson, Bill James, Bill “Spaceman” Lee, Marvin Miller, Minnie Minoso, Satchel Paige, Jimmy Piersall, Pam Postema, Jackie Robinson, Lester Rodney, Fernando Valenzuela, Bill Veeck, Jr., and Kenichi Zenimura.
The Shrine of the Eternals is similar in concept to the annual elections held at the Baseball Hall of Fame, but differs philosophically in that statistical accomplishment is not a criterion for election. Rather, the Shrine’s annual ballot is comprised of individuals – from the obscure to the well known – who have altered the baseball world in ways that supersede statistics.
On a procedural level, the Shrine of the Eternals differs significantly from the Baseball Hall of Fame in the manner by which electees are chosen. While the Baseball Hall of Fame’s electees are chosen in voting conducted by a closed group of sportswriters or committees, the Baseball Reliquary chooses its enshrined by a vote open to public membership. A screening committee appointed by the Reliquary’s Board of Directors prepares a ballot consisting of fifty candidates, on which the membership votes annually. The three candidates receiving the highest percentage of votes gain automatic election.
Among the fifty eligible candidates for 2008, eleven individuals appear on the Shrine of the Eternals ballot for the first time. The newcomers, in alphabetical order, are:

CHARLIE BROWN – stocky, round-headed kid pitcher mentored by the late Charles Schulz, known as much for his perennial optimism as for his complete lack of talent; has yielded more hard line drives up the middle than any other pitcher in baseball history.
JIM EISENREICH – a courageous outfielder whose big league career was temporarily derailed by the neurological disorder known as Tourette Syndrome, Eisenreich returned to the majors after undergoing several years of testing and treatment, appearing in World Series with the ’93 Phillies and ’97 Marlins; he continues to make an impact today with his foundation which helps children with Tourette Syndrome achieve personal success.
SUSAN FORNOFF – the Oakland A’s beat reporter for the Sacramento Bee from 1985-1991, Fornoff fought for equality for women in both the locker room and the newsroom while being subjected to much harassment and abuse, including a live rat sent to her as a prank by A’s numskull Dave Kingman; Fornoff co-founded the Association for Women in Sports Media (AWSM) to combat discrimination and promote equal opportunities for women sports journalists.
CHARLES “POP” KELCHNER – a legendary baseball scout for fifty years (1909-1958), Kelchner discovered or recommended over fifty major league players; as a Professor of Foreign Languages at Pennsylvania’s Albright College, he was fluent in German, French, Italian, Spanish, Greek, and Latin, giving Moe Berg a run for his money as the most erudite member of the baseball profession.
MIKE “KING” KELLY – the most flamboyant ballplayer of the 19th century, and baseball’s first inarguable supernova, the hard-living, quick-witted King Kelly was the cynosure of the sporting demimonde and a pop culture phenom who, made legend by his early death, set standards that even the flashiest superstar of subsequent decades could not emulate.
ANDREW LAMPERT – creator and commissioner of the Cosmic Baseball Association, a brilliant confection of baseball, art, and science whipped to a forth with great wit and intelligence; Lampert’s CBA has been a cyberspace sweet spot since the early days of the World Wide Web and an important, if unacknowledged, stimulant for the Baseball Reliquary’s higher cognitive functions for over a decade.
DAVID MELLOR – A professional baseball groundskeeper for over twenty years, currently at Boston’s Fenway Park, Mellor specializes in creating elaborate patterns and designs in grass that are, by his own admission, limited only by one’s imagination; the acknowledged guru of the turf-obsessed, Mellor has authored a book on mowing techniques for sports landscapes, and photos of his baseball field patterns are exhibited in art galleries and museums.
MANNY MOTA – a member of several great offensive NL teams of the 1960s, the effervescent Mota was a man without a position until he settled into the role of clutch, record-breaking pinch-hitter with the Dodgers in the 1970s; etched forever into the collective memory of Los Angeles fans, Manny continues to be a highly visible presence in the Big Blue world.
BUCK O’NEIL – infectiously exuberant former Negro League star, major league scout, and baseball ambassador, the late O’Neil gained notoriety as the first black coach in big league ball and captivated a huge audience late in life as the star commentator in Ken Burns’ PBS documentary, Baseball.
GEORGE SOSNAK – Once an amateur and minor league umpire, Sosnak is renowned for his hand-painted baseballs, which commemorate historic milestones and player achievements through detailed India ink drawings and written descriptions covering every inch of the ball’s surface; while many of the 800 baseballs he painted between 1956 and his death in 1992 were presented as gifts to his subjects, they are now expensive and highly sought after works of baseball folk art.
WALLY YONAMINE – Often called the “Nisei Jackie Robinson,” the Hawaiian-born Yonamine was the first American to play professional baseball in Japan after World War II, valiantly overcoming the prejudice he faced as a foreigner and for his aggressive style of play; his perseverance (he played eleven years in Japan and coached and managed for another twenty-six years) helped open the doors for future American players in that country.

