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Friday, December 07, 2001
Friday Thoughts, Opinions and Notes  By Ben Maller I asked Jim Jackson of the Miami Heat why he was out of the league. I figured that Jackson would give me the politically correct answer, and tell me that it was because of salary cap reasons. Instead Jackson told me he was blackballed, that players had said negative things about him and ruined his reputation. Pat Riley is still one of the top coaches in the NBA. I don't believe that you go from genius to village idiot overnight. If the NBA spotted the teams that the Lakers play 15 points, they would still lose by 20 most nights. This was a good week for the Clippers, no arrests or suspensions since this past weekend.  How sweet would a backcourt of Michael Jordan at the point and Vince Carter at the two guard look? The AP is quoting Toronto Raptors president Richard Peddie as saying he'd want first crack at MJ if the Wizards are interested in trading him. Bulls' forward and league thug Charles Oakley told a newspaper this week that he thinks he'd be a good head coach if he was ever given the chance. Ben Maller Trivia Question of the Week: How many teams has NBA Journeyman Chris Gatling played for? The football teams at UCLA & USC suck, and early on at least so do the basketball teams. Pepperdine is the king of So Cal hoops. The Waves beat the Bruins earlier this season and the Trojans on a buzzer beater last night at the Forum.  Congratulations to Waves' coach Paul Westphal. Several UCLA hoopsters were quoted this week as being critical of some Pauly Pavillion fans. The thing that's odd is that after losses to Ball State, Pepperdine and beind tied with UCR at halftime they have any fans left. USC coach Henry Bibby proves time and time again that he can run circles around Steve Lavin when it comes to coaching. Bibby benched three of his starters this week including future NBA lottery pick Sam Clancy for dogging it in practice. Lavin would have given them more minutes.  Reports out of Chicago say that Bulls coach Tim Floyd has his eye on the UCLA coaching job. That's good to hear, I had my eyes on Brittany Spears. Jason Giambi is going to spend the next seven years in the Bronx. (according to ESPN.com) How come the Yankees and Dodgers have similar pay rolls, yet the Yanks have all the good players? Bud Selig says that 25 clubs lost money in baseball. Forbes magazine estimates that 20 teams actually MADE money in the 2000 season, and that the industry turned a $130 million dollar profit. Who are you going to believe Bud Selig or Forbes?  Jeff Shaw was always one of my favorite Dodgers. He is a true class act and a great family man. I wish him the best of luck with his next team. It's almost a lock he will return to the Cincinnati Reds. Dan Evans is starting to make Dodger fans wish that Kevin Malone was back in the saddle again. The Phillies can have Adrian Beltre and Eric Gagne if Scott Rolen is playing third base next season at Dodger Stadium. I would love to see Raul Mondesi back in a Dodger uniform. I realize that I have a better chance of winning the LA Marathon than that happening. Mondi was always a fan favorite and favorite of mine. Mondesi is probably going to play for the New York Mets next season. The Yankees are trying to get Darren Erstad away from the Angels. This makes sense considering that Erstad is coming off a down year and figures to put up monster numbers next season. The Dodgers need starting rotation depth. They could do worse than signing free agents Ismael Valdez and Dave Burba. While guys like Steve Reed and David Weathers would help the bullpen. Oklahoma was robbed at last night's College Football awards show. North Carolina's Julius Peppers, edged Oklahoma's Rocky Calmus and Syracuse's Dwight Freeney for the Chuck Bednarik Award as the nation's outstanding defensive player. Anybody who has a clue about football understands that Roy Williams is the better player.  At least Williams wasn't completly shutout. He took home the Jim Thorpe award. San Diego State football has been run like a Junior College program for years. Now they have a JUCO coach in Palomar's Tom Craft. The Aztecs haven't won a conference championship since 1986, and have played in only three bowl games since then, losing them all. Cal almost hired Marvin Lewis the Ravens' defensive coordinator as their head coach this week. Lewis at the last minute backed out--he wants an NFL head coaching job. According to an ESPN report, the three best schools to bring fans to bowl games are: Virginia Tech, Tennessee and Clemson. The three worst? Yep, you guessed it: UCLA, USC and Miami. I have been saying for months now that the San Diego Chargers will end up in Los Angeles. Now the LA Times has picked up that story. The assumption entering the NFL playoffs is that you must have a great QB to win the Super Bowl. If this holds up, then St. Louis (Kurt Warner), Green Bay (Brett Favre), San Francisco (Jeff Garcia) and the Raiders (Rich Gannon) are the only teams that have a chance to win the Super Bowl.  