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      Penn State gives JoePa three-year extension

      December 17, 2008 /

      For those that have ever uttered this over the past couple of years, “It’s gotta be time for Joe Paterno to hang it up,” Penn State just answered with: JoePa can hang it up whenever he damn well pleases.

      Joe PaternoAt least we finally know when Joe Paterno will retire. It will be the day he forgot where he left the football stadium. Either that or the day they stop driving him to practice in a golf cart and start driving him in a coffin.

      On Dec. 21, the Man Who Wouldn’t Retire turns 82. But he’s already received his birthday present — a three-year contract extension that will run until he’s 85.

      Hooray for JoePa. He’s found a way to win and a way to remain employed at an age when few others are. And now it’s clear he intends to keep right on coaching — or at least being called a coach — until he dies on the sidelines.

      It’s his choice. I say let him go for it — as long as his team keeps winning.

      Four years ago, Paterno was putting together a 4-7 season on the heels of a 3-9 2003 season and losing records in 2000 and 2001. I was among the blasphemers who said that it was time for the then 78-year-old legend to retire. And if he wouldn’t go quietly, I wrote, Penn State had to fire him.

      I wasn’t wrong then. The game had passed Paterno by, and he wasn’t going to start learning new tricks at his age. It was clear he could no longer do the job for which he was hired — to win football games. He still wouldn’t play freshmen. His offensive and defensive systems no longer worked. He was starting to populate a proud program with aspiring felons. He had to go.

      But he’s gone 11-1, 9-4, 9-4 and 11-1 since then. His Nittany Lions are the Big Ten champs and are headed to the Rose Bowl to play USC. If he wants to stay forever, I won’t object. He’s winning football games, and that’s his job.

      The great thing about Paterno is that he’s never been a coach stuck in his ways. He completely adapted to the spread offense this year and his team flourished. He knows how to roll with the times and as the writer noted, he’s still winning.

      In an age where college coaches leave their teams right before bowl games so that they can pursue better jobs, I think JoePa’s career at Penn State should be marveled at. He’s a legend.

      College Football

      Relax Billy Sims – it’s not your moment

      December 17, 2008 /

      Listen to Billy Sims (a former Heisman winner) after Oklahoma’s Sam Bradford was announced as this year’s Heisman Trophy winner:

      My God, relax already. What was he trying to do – draw attention to himself? Bradford is walking up to receive one of the biggest honors of his life and he’s got some a-hole shouting “BOOMER!” “BOOMER!” 11 times before he even reaches the platform. What an embarrassment.

      College Football

      Five worst officiating calls of 2008

      December 17, 2008 /

      Ed HochuliYeah, officials have blown a lot this year. But here are just five incidents in 2008 when they blew big time:

      1. Washington vs. BYU, Sept. 6: Granted, Washington lost every game this season, but they clearly had a shot to beat BYU in September. The Huskies’ quarterback Jake Locker scored a touchdown with two seconds left to bring his team within one. After diving into the end zone, Locker threw his hands — and the ball — into the air in, what appeared to be, a natural reaction of pure excitement. The ref, however, ruled the ball-flipping and jumping up and down to be “excessive celebration.” As a result, kicker Ryan Perkins was placed an extra 15 yards back, his game-tying extra point was blocked and the Huskies lost.

      2. 2008 World Series, Game 3: An error by the first base umpire in Game 3 of the Fall Classic nearly gave the Tampa Bay Rays a series-turning win over the Phillies. It was the top of seventh, Rays at bat. Carl Crawford led off and tapped a well-placed bunt up the first-base line. The Phillies near-46-year-old Jamie Moyer dashed down the line, dove to field the ball and, in one graceful motion, tossed it to Ryan Howard at first, who snatched out of the air bare-handed with his foot on the bag. It looked as though Howard — with ball in hand — stood on the base awaiting Crawford’s arrival. The umpire thought otherwise. Safe! The Rays scored two subsequent runs to come back within one, but the Phillies managed to hang on to their lead for the win and, well, you know the rest.

      3. Georgetown vs. Villanova, Feb. 11: Like Holmes’ catch, this one was all about the line. With the score tied at 53 apiece and only a second left on the clock, Georgetown’s Jonathan Wallace sped up the floor, dodging Villanova defenders. Still 70-something feet from the basket, Wallace heard the ref blow the whistle and, thinking there was no way a foul would be called in such a tight situation, Wallace assumed he stepped out of bounds. And when you assume you … I won’t go there. In short, the ref did the unthinkable and called a foul on ‘Nova’s Corey Stokes, gave Wallace two freebies at the line and handed Georgetown a 55-53 win.

      4. Heat vs. Clippers, Nov. 29: Sometimes a bad call is any call. With Miami trailing 97-96 and the clock reading 7.6 seconds, Los Angeles’ Baron Davis inbounded the ball after a Miami score. With none of his teammates open, he heaved the ball down court, hoping a Clipper would miraculously take control. Dwayne Wade got it instead. As he grabbed the ball out of mid-air and was falling onto the scorers’ table, Wade threw the ball toward the three lone Heat players near the basket. The ref thought Wade had stepped out of bounds but, after reviewing the play, the steal was upheld. Unfortunately, the breakaway play was cut off, and the Heat was forced to inbounds, which resulted in the Clippers fouling and, ultimately, the Heat losing.

