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Random Notes - January 29, 2003 
There is of course no sure thing in sports gambling, but the Bucs +4 in the Superbowl was the closest thing
that I have seen. Unfortunately for me, I was not in the vicinity of Las Vegas last week and
I still do not trust online sports books so I was not able to cash in. One of the more interesting
proposition bets last week was 35-1 odds to bet on Tampa to win by 25 to 30 points. In case you don't know,
the objective for those folks setting the point spread is to choose a line in which half of the bettors will
choose each team. The fact that the line didn't move more than 1/2 point during Superbowl Week tells me that
these people did their job correctly. However, how could the general betting public possibly think that
the Raiders were a better team on a neutral field than the Bucs?First of all, the Bucs were coming off a convincing win over one of the best in teams in football on the road. Without the benefit of a couple of late first half fumbles by the Titans, the Raiders may have lost to a somewhat average and injury-riddled Tennessee team at home. Secondly, most football fans would agree that a great defense will stop a great offense. In last year's Superbowl a solid, though unspectacular, Patriots defense was able to subdue the Rams potent offense for most of the game. Third, John Gruden probably knows Oakland's tendencies better than anyone, even the Raiders themselves. The fact that Oakland was favored baffles me, but I can only assume that most of that occured because Oakland is a more popular and well-known team than Tampa Bay and therefore would be the more popular pick for those who don't follow NFL football that closely. The bigger the game, the more bets that are made by the casual fan.
The referees wasted little time in making fools of themselves in the Superbowl. On Oakland's second
kickoff, I was practically able to make a sandwich between the time Lee Stecker's knee touched the ground and
the time the ball came out of his hand, yet the refs ruled the play a fumble and forced Tampa Bay to waste
one of their two challenges. Later in the game, the zebras called pass interference against Oakland on a
Johnson throw that was at least five yards out of bounds. Yao Ming could not have caught that ball. There was
also confusion on the coin flip as to who was the home team. The NFL is multi-billion dollar business,
yet they will not hire full-time, competent referees. It's mindboggling. Thank god for instant replay.
Having said that, I still must commend Walt Coleman for knowing the tuck rule in last year's Pats-Raiders
Playoff game. I'm willing to bet that 90% of NFL officials would have blown that call.
One of my favorite Superbowl moments was seeing Al Davis (aka Al Soprano) nearly asleep late in the
second quarter. It was nearly 8pm, which I'm guessing is well past his bedtime.
What was the deal with the annoying NFL logo painted on the net used to keep field goals
and extra points out of the stands? I am so glad that the NFL decided to unveil that bright idea this
season and not last year. Can you imagine how the great highlight of Adam Vinatieri kicking the
game-winning field goal in last year's Superbowl would have been tainted if we had been limited to an
obscured view of the kick through an obnoxious NFL logo? I hope the person that came up with that idea
is looking for a new job this week.
 
I wonder if Raiders Defensive Coordinator Chuck Bresnahan and Head Coach Bill Callahan go out to bars and
try to pick up chicks by telling them that they are Gary Busey and Beau Bridges.
Greg Spires. Why don't we get players like this? (Copyright, Bob Lobel)
Oakland rioted when the Raiders won. Oakland rioted when the Raiders lost. Nice to see that the people
of Oakland show the same amount of class win or lose.
Random Notes - January 15, 2003
If the Raiders and Eagles do meet in the Superbowl, is it possible that the game is just a
front for a giant law enforcement sting operation. Of 50,000 or so Raider and Eagle fans expected to
show up in San Diego, I'm sure at least 40,000 have outstanding warrants. I wonder if cops will show up
at Superbowl events pretending to be Jim Plunkett and Harold Carmichael, not unlike the scene in
Sea of Love where Al Pacino's character traps criminals by impersonating Phil Rizzuto.
The fact that a mediocre Ohio State team could win a National Championship is another indictment on the
current BCS system. In winning 7 games by 7 points or less, avoiding Iowa and taking advantage of
five turnovers, an injury to Miami's best player and a bad call in the Championship Game, the Luckeyes
managed to take home the still-mythical championship. But, clearly Ohio State could not have survived a
16 or even 8 team tournament. I'm not claiming that the best team always needs to win the championship,
but they should be required to beat more than one good opponent over the course of the season to claim the
title.
When it comes to college football, crime does in fact pay. In the 1980's and early 1990's, the
University of Miami became synonymous with criminal activity and took home four National Championships.
In the mid-1990's, no college team had more players on the police blotter than Nebraska but coach
Osbourne turned the other way and the Huskers won three titles. Over the past couple of years, Ohio
State has led the NCAA in player arrests and guess what ... they are now the National Champions.
It would be nice if the NCAA would show some guts and crack down on degenerate programs like Ohio State,
but I suppose that is about as likely to happen as an NCAA Division 1-A Football Tournament.
I ran into Vin Baker at the park the other day. We played some one-on-one hoops and I beat him by
two points. He blamed the refs.
Speaking of blaming the refs, I heard Phil Jackson complaining about the referees after a recent
Lakers loss. Phil, give me a break! About four of your championships (and two of the last three)
were won almost exclusively because of fortuitous officiating. Phil Jackson complaining about NBA
officiating is like Enimem complaining about offensive lyrics.
I imagine that players and coaches from the Sacramento Kings and Dallas Mavericks wake up screaming in
the middle of the night thinking about the possibility of facing a #7 or #8 seeded Lakers team in the
first round of the NBA Playoffs.
Dick Stockton is now well into his fourth decade of horrendous broadcasting. Last Saturday, he called
the Eagles the 76ers, then later in the game showed his utter lack of knowledge when he needed someone
to tell him that the punting team cannot recover a fumble by the receiving team when the punting team is
the first to touch the ball. I still can't believe that this clown landed a BC girl.
Big AL East questions heading into Spring Training.
News flash: The Tigers, Devil Rays and Royals have been eliminated from the 2003 Playoffs.
Humorous LA moment. I saw a nativity scene outside of a house in Pasadena just before Christmas. It
featured Baby Jesus, Mary and Mickey Mouse. Only in California ...
B-list celebrity sighting. On my recent flight from LA to Chicago was none other than 'Booger' from
Revenge of the Nerds (aka 'Herbert Viola' from Moonlighting). I almost didn't
recognize him because I had never seen the guy clean shaven and, as my friend John pointed out,
over 30 years old.
Is it my imagination or is CSI (Original or Miami) on about nine times per week. I
imagine that CBS will milk this for about as long as it takes to have a CSI: Waltham.Random Notes - January 1, 2003
The final Sunday was bittersweet for the Patriots. On the positive side, they won the game that almost
everyone in New England thought they couldn't win. On the negative side, the win was not enough to
enable the World Champions to get into the Playoffs and defend their title. On the positive side,
New England's win knocked the hated Dolphins out of the Playoffs. On the negative side, the win knocked the
even more hated Jets into the Playoffs. On the positive side, we can take solace in the fact that the 9-7
Patriots did not really deserve to make the Playoffs. On the negative side, neither did the 9-7 Jets, who
the Pats outscored by a combined 61-37 in their head-to-head battles this year. On the positive side, Kevin
Faulk has emerged as a major offensive and special teams weapon. On the negative side, the Pats need to
upgrade in at least six positions on the offensive line and defensive front seven.
When the Buffalo Bills choked away their Week One game with the Jets, I just knew it would somehow
come back to haunt the Patriots.
I am totally sickened by the collection of ingrates that called WEEI Sports Radio the week before the
Dolphins game to vehemently bash the Patriots. Have you clowns forgotten what happened last
January? We're all disappointed and the team deserves some criticism, but some of you are completely
out of control. The Patriots suffered one injury after another this season and still managed a 9-7 record
and came within a third tie-breaker of winning the division title. Yes, they could have and should have been
better this season, but after last year, no one has any right to rip this team. If the Patriots are so
upsetting to all of you digruntled fans, maybe you should root for another team. I hear that the Detroit
Lions are accepting applications.
Speaking of the Lions, Matt Millen is now 5-27 as Detroit's General Manager. This is very surprising.
That is about three more wins than I thought the Lions would have under Millen through two seasons.
Question: Which of these players is the All-Pro Quarterback?
Isn't it about time that Dave Wannstedt is inducted into the Bad Coaches Hall of Fame? The Dolphins
have the best defense in the AFC and this season picked up an 1,800 yard running back, yet Wannstedt still
couldn't get the 'Phins into the Playoffs in the
mediocre AFC. Against the Patriots, the Dolphins had the ball on first down with 2:30 left in the game and
ahead by three points.
Ricky Williams had sliced through the Pats defense like a hot knife through butter all day. What does Coach
Dave do? Three straight incomplete passes and a late Christmas present for the New York Jets.
I think we now know that Jay Fielder did not get accepted to Dartmouth because of his brain. Against the
Patriots, Fiedler used a timeout to avoid a delay of game penalty with his team on its own 1/2 yard line.
Jay, next time you are in that situation, save the timeout and take the 9 inch penalty. While I'm on the
subject, is there anything on the planet more overrated than the Ivy League? Well, maybe the 2002
Notre Dame football team.
Adam Vinatieri improved his career field goal accuracy to 81.7% by hitting 27 of 30 this year. He has
never missed a field goal inside a dome (27 for 27) or in overtime (11 for 11). Last season, he
made the greatest clutch kick in NFL history when he nailed the game-tying field goal in the snow against
the Raiders and then topped it all off by winning the Superbowl on the game's final play. Vinatieri's
numbers compare favorably to all of the game's top kickers of all time, many of which played the majority
of their games inside dome stadiums.
Clearly, the Patriots have several holes to fill. They need a big, physical receiver, a couple of
offensive linemen, two new linebackers, another interior defensive linemen and some depth at cornerback.
But most of all, they need a pass rush specialist. The Patriots have ended each season for the last
15 years needing to fill this patricular hole and each year they failed to deliver. Please, for the
love of Andre Tippett, do what it takes to find us a legitimate pass rusher.
My 2002 NFL Awards
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