It seems perfect to me that should the Detroit Lions go 0-16. Their starting quarterback will be a Rutgers' product: Mike McMahon. Hats off to the Oakland Raiders who waived that bum David Dunn. Dunn was the stooge who was the Raiders' punt returner until he fumbled a fair catch against the Cardinals in OT and cost the Silver & Black a chance to win.  Raiders' head coach Jon Gruden says he's got a job and wants to help Oakland win. Gruden says he's not a candidate for the Notre Dame job. As Jerry Glanville the old Falcons coach used to say, "It's the NFL, which means 'Not For Long' if you make plays like that." Proving that America is not as safe a place to live as it once was, the Oakland Raiders are again the No. 1 seller for NFL Properties. The Dallas Cowboys drop to 2nd, followed by Tennessee and Minnesota. This list of course proves that winning means little to fans that buy gear. The Raiders have trouble selling their home games out and Dallas, Tennessee, and Minnesota have gone a combined 12-and-21 this season.  It's hard to imagine that Dennis Miller is going to be a long-term fixture at "Monday Night Football." I think Terry Bradshaw would be perfect for the job. I don't want to see him leave Fox though. The Jackass of the week goes to: Vikings WR Randy Moss, Last week he told a Minneapolis newspaper columnist that he simply plays when he wants to play. On Wednesday, he was asked on a conference call whether those comments were taken out of context. "Hell, no," Moss said. "That (expletive) is what I said. When I want to play, I'll play. There's nobody here on the face of the earth that can make me go out here and play football. I can go out here on the field and suit up and stand on the sideline and play. At my highest level? I don't know. If I want to go out here and play at my highest level, I'll do that." Jason "The Jet" Smith has been working overtime to get Curtis Martin some love. Martin took over the NFL's rushing lead yesterday without even suiting up. The Jets' RB was credited with 12 additional yards in the loss to the Patsys. A first-quarter pass was changed to a lateral, making it a run. So not only do the Jets cheat on the field. They cheat off it also. Check back here Saturday for the most complete NFL Previews on BenMaller.com Amazing Stats and Odd Facts on every game.  Now a message from our sponsors... A friendly reminder to listen to my radio show this weekend on your local Fox Sports Radio station. It's me along with Bob Page at the Fox Sports Update desk from 5am till 8am(est) Saturday morning. Sunday morning from 4am till 7am I'll be back again. (Heard in Knoxville, TN) Sunday night listen to my new program from 10pm till 2am along with Jason Smith on your local Fox Sports radio station. (heard in Baton Rouge, LA) Ben Maller Trivia Question of the Week Answer: Chris Gatling has played for nine teams: Golden State, Miami 2x, Dallas, New Jersey, Milwaukee, Orlando, Denver, Cleveland.
Write Back:Send Ben Maller E mail by CLICKING HERE! permalink
Big Ben Maller's Five Star College Pick of the Week   (2) Tennessee (10-1) vs. (21) L-S-U (8-3) SEC Title Game The Line: Tennessee -7 Ben's Pick: LSU and the Points (Tennessee to win) Last Meeting: Vols 26-18 win over the Tigers in Knoxville (earlier this year). Tennessee leads the all-time series, 19-4-1, including 1-0 at neutral sites. The Vols have won four of the last five meetings, but LSU posted a 38-31 overtime victory in Baton Rouge last year. Did you know? Tennessee owns a 41-8-1 mark in the month of December. Big Ben's Breakdown: The Vols can punch their own ticket to the rose bowl with a win at the Georgia Dome against rival L-S-U. Tennessee must bounce back after a big 34-32 upset win over Florida in the Swamp last weekend. That win allowed UT to move into 2nd place in the BCS. Since a 26-24 last second loss to Georgia the Vols have won seven straight wins. Big Orange found there offense last week with 410 total yards against a top ranked Gator defense. Travis Stephens led the way with a career-high 226 yards and two touchdowns on just 19 carries. Stephens has 1,427 yards rushing this season, just 11 short of the single- season mark set by Jay Graham in 1995 for the Vols. QB Casey Clausen has passed for 2,637 yards and 20 touchdowns this season, while throwing only nine interceptions. He has many options at the wideout position, Donte Stallworth, Kelley Washington and Bobby Graham are all quality football players. Graham stepped up for the Vols against Florida, he caught seven balls