      5. Broncos vs. Chargers, Sept. 14: Here you go, Ravens fans. If you thought your call was bad, think about how the Chargers felt on this one. With less than two minutes remaining, the Broncos lined up on the Chargers 1-yard line with the chance to tie the game. As Jay Cutler dropped back, the ball slipped out of his hands and into those of San Diego linebacker Tim Dobbins. As soon as the ball touched the ground, referee Ed Hochuli quickly — too quickly — blew his whistle. Hochuli ruled an incomplete pass, though the replay clearly showed it was a fumble. So, Denver regrouped, scored a touchdown, followed with a two-point conversion and won 39-38. Hochuli later apologized for his error.

      You’ll never get a Charger fan to say this but I still feel bad for Hochuli. That guy has been a great ref throughout his career but he’ll always be remembered for this one mistake. Albeit it was a massive mistake, but still…

      General Sports, MLB, NBA, NFL

      Top 10 Pro Bowl snubs

      December 17, 2008 /

      With the rosters being released Tuesday, SportingNews.com decided to compile a list of 10 Pro Bowl snubs of 2008.

      Philip RiversChargers QB Philip Rivers. Help me out here. With the running game sagging, Rivers became the NFL’s top-rated passer, throwing for 3,515 yards, 28 touchdowns and 11 interceptions at a 64.6 percent completion rate. And he is not on the list? He’s had a better year than the Jets’ Brett Favre or the Broncos’ Jay Cutler, for sure.

      Falcons DE John Abraham. One of the tough ones, since competition at end was fierce. But no one with 15 1/2 sacks should be left off a Pro Bowl roster, especially considering the wide-ranging affect his play has had on the revitalized Atlanta defense. Take him over the Panthers’ Julius Peppers.

      Texans RB Steve Slaton. With all due respect to the Dolphins’ Ronnie Brown, who has been productive as a running back and an option quarterback, Slaton should be going to Hawaii instead. Like Clady, perhaps Slaton was hurt by his rookie status. But there’s no question he has been a perfect fit in Houston’s zone system, and he has improved dramatically over the course of the season: He has 350 yards in his last three games, part of a season that projects to nearly 1,300 yards on a 4.9-per-carry average.

      Broncos LT Ryan Clady. He’s a rookie, and that probably plays into it. But Clady hasn’t looked like any kind of neophyte, being every bit the player No. 1-overall pick Jake Long has been. Clady swiftly picked up the Broncos’ zone-blocking scheme and has yielded just a half-sack through 14 games. He, not doubt, should be in instead of the Bills’ Jason Peters, who struggled after his training camp holdout.

      Colts TE Dallas Clark. Give Clark the nod over the Chargers’ Antonio Gates because he has 10 more catches and 72 more yards, although he has one fewer touchdown. And do it not for the numbers, but because as the Colts fought a plague of injuries on offense early in the season, the versatile Clark was invaluable as Peyton Manning’s security blanket.

      Every player on this list deserves to go to the Pro Bowl this year. Clady has been outstanding as a rookie and as the writer notes, without Rivers the Chargers wouldn’t even be 6-8 at this point. (Rivers is the league’s top rated passer for cribbs’ sake.)

      I was shocked that Abraham didn’t make it, although ironically the thing that has made him most productive is the thing that eventually cost him a trip to Hawaii: he doesn’t play on all downs. When Mike Smith took over in Atlanta, he decided to rotate Abraham out as much as he can on running downs in efforts to keep him fresh and healthy throughout the year. Obviously the plan has worked because not only has Abraham been disruptive in amassing 15.5 sacks, but he’s also stayed healthy. Playing only on passing downs hurts him when it comes time to do the Pro Bowl voting, however.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      Is the Yankee office split on whether to sign Manny?

      December 17, 2008 /

      According to the New York Daily News, several members in the Yankees’ front office are split on whether or not to pursue free agent Manny Ramirez.

      Two other officials are skeptical that the Bombers would commit three years to the enigmatic Ramirez, who has already seen the Dodgers make and withdraw a two-year, $45 million offer this winter. Both of them believe the Yankees will linger in the background while agent Scott Boras works to gather offers, and if the market is limited, the Yanks will try to jump in with a two-year, $50 million package.

      According to a source familiar with the Yankees’ thinking, Brian Cashman has been lukewarm to the idea of signing Ramirez, but the rest of the front office – most notably Hal and Hank Steinbrenner – believes he is precisely what the Yankees need to bolster a lineup that underachieved in 2008.

      It’s unlikely that Boras will let Ramirez sign anywhere until Mark Teixeira makes his decision, since the teams that fail to land the first baseman could decide to take a run at Ramirez as an alternative. The Red Sox, Angels, Nationals and Orioles are believed to be the final four teams in the running for Teixeira, and aside from the Red Sox, the other three could try to sign Ramirez if they don’t get Teixeira. The Dodgers could also jump back in the mix once the market for him clears up.

      Well, if it’s the Steinbrenner brothers vs. Cashman, there’s no question who’ll win that battle. The Yankees are going to make a push for Ramirez, but not before they drive the asking price for Mark Teixeira through the roof. After handing out huge contracts to CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett, it’ll be interesting to see how much the Bombers wind up offering Manny if they eventually do decide to pursue him.

      Fantasy Baseball, MLB

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