A complete list of all fifty candidates for the 2008 election of the Shrine of the Eternals follows. Election packets, containing ballots and biographical profiles of all candidates, will be mailed to Baseball Reliquary members on April 1, 2008. To be eligible to vote, all persons must have their minimum $25.00 annual membership dues paid as of March 31, 2008.
The three new inductees will be announced in May, with the Induction Day ceremony scheduled for Sunday, July 20, 2008 in Pasadena, California. In addition to the presentation of plaques to the 2008 inductees, this year’s ceremony will honor the recipients of the 2008 Hilda Award (named in memory of Hilda Chester and acknowledging a baseball fan’s exceptional devotion to the game) and the 2008 Tony Salin Memorial Award (presented annually to an individual dedicated to the preservation of baseball history).
For additional information on the Shrine of the Eternals, contact Terry Cannon, Executive Director of the Baseball Reliquary, at P.O. Box 1850, Monrovia, CA 91017; by phone at (626) 791-7647; or by e-mail at terymar@earthlink.net.

THE SHRINE OF THE ETERNALS
CANDIDATES FOR THE 2008 ELECTION
The number to the right of candidates’ names indicates
the number of years on the Shrine of the Eternals ballot.
1. Hank Aguirre (4) 26. Dr. Frank Jobe (6)
2. Lee Allen (5) 27. Charles “Pop” Kelchner (New )
3. Emmett Ashford (2) 28. Mike “King” Kelly (New!)
4. Eliot Asinof (4) 29. Andrew Lampert (New!)
5. Billy Bean (5) 30. Effa Manley (10)
6. Chet Brewer (9) 31. Roger Maris (4)
7. Rocky Bridges (3) 32. Dr. Mike Marshall (3)
8. Charlie Brown (New!) 33. Tug McGraw (5)
9. Bill Buckner (8) 34. “Nuf Ced” McGreevey (2)
10. Helen Callaghan (5) 35. David Mellor (New!)
11. Charles M. Conlon (7) 36. Fred Merkle (2)
12. Steve Dalkowski (10) 37. Manny Mota (New!)
13. Darren Daulton (2) 38. Buck O’Neil (New!)
14. Dizzy Dean (8) 39. Phil Pote (6)
15. Ed Delahanty (5) 40. Dan Quisenberry (2)
16. Jim Eisenreich (New!) 41. J.R. Richard (9)
17. Eddie Feigner (8) 42. George Sosnak (New!)
18. Lisa Fernandez (8) 43. Rusty Staub (3)
19. Susan Fornoff (New!) 44. Casey Stengel (10)
20. Rube Foster (10) 45. Luis Tiant (6)
21. Ted Giannoulas (6) 46. Fay Vincent (7)
22. Jim “Mudcat” Grant (4) 47. Rube Waddell (10)
23. Pete Gray (10) 48. Sol White (5)
24. Ernie Harwell (5) 49. Wally Yonamine (New!)
25. Willie Horton (2) 50. Don Zimmer (4)

Posted by Paul Oberjuerge at 2:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Staples Center opened in 1999, so it shouldn't falling apart already.

But it apparently isn't water proof. Maybe it never was. It certainly isn't now.

We're about five minutes into a stoppage in play in the Lakers-Cavaliers game because a significant amount of water is coming through the roof ... and landing just to the south of the west basket -- the one at the Lakers' bench end of the floor.

It is not an inconsiderable amount of water, either; ABC had a shot recently in which drops of water could be coming down fairly briskly, and a couple of drops were on the camera lens itself.

The water is puddling up just a few inches outside the baseline. That is, not quite on the playing surface, but certainly in an area that players run across when they're moving without the ball.

This is embarrassing. Now, a game on national TV is being held up because we can't put on a proper roof.

Michele Tafoya just did a standup from near the puddle.

"I am told the roofing company is here," she said. "I'm told it's been an issue in the past ... and they've put a tarp on the roof. .. In the meantime it looks like they're going to wipe it down and get the tarp up and try to get back to playing."

Well, they haven't yet. And we're 10 minutes in.

The ABC people have "thrown" the telecast back to the ESPN studios, and Bill Walton just had a long anecdote about Spencer Haywood, and the dangers of a wet floor. According to Big Bill, the roof in Seattle was leaking, but they kept playing ... and Haywood slipped, tore up his knee "and was never the same player again," according to Walton.

Anyway, that 3 p.m. target for ending the game... pushing it back toward 3:30.

Might be a riot if they cancel the game.

Lawrence Tanter is on the PA. "Thanks for your patience. The players are warming up, and the game will resume shortly."

Tafoya back on, with the ingenious plan: The ball boys will wipe up the wet spot relentlessly whenever the game is at the other end of the court.

Yikes. Maybe they should fix the roof, especially if it has been "an issue in the past."

Posted by Paul Oberjuerge at 12:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Know how I can tell? Because the people sitting in the $2,000 courtside seats ... are ALREADY IN THEM. At tipoff.

The thing for the people who buy at courtside ... they don't generally show up on time. To make a grand entrance, I guess. Or maybe because their deal-making ran late or they're not over their hangovers yet ...

But they're here.

