Sports

Takes On Topics Of All Sorts

Theme? We don't need no stinkin' theme. Just in time for the State Fair, here's a midway of unrelated items:

The big boys are back, and they are golfing at Annandale Country Club in the Southern Farm Bureau Classic. We'll see them with their caddies and their Buicks, but what we won't see are the hours of practice, training and conditioning that brought them here. Many professional golfers now work with a personal trainer or personal physical therapist to keep themselves, and their game, in top condition.

NFL By The Numbers

The Village Voice's Paul Lukas returns with another installment on the wonderful world of uniforms and how the players' numbers add up in the NFL.

Rush Week

Some more logs to throw on the Rush Limbaugh-NFL firestorm:

ESPN: The S Stands For Spineless

While you were sleeping Wednesday night, conservative talk show howt Rush Limbaugh "resigned" from ESPN's NFL Sunday pregame show. In reality, ESPN fired Limbaugh for doing what it hired him to do: make provocative comments. ESPN didn't hire Limbaugh because he was a football expert (if that was the case, Chris Berman wouldn't be on the show, either); he was hired to increase ratings for ratings-challenged NFL preview show. Mission accomplished there: ratings were up 10 percent this year.

Go, Rush, Go

The Associated Press reports: "New ESPN commentator Rush Limbaugh said on the network's pregame show that Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb was overrated because the media wanted to see a black quarterback do well." McNabb reacts.

October Ball

Baseball's regular season is over and now it's time for the good stuff: The playoffs start Tuesday.

Monday's Papers: Colts Bag Saints

The Colts just scored again. Final score: Indianapolis 195, New Orleans 21. The Saints are turning into the Aints again. Break out the paper bags. Hey, Steve McNair and the Titans looked good didn't they? And if the Cowboys can play all of their games at the Meadowlands, they will go to the Super Bowl.

Sunday Papers: Postmortems

Turn out the lights, the party is over for:

Mississippi State and Jackie Sherrill. After losing to LSU 41-6, Sherrill said he saw "improvement" on State's defense. By improvement, does Sherrill mean giving up just 41 points instead of the customary 42? Put a fork in the Jackal, he's done.

Baseball's Dirty Secret

OK, you can relax Detroit Tigers fans. Your collection of Triple-A castoffs in major-league uniforms won't replace the 1962 New York Mets as modern baseball's worst team. Still, as regular season ends on Sunday and the playoffs begin on Tuesday, Slate's Allen Barra writes that it's time to stop believing the hype: Baseball is more competitive than it's ever been, no matter what Bud Selig and his lackeys in the mainstream press say.

Huskers Do In Eagles

Southern Miss got its moment in the national spotlight on Thursday night, playing host to the storied Nebraska Cornhuskers before a packed house and a national cable TV audience. Unfortunately for the Eagles, the Huskers stapled, folded and mutilated 'em 38-14. Here's how they covered the game in Hattiesburg, Biloxi, Natchez, Lincoln, Neb., Omaha and Huskerpedia (which has links to even more game stories, including other Mississippi and Nebraska papers.

Major League Scoop

Baseball season is almost over and a Village Voice writer just noticed that some people hate the New York Yankees. This just in: Dr. S has learned that water is wet.

Shucks, It's Huskers vs. Eagles

It's finally here: Nebraska vs. Southern Miss, Thursday night live in Hub City before a national cable TV audience (ESPN) and an almost sold-out Roberts Stadium. Ditch work Thursday afternoon, pick up a sack of Wendy burgers and a case of Natty Light and do the tailgating thing. Or just stay home and watch the tube. Dr. S rates this a can't miss. He also rates it a Nebraska win, 24-14. Don't believe Dr. S? Just ask Psychic Herbie.

Rebel Reversal

In the biggest retreat for the University of Mississippi since Gettysburg, the school has placed its search for a new mascot to replace Colonel Reb on hold. The official line is that the search committee isn't happy with the submissions. The real problem is that so many Ole Miss alumni (like the Joneses) are unhappy with UM officials for trying to replace the Slave Owner with a more politically correct mascot. Will Chancellor Robert Khayat and AD Pete Boone survive the turmoil? (Dr. S suggests they invest in moving boxes.)

Monday's Papers

The Saints went retro up in Nashville on Sunday, i.e., they got waxed by the Titans 27-12. Here's how the New Orleans and Nashville papers covered it. This is the kind of nostalgia Dr. S can do without. But, hey, Steve McNair (the pride of Mount Olive and Lorman) looked good, didn't he?

Ellington