for 71 tough yards to lead the way. However, the Vols game breaking receivers are Washington and Stallworth with a combined 1,595 yards and 14 touchdowns. On Defense Tennessee is particularly good against the run, allowing only 80.9 yards per game on the ground. The Vols completely shutdown the Gators' ability to run, holding them to just 36 yards on 23 carries. However, the difference in the game against Florida was the constant pressure the Vols put on Rex Grossman. On nearly every play, the Vols had someone in Grossman's face as he threw the ball. Up front UT is loaded with John Henderson, Will Overstreet and Bernard Jackson. The trio has 11 1/2 sacks and 19 TFLs on the year. They will be the key to the game for the Vols because they must get a consistent pass rush on Rohan Davey to limit his passing yardage. Tennessee's pass defense has tended to have its holes this season, as it is allowing 224.4 yards through the air per game. LSU features one of the most high powered offenses in the nation led by senior QB Rohan Davey, This season, Davey has racked up a school- record 3,263 passing yards and 18 touchdowns, while being picked off 10 times. His favorite target has been Josh Reed, who has caught 90 balls for 1,680 yards and seven touchdowns on the season. Reed leads the SEC in receptions per game (8.18), while leading the nation in receiving yards per contest (152.7). LSU isn't just a passing team though, sophomore tailback LaBrandon Toefield gives the Tigers an excellent running threat. Toefield, despite nagging injuries, has posted 974 yards rushing and 19 touchdowns this year. He is second in the conference in rushing with 88.5 yards per contest. LSU finished third in the conference in scoring offense (30.9 ppg) and second in total offense (466.6 ypg). The Defense has been a problem for the Tigers, as it has surrendered 22.5 points (3rd-SEC) and 397.3 yards per contest (10th-SEC). LSU has particularly struggled stopping the pass this season, as foes are registering 274.6 yards per contest through the air against the Tigers. The average puts the Tigers as 10th-best at stopping the pass in the SEC. LSU has been much tougher against the run though, limiting opponents to only 122.6 yards per affair on the ground. The Tigers rely on the one-two punch of Trev Faulk and Bradie James to carry the load. Faulk has a team- high 115 tackles for the season, while Bradie James has made 103 stops on the season. LSU has big play capability in its defensive backfield, as it has picked off 18 passes this season. The Tigers are led by Damien James with five interceptions, while Erin Damond and Ryan Clark each have three picks. Ben's Bottom Line: The story of the 2001 College season has been teams controling there own destiny and dropping the ball. UCLA, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Florida all had chances to go to Pasadena but couldn't handle all that pressure. I expect Tennessee to struggle in this game because of what it means. If Big Orange wins they get $13 million, should they lose they go to the Citrus Bowl and get nothing close to that. In the end Clauson will come up big and the Vols will win but not cover. BenMaller.com's Final Score: Tennessee 24, LSU 20 Other College Picks: BYU -3 Big Ben Maller's Five Star NFL Pick of the Week   Chicago Bears (9-2) at Green Bay Packers (8-3) The Line: Packers -5 1/2 Did You Know? The Bears have lost 13 of last 15 meetings Last Meeting: Packers beat Bears 20-12 on Nov. 11, 2001, at Chicago. Big Ben's Breakdown: Chicago can rap up a playoff spot on Sunday. The Packers on the other hand can take control of the NFC Central. The Bears can clinch their first playoff berth since 1994 with a win on Sunday along with losses by Tampa Bay, the New York Giants and Atlanta. In the first meeting this year Chicago played a zone defense but was unable to get pressure on Brett Favre leaving the Packer QB plenty of time to pick apart the Bears defense. Chicago must be able to get pressure on Favre or they have no chance to stop the Packers offense. The Bears have to establish the run and play clock ball at Lambeau. Rookie RB Anthony Thomas is expected to return this weekend. He must do better than the 45 yards on 22 carries. As long Jim Miller dosen't toss interceptions things will be fine. Chicago plays ugly football. Thats going to continue this weekend in a stunner from the cheese state. BenMaller.com's Final Score: Bears 31, Packers 28 Other NFL Picks: Rams -7 1/2 vs. 49ers, Carolina + 3 1/2 at Buffalo, Cleveland +5 at New England, Tampa Bay -9 vs. Detroit, Jax +1 1/2 at Cin, New Orleans -3 at Atlanta, NY Giants -3 1/2 at Dallas, San Diego +7 at Philadelphia, Washington Pk at Arizona, Kansas City +9 at Oakland Jason Smith of Fox Sports Radio, NFL Pick of the Week   New York Jets (7-4) at Pittsