Game Changing Moments

Game Changing Moments

I enjoy those Game Changing Moments spots by Pontiac that are shown on ESPN about seventy-five times a day. There were so many great plays this college football season. They constantly show that touchdown pass by Stanford to upset USC a few weeks back. It was an amazing play but I guess it depends on your perspective. I have many friends who hate those spots.

It was nice that Bruin Basketball began and Bruin Football ended on the same weekend this year. I hate when my false hopes for football linger into the Holiday Season. The Football team has already agreed to play two more meaningless games, try to mess up the BCS, give Karl Dorrell $750,000 and send him back to the NFL. The Basketball team hopefully will still be playing during the Easter Season.

The Orange Bowl Stadium is being demolished. When I heard the news, it felt like an uncle I never met had died. Miami’s 1st National Championship upset win over Nebraska in 1984, Joe Willie Namath delivering on his prediction against the favored Colts in 1969, and Doug Flutie’s Hail Mary pass all happened on that hallowed sod. Why do they get rid of a great stadium with such a rich history, creaky seats and trough urinals and we still have the Coliseum?

I liken the Kobe situation with the Lakers to the Cuban Missile Crisis. Certainly, that seminal moment of the Cold War will be studied more in the years ahead. Like the Kobe situation, those moments were about posturing, rhetoric and threats. In the end, everyone backed down, saved face and then saved the world or at least Southern Florida. Ok, maybe it is not the same and maybe Kobe has more hair and flair than Nikita Khrushchev and for sure the Buss Family singers are not in the Kennedy’s stratosphere. But can we all just hope everyone shuts up, finds a way to save face, pulls their finger away from the trigger and saves the Lakers? I want to hear about winning not whining.

I do not think the much heralded OJ Mayo tenure at USC was supposed to start with a fifteen point loss to the Mercer Bears in the home opener. Mercer is a force, no doubt. Just last year, they almost beat the Lipscomb Bisons in the second round of the Atlantic Sun Conference tournament. The Trojans were probably caught looking ahead to their game against The Citadel.

Apparently, the Fighting Illini have more fight in them than the Fought Irish. While ND was losing to the service academies for second consecutive week, the Illini won before 105,000 at the Horseshoe to upset the Buckeyes. The Buckeyes have not lost any regular season games in nearly three years. Lloyd Carr is already on the phone to Ron Zook because he can never win in Columbus with much better teams. He gets them in Ann Arbor next week but he never beats OSU at the Big House either.

More clear evidence that this is 4th Century Rome with Attila and the boys tailgating in the parking lot: In court last week, I hate to say it, absolutely hate to write it, but OJ appeared to be the most credible guy in court with that ignominious cast of hooligans. The attorney and witnesses were straight off of the Jerry Springer Show. The victim was so “terrified” that the first thing he did was sell the tape recording of the assault to tabloid TV BEFORE he called the police. Why was he recording the “surprise” assault anyway? Though, I must say I was impressed with the Las Vegas Judge sporting a pony tail and porn star facial hair. I could watch this on Court TV 24/7.

When we remember we are all mad, the mysteries disappear and life stands explained.
Mark Twain