Kobe vs. LeBron is as big as it gets, these days, in the NBA. The two most prominent individuals in the league for sure. Not necessarily the two best teams -- the Celtics, Pistons, Spurs, Suns, Mavericks probably all rate ahead of them.

But in terms of star-power, which is something this town understands ... Kobe and LeBron get everybody worked up. And they only face off in Staples once per season.

Anyway, a big enough deal that it gets the high-rollers to watch the WHOLE game.

Hopefully, later on, we'll have a list of the celebs in the seats. I mean, I can't see any right off the bat (and I don't recognize all of them, either).

Oh, wait: I DO see Jack Nicholson in his regular seat next to the opposition bench.

Posted by Paul Oberjuerge at 12:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Jeff Oliver and Michael Earl are guys with two first names. Just sayin' ...

In the rush for the newspaper deadline after Saturday night's game, we had a chance to talk with Cal State San Bernardino's coach (Oliver) and prominent big man (Earl) outside the Coyotes locker room at Coussoulis Arena.

What they were saying:

Is Humboldt turning into Cal State's biggest rival?

Oliver: "Right now. Right now it is. Pomona is right there, always right there also. For a team in the north (Humboldt) is right up there. The atmosphere they have in their gym always generates rivalry, and when you have two good basketball programs going at each other on a year in and year out basis, I think a rivalry will develop."

Did he feel as if it were something like a "must" win, considering Cal State must still play in Humboldt's gym?

"Up there, putting yourself in a must-win situation at their place, you're really handcuffing yourself because it's such a tough place to play. But how this league's been so far, I mean, there's just too much basketball yet to play. But it's nice to give ourselves a little bit of a cushion."

Seems like keeping Michael Earl on the floor was a key to your game.

Oliver: "Especially in the first half, he was real active in the first half. I think foul trouble in the second half made him a little timid. He wasn't his normal self in terms of disrupting shots and things of that nature."

He seemed to make an impact at the offensive end, anyway, in the second half.

Oliver: "It allowed us to be able to be able penetrate in there, and then when they did help off of him, we did a nice job of delivering to him, also."

Five guys in double figures in points?

Oliver: "That's kind of how we envisioned this team. We just need that every night. It's the nights when we have one and two guys in double figures that we get in trouble."

Your assist to turnover ratio was 22-7.

Oliver: "Yeah, I'll take that. That's been a big (problem) for us this year, we turn the ball over. We did a nice job of taking care of it tonight."

How many technicals for you this season, after that one in the first half?

Oliver: "Two? Yeah, two. That was a good one. I was dead-on right. (The Humboldt player) was halfway to Fontana and then we get a foul call. I didn't know you could get halfway to Fontana without dribbling the ball."

When you say "a good one" ... because you got your money's worth in venting?

"I got my money's worth because I think I got my point across. There were some travel calls made in the second half that weren't being made in the first. ... I think it's difficult for officials to officiate us because they get so caught up in the contact, and what's happening with the traveling, it's hard for them to watch contact and feet. So, I mean, I think it makes it real difficult for officials at times because of what we do."

Is this your best game? In conference?

Oliver: "Yes, because of the opponent we were playing, the quality of the opponent we were playing and the dynamics of the game, playing for first place and everything that entailed. It was a pretty good game -- on both ends of the floor. Probably our best."

Then came a chat with Michael Earl, who scored 17 points on 7-of-9 shootingl including three dunks.

Seemed like you guys turned up the intensity.

Earl: "We got a step back in the right direction. Basically, we're back on track. We kind of got off track, some injuries, maybe too much of the ranking got into our heads. Basically, those two losses humbled us and now we're back on track and doing what we do to win which is play hard on defense."

Is this your best game as a team?

Earl: "One of them. We scored into the 80s against a good team. They played a zone and the scoop on us is we don't play well against zones. Considering the team we played, against a zone, this is one of the better games we've played this season."

Fairly important victory, too.

Earl: "Definitely. They were ahead of us in the standings. It's definitely a big game. A lot was riding on us. This Is a good step into the second half of league."

Was the Jason Gilzene breakzaway dunk the best by your team this season?

Earl: "He got up pretty high. It was a nice dunk. Everybody is giving him props. He got really high on it. It was a nice crowd, and he got the crowd into it. It was a nice game, the atmosphere. we played really well. one of our better games. A good crowd, everybody showed up. It was a really good game."

Cal State is 8-2 after the first pass through the CCAA. Humboldt is 7-3. However, Humboldt has seven of its final 10 conference games at home, in Arcata, where it rarely loses -- aside from the regional title game to San Bernardino last season.

Cal State, meanwhile, plays six of its final 10 on the road, where it is a modest 3-2 in CCAA play.

Resurgent Cal Poly Pomona is tied with Humboldt for second, at 7-3, and the crowd at 6-4 includes UC San Diego, San Francisco State and Cal State L.A.

To see Michelle Gardner's story on the game that appeared in Sunday's newspapers ... click here.

Posted by Paul Oberjuerge at 11:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Cal State San Bernardino regains sole possession of the lead atop the CCAA basketball standings at 8-2 (15-3 overall), with defending conference champ Humboldt (12-5) a game behind. Cal State entered the game 18th ranked in the nation, and Humboldt was 17.

Senior 6-9 center Michael Earl scored 17 to lead Cal State. Lance Ortiz had 14, Dave Reichel had 11 and Devon Davis had 10 off the bench, which was key because he played significant minutes in the first half when Earl was out with foul trouble.

Cal State trailed at half and appeared to be be just hanging on ... but turned it up in the second.

Great atmosphere. Crowd was nearly 2,600, and it was noisy. Two pep bands, lots of Cal State students, which doesn't always happen.

And it was quality basketball. Not USC and UCLA, but you can see it from here. Some guys who play above the rim (Cal State had four dunks, three by Earl and one massive, violent two-handed breakaway jam by Jason Gilzene). Some very nice shooters. Very high energy basketball between well-coached, well-disciplined team.

It's a pleasure to watch guys play as hard as they do in this conference.

I am reminded of something a journalist from another Inland Empire newspaper said, a year or two ago, when he covered a Cal State game in Coussoulis for the first time, and was impressed by what he saw. The guy asked, "How come there aren't more people here?"

He thought that anyone who saw a game here MUST want to come back, and the word should have gotten around ... But no. Too many games on TV, maybe? Too far to drive? It's weird, because this is great fun.

I firmly believe Coyotes basketball is one of the great sports entertainment values in the Inland Empire. Great venue, high caliber basketball, a home team that has been winning about 80 percent of its games for a decade now.

Cal State was helped by the return of Earl for most of the second half. He neutralized Humboldt's big man, Cy Vandermeer, and scored almost at will.

Mostly, it was a victory for Cal State's depth. Coach Jeff Oliver used 11 guys, and eight of them scored. In the second half, Humboldt seemed to be running on fumes, and Oliver made it tougher on the visitors by springing the zone press on them for minutes at a time.

Posted by Paul Oberjuerge at 9:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The little kid who starts at point guard for Humboldt State is pretty good. Perhaps because he played with a really good player in high school.

That would be Kevin Love, UCLA's starting center.

Spada was the No. 2 scorer a year ago at Lake Oswego (Ore.) High School. Behind Love, the star of the team, obviously.

Humboldt is a good program, and to start as a freshman is a fairly significant achievement. If you're not a prep god, like a Kevin Love or an O.J. Mayo.

Attendance is in: 2,597.

Posted by Paul Oberjuerge at 8:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

High-energy game. Lots of up and down at full speed. Which sounds about right for a game involving teams tied for the CCAA lead.

Not particularly stylistic, though. Lots of contact, especially in the lane. Fourteen fouls in the half; probably should have been more.

Cal State has taken 10 more shots, made eight fewer turnovers (11-3) and has a rebounding advantage (16-14).

But Humboldt is ahead because it has shot 15 free throws to Cal State's five (including two on a technical foul on Cal State coach Jeff Oliver) ... and because far more of its shots have been in the paint.

Grayson Moyer has 15 points for Humboldt, but the guy who seems to be imposing his will on the game is Humboldt's 6-9 senior center Ty Vandermeer, who has nine points, five rebounds and three blocks. He is taking away the middle. Humboldt has very nice interior passing, too.

Michael Earl, Cal State's 6-9 center, was scoring points right with Vandermeer early, including a pair of effortless dunks, but he got his second foul halfway through the first 20 minutes and went to the bench.

Cal State went into a funk after that, getting down as many as nine before a couple of threes got them back in it.

Cal State has settled for threes on 13 of its 32 shots, making only four of them.

Good crowd. No record, of course. Maybe 2,500 in a place that holds about 4,500.

Just getting people in this gym is always a good thing, for Cal State. It's still the nicest arena between the Galen Center and ... Phoenix? Nicer than Fullerton, bigger than Irvine ... Yeah, still the best between downtown L.A. and downtown Phoenix.

But I've always felt as if a significant fraction of people living in the San Bernardino area have never been in this gym. Nor on this campus. "Hidden," as it is, behind Little Mountain.

Cal State needs Michael Earl to get back in and score and not pick up that third foul for several minutes. Otherwise, they're going to be a game behind Humboldt in about a half-hour, and facing a game on Humboldt's floor the final weekend of the season.

Posted by Paul Oberjuerge at 8:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A.C. Green, former Lakers forward, is sitting in the front row on the bleachers (students) side.

But he is sitting behind the Humboldt State bench because his nephew, 6-6 junior forward Nick Green, is a backup for the Lumberjacks.

A.C. was on his feet, cheering, a moment ago as his nephew put in a reverse layup.

He may be the first NBA veteran to see a game here.

His appearance was noted by PA voice J.J. Gould, before the game, and A.C. stood up and waved.

Posted by Paul Oberjuerge at 7:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A cheerleader who looked as if she were straining beneath the weight ... just ran around the gym floor carrying one of those oversize flags.

It has "CSUSB" on it, and beneath the initials reads "Coyotes."

It's powder blue and white, of course, the school's colors.

OK, one more step forward.

Four students at midcourt are chanting Cal State players' names during warmups. This is something UCLA students always do, in the minutes before the game. Players have to like it, people chanting their names.

"Lance Or-teez!" (clap clap clap ). "Lance Or-teez," (Clap, clap, clap).

They seemed to work through most of the team before the game started.

Nice. Two nice touches.

Keep it coming.

Oh, wait. A step backward. The band was playing even as the guy who's going to sing the national anthem came onto the floor. And they had been playing their first peppy song of the season, "YMCA" by the Village People.

Another problem: J.J. Gould is a detriment on the public address system. He is the master of the obvious. He actually tells people the score of the game ... he tells you how many points behind or ahead someone is. I mean, in case vision-impaired people are at the game?

Gould has a nice voice ... but his content is awful. And he always tends not to shut up. Sometimes you need to give it a rest. Gould rarely does.

Posted by Paul Oberjuerge at 7:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Cal State San Bernardino is making an effort in some of the areas that make basketball games fun. Thinking specifically of band and cheerleaders here. They have them, and once upon a time that wasn't a given.

But they need to tune up their approach.

It's 15 minutes until the men's game starts. But the cheerleaders have yet to do a thing except bustle about.

Cal State's band has about three people in place ... someone banging away on electric guitar, a drummer, a trombone player. It's like they're jamming in a club or somebody's garage ... instead of playing something contemporary ... with a driving beat.

It's like the Coyotes people have never been to a Division I game ... and don't have a clue.

Humboldt's band, however, is a little more up to speed.

First, give Humboldt's band a big hand for coming all the way down to SoCal, for the game at Pomona last night and the game here.

(At least we had a fairly nice, sunny day for them, most of today.)

I mean, you'd be keen to get out of Arcata for a weekend about now, if you lived there. It's almost rain forest up there in the northwest corner of the state.

Anyway, their band plays what I take to be the school's fight song, they play arena-style songs with driving beats and energy.

They also dress the part. Goofy, like a Stanford. They wear yellow hard hats (the team mascot is "Lumberjacks", remember) and green short pants, and yellow T-shirts with a picture of an ax on the back and the message "Kiss My Axe" written on it.

Cal State could learn from them. And from UCLA or USC, too.

Like, send a fact-finding mission to a game at Pauley Pavilion. Take notes. Try it for size. (Oh, yeah, Cal State PLAYED at Pauley twice this year.) Develop some traditions with fans and cheerleaders and band. Do this, this and this, and get fans used to it, and involved ...

Posted by Paul Oberjuerge at 7:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Vanessa Wilt scored 18 and took 20 rebounds as Cal State San Bernardino's women remained in at least a tie for the CCAA lead by defeating Humboldt State, 63-53.

That's 15 double-doubles in 16 games for Wilt, the 6-1 senior center from Hesperia. Her only miss? Last night, when she had 22 points and "only" seven rebounds against Sonoma State.

Nice crowd here at Coussoulis Arena in north Berdoo, but no way is the school sports attendance record of 4,297 going to fall on "Baker's Drive-Thru Pack the House Night," as it's officially known.

Maybe they wouldn't have regardless, but the threat of rain (it hadn't quite started by 6:30, when I got here) kept people home.

Unless 2,000 people show up in the next half-hour, that is.

The GA/student sections are pretty well filled, but the Grown-Ups Section, on the south side of the arena, is 90 percent empty.

Cal State's women are actually good, which is a bit of a surprise. Tied for the conference lead, with a good shot at making the West Regional, if they play well in the second half of the CCAA season.

Posted by Paul Oberjuerge at 7:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Cal State San Bernardino is hoping to break the school record for attendance at a school sports event when the men's basketball team plays Humboldt State at Coussoulis Arena at 7:30 tonight.

Tickets have been given to school kids and distributed by area Baker's restaurants ...

But you have to figure that enough people have looked at weather reports to pretty much quash any broken records tonight.

The record is 4,297, for a Cal Poly game in 2002 when the Coyotes were ranked No.1 in the nation in Division II and unbeaten.

Cal State has given away far more tickets than that 4,297 number, and a spokesman two days ago said it "would be interesting" if everyone actually used those tickets.

No worries. Not with the weather calling for significant rain starting about 4 p.m. (Get a current San Bernardino weather forecast here.)

We are weather sissies, here in SoCal, and if any sort of storm shows up (let alone the big one forecast) ... scads of people who might have checked out the game and the arena ... will stay home.

Pretty significant game. Cal State and Humboldt are tied for the CCAA lead with 7-2 record.

You might get wet going to the arena and returning to your car ... but it will be nice and dry inside the arena.

Posted by Paul Oberjuerge at 1:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It's not over, but it's over. It's Dallas 97, Lakers 88 with four-plus minutes left,

As they did in San Antonio two days ago, the Lakers played very nicely for a half (down by a point) ... then let things get away from them in the third quarter. They were down 17 in this one before they put together a rally to make it respectable.

We didn't really expect the Lakers to win either of these games. San Antonio was 19-4 at home, the Mavericks were 18-3, so a team missing three (Bynum, Ariza, Radmanovic) of its top nine players can't expect to go in and win on the other guy's court.

The key here is for the Lakers not to implode. Not to panic, because Bynum is gone for another six-plus weeks.

It would be nice to win at home against Cleveland and LeBron James on Sunday. And really nice (if not a requirement) to win at home against the Knicks on Tuesday.

Then they go out on the nine-game road trip with at least something good in their short-term memory banks.

The trip starts with games at Detroit and Toronto, and those will be tough. So if the Lakers don't beat LeBron and the Knicks ... they could be going back toward .500 in a hurry.

In the backs of the Lakers' minds is their collapse at this exact point in time a year ago. After 39 games. That could prey on their minds.

Lamar Odom and Luke Walton are two key players here. Neither is contributing significantly right now, and both could and should. Odom is particularly disappointing because he could do so much more ... but suffers long lapses of passivity and maybe just plain laziness.

Odom had four points and two rebounds on 2-of-9 shooting -- in 32 minutes. That's horrible for a guy with his talent and his salary ($13.2 million).

Kobe played like a madman ... which generally is good, but he was out of control at some key moments in the second half, and took a couple of scary spills. He scored 40 and played 45 minutes again, as he did on Wednesday.

It's over, now. Dallas 112-105. Lakers now 27-14 at the midway point of the season.

Posted by Paul Oberjuerge at 7:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I suppose this is obvious. But I'm not sure I'd thought of it in a big-picture way. The last five football seasons collectively ... as opposed to thinking of them one at a time.

Here's how USC goes on a five-year run at the top:

USC won the AP version of the 2003 national title. The Trojans trashed Oklahoma to win the 2004 BCS national title. There's two.

Then the Trojans were a couple of bone-headed mistakes away from beating Texas for the 2005 BCS title. If Reggie Bush doesn't try that ridiculous lateral, if LenDale White converts the fourth-and-2 to kill the lock, if the USC defense gets a stop on that fourth-and-5 at the 8 instead of letting Vince Young score with 19 seconds left ... the Trojans win, and that's three straight titles.

Then in 2006 AND 2007, if the Trojans win either one of two quite winnable games -- Oregon State (33-31) and UCLA (13-9) in 2006, Stanford (24-23) and Oregon (24-17) in 2007 -- they are in the BCS title game again ... and they most certainly would have beaten Ohio State both times. Instead of seeing Florida and LSU handle the Buckeyes.

Anyway, Pete Carroll and the lads were that close to five straight.

And to think, no school has even won three consecutive national titles.

Posted by Paul Oberjuerge at 7:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A small news item today about USC cornerback Mozique McCurtis quitting football so he can focus on academics -- to try to get ready for law school.

Thing about Mozique? He will be remembered only for something bad.

It was McCurtis who played ugly, brain-dead defense on the fourth-and-goal play from the 10 vs. Stanford in the Coliseum ...

He was turned around in the end zone and beaten by Mark Bradford, who caught a touchdown pass from Tavita Pritchard with 39 seconds to play -- the score that beat the Trojans 24-23 and cost them a shot at the national title.

I'm sure McCurtis made all sorts of small contributions to the program during the three years of eligibility he used up. Well, I assume he did. Because he never really worked his way into meaningful action. Until that Stanford game, when injuries at cornerback (Shareece Wright among them) ... forced the Trojans to use McCurtis in nickel coverage. And be the guy in the spotlight on the decisive play.

Sorry. That's how I will remember the guy. Like Zenon Andrusyshyn of UCLA missing the extra point in the 21-20 loss to USC -- 40 years ago. Like Scott Norwood missing the 47-yard field goal in the Super Bowl.

Some guys just get stuck with a mistake. A millstone around their necks. For life. Mozique McCurtis is one of them. It's sad, but there you are.

Posted by Paul Oberjuerge at 6:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Remember how angry fans were when the Lakers traded Shaquille O'Neal in 2004? Kobe Bryant was trashed for allegedly pushing for the departure of The Big Aristotle. Management was savaged. How could the Lakers do that?

It might have been the smartest thing Jerry Buss and Mitch Kupchak ever did.

They had just seen Shaq labor through the playoffs, unable to put together consecutive strong games. He already clearly was in decline. Unable or unwilling to keep his weight down and get in top shape. And with his contract coming up.

Turns out, Shaq had one more significant season in him, one more good playoffs and one more title.

But had the Lakers kept Shaq, what would they look like now?

They would have an injury prone, 36-year-old (in March) center who is getting $20 million this season -- and the next TWO seasons. (Shaq already is averaging a career-low 14.2 points per game, and a puny 7.8 rebounds per game.)

The Lakers would not have Lamar Odom. They would have severe salary-cap problems. They would owe Shaq $40 million for two seasons in which he likely will produce little, if anything.

Maybe the Lakers win one more title with Shaq and Kobe together. (Assuming they didn't kill each other.) Probably not.

But they certainly wouldn't be a team on the rise, in 2007-08, as they are now. They wouldn't have Andrew Bynum because they wouldn't have been in the lotter in 2005.

Here is a stat to mull: Shaq has seven double-doubles this season. Bynum has 15 -- and he hasn't played in two weeks.

Shaq was great -- six, seven seasons ago. He was The Man.

But the Lakers did what good franchises do -- they traded a guy a year early rather than a year late. And now they have a future -- instead of nothing but a past.

Posted by Paul Oberjuerge at 10:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

A few hours ago I almost included an item in my notes column (for Friday's newspapers) about how Darren Collison's position in the NBA draft was heading south.

I was talking to one of the most informed watchers of SoCal basketball, and he suggested Collison would go later in the 2008 draft that he would have in 2007. Maybe in the late 20s range.

Which is the opposite of what Collison had in mind when he came back for his junior season. He wanted to show he was a more developed, mature player, but the results just weren't there.

Well, he just played a very nice game at Oregon as the Bruins clawed past the Ducks, 80-75, after trailing by six late. Collison had a career-high 22 points, with six assists against only one turnover.

UCLA needed someone other than Kevin Love (26 points) to come up big, with Luc Mbah a Moute and Lorenzo Mata-Real out with post-concussion syndrome.

It wasn't Josh Shipp, who was held to seven points. It wasn't Alfred Aboya (three points).

It was Collison, the junior out of Etiwanda High School.

This was the first time this season in which Collison looked and played like the dominating point guard we saw in 2006-07 -- the guy who was good enough to warrant preseason All-America status.

Before tonight, the idea that Collison could be an All-America this season was ridiculous. And he probably won't be, given that it's almost February.

But he appears to have overcome the two injuries that bothered him the first 15 games -- the knee and hip issues. He looked fast, quick and ready to assert himself anew.

I'm glad I didn't make a point of suggesting he was heading south ... because he just made a statement in an important victory at Eugene.

Oh, and one more thing about Collison/Etiwanda. A kid he played with in high school, Jeff Pendergraph, a 6-9 forward at Arizona State, is thought to be a possible first-round NBA pick, too.

Meaning Etiwanda and coach Dave Kleckner had TWO potential NBA first-rounders on their 2005 team. No wonder they won a CIF title.

Posted by Paul Oberjuerge at 9:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Tyson Chandler was a 13-year-old phenom back at Arrowview Middle School in San Bernardino in 1995. He already was 6-foot-8 and The Next Big Thing ...

But instead of going to Pacific or San Bernardino high schools, in his hometown, he enrolled at Compton Dominguez and played there. He probably got more attention, though Pacific (in particular) would have played some big games if he had gone there at a time when the Pirates were making the CIF semifinals every year.

Anyway, Chandler went straight into the NBA, skipping college ... and he seemed to disappear. His first four seasons in the league, he rarely started, never averaged 10 rebounds OR points.

He was drafted by the Clippers, back in 2000, and traded immediately for Elton Brand, and for a long time it was more than just a bad trade ... it was a HORRIBLE trade.

Well, the Berdoo kid finally is making his mark.

Chandler, who grew to 7-feet, is one of the key components of the New Orleans Hornets, who are 29-12 -- the best record in the Western Conference.

He is averaging a career-best 12.4 points per game and 12.2 rebounds per game.

He has become a significant defensive presence for the Hornets, who have turned into a serious team, with Chris Paul and Peja Stojavokic.

Thing about Chandler: This is his seventh season in The League but he is still only 25. And now that he seems to be getting it ... he could be one of the league's more important centers for the next 4-5 years.

That's the player he was supposed to be, when he was being chased by every college in the country. It took a while, but he finally is getting there. He isn't Kareem, but he's a real player. Finally.

Posted by Paul Oberjuerge at 8:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Ack. Lakers took a step back tonight. The Spurs were awful in the first half but the Lakers led by only nine, then L.A. went scoreless for the first seven minutes of the second half and the Spurs took the lead. San Antonio played one good half and beat the Lakers with ease. Not a good sign for the start of this tough, 11-of-13 on the road streak they're on.

The day my Kobe-could-win-the-MVP thing appeared in newspapers ... he reverted back to his (bad) form of the past few years, especially in the second half, hogging the ball, taking bad shots and turning it over a lot.

Kobe was 12-for-27 shooting, including 1-for-7 to open the second half when the Lakers offense went dead. He also made a season-high nine turnovers but played heavy, heavy minutes -- like, 45 of the 48.

It's not a horrible defeat. The Spurs are the defending champs, after all, and though they've been limp much of this season they turned it up pretty seriously in the second half. Tim Duncan was particularly big, scoring 28 (11-of-21 shooting) with 17 rebounds and three blocks. And a guy named Ude Udoka had 18, which wasn't something Phil Jackson planned on.

But the Lakers had a chance to win before they unraveled. Now they go to Dallas, where the Mavericks are 18-3. Hmm. Then they come home for a game with LeBron and Cavs on Sunday.

They need to win one of those. Not both. But at least one ... or they're going to start thinking about the injury-fueled implosion they went through last year after the exact number of games (39) they had played before this game. They were 26-13 a year ago, 27-12 this year.

They went 16-27 the rest of the way last year. They're 0-1 so far this season.

Posted by Paul Oberjuerge at 8:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Just looking at rosters here ... and I knew some of the names in advance.

Giants receiver Amani Toomer. Pronounced, yes, "tumor". Now there is an unfortunate name. What, "Cyst" was already taken?

And backup Giants tackle Guy Whimper. I am not making this up. The man is 300 pounds and his name is Guy Whimper. Can you have a football name less flattering than that? "Dude Whiner" maybe?

Coolest name on the Giants: Defensive back R.W. McQuarters. He's got the whole package. The initials, which always seem "football" to me ... and an interesting pair of initials, too (not your run-of-the-mill D.J./O.J. thing) ... and McQuarters ... it just sounds strong. I may have my name changed to that. I like Reuben Droughns, too. And Kevin Boss is a good football name, if a little obvious.

The Patriots are a little better off, overall.

They've got a couple of decrepit linebackers whose names are still cool, even if they aren't.

Tedy Bruschi. Pronounced "brew-ski" ... as in, "I'll have a brewski." Why doesn't this man have a sponsorship with a brewery?

And Junior Seau. Pronounced "Say-ow" ... like what guys used to say when Junior hit them, back in the day.

Logan Mankins sounds like a tough guy, befitting a 300-pound guard. Richard Seymour and Rodney Harrison sound like English actors from the middle of the 20th century.

LeKevin Smith is kind of a mess, but the Giants have a Plaxico, so call that a push.

Have to give the Patriots an edge at head coach, too. Bill Belichick sounds like a football guy. Tom Coughlin sounds like somebody who ought to be running "Boys Town."

Posted by Paul Oberjuerge at 12:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I can't get over this. Every time I see Eli Manning with his helmet off, or hear him talk, I'm just overwhelmed by the man's astonishing ... dorkiness.

THAT guy is a professional athlete? Not only that, but a quarterback? And not only that but a Super Bowl quarterback?

Eli looks as if he came straight out of a casting call for "Revenge of the Nerds III" ... except he was sent away for being TOO nerdy. "We want someone more believable as a real person, not someone with dork makeup on."

(Here is an unflattering youtube video of Eli, throwing an interception and losing a fumble. It's supposed to be a parody.)

Tom Brady being the other quarterback in the Super Bowl only makes it worse for poor Eli. Since Brady generally is considered to be a taller, handsomer version of Matt Damon. Brady is the 2008 prototype of "Adonis as athlete."

And then there's Eli, who aspires to "goofy-looking."

I mean, it's not his fault he looks dorky. Presumably he was born that way, though one wonders how that worked out, given that his father, former NFL quarterback Archie Manning is a decent-looking guy and his mother HAD to be an attractive woman (since NFL QBs don't marry homely folks).

It's not as if Big Brother Peyton is movie-star handsome, but Eli ...

It doesn't help things when Eli starts talking, either, because he's got a big "Gomer Pyle quotient" to him. Or maybe more like a Forrest Gump thing, to make a more modern connection. "Well, GOLL--EE!"

Anyway, Eli vs. Brady is a mismatch on a lot of levels ... right down to how they look when cameras are pointed at them. Giants fans can only hope looks don't count for anything in Super Bowls, because if they do get ready for about four interceptions from Eli.

Give Eli this: He has to give hope to nerds everywhere. Clearly, then can aspire to things other than massive fortunes from dot-com startup companies. They also can be a Super Bowl QB.

Posted by Paul Oberjuerge at 11:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It's a tough time to try to walk the line between interesting, funny ... and insulting.

(I won't say "insensitive," because EVERYONE is ultra-sensitive these days, and I probably offended someone by noting it.)

Anyway, a woman who works for ESPN, name of Dana Jacobson, apparently was quite drunk at a roast earlier this month for the "Mike & Mike" guys who do an ESPN radio show ... and said some stuff that was just dumb. Probably because she was drunk. Did we mention that?

ESPN conceded today she has been suspended for a week.

Remember, she got into trouble for her remarks at a ROAST ... events designed to be raunchy. To get in trouble at a roast, you not only have to cross the line between funny and insulting ... you have to stray over it by about 100 yards.

The remarks that got her in trouble were reported to have been her suggestion that something quite rude be done to "Notre Dame" and "Touchdown Jesus" and "Jesus."

The idea was to zing Mike Golic, one of the Mikes involved and a Notre Dame alumnus ... but it wasn't stuff even fans of "South Park" would find amusing.

The earliest report on the roast didn't mention her alleged comments ... but did say she was spectacularly drunk and so unfunny as to be booed off the stage.

Comedy isn't pretty, as Steve Martin used to say.

Here is a link to a Chicago Tribune story on it.

My take? A suspension of one week is probably the maximum sentence for this kind of "crime." I mean, it was a roast, and not being televised, and she showed bad judgment.

Something else to consider here is this: At this point in American history, just about anything will offend someone, and if you are really working at it, as Dana Jacobson was, it could cost you a week's pay.

Posted by Paul Oberjuerge at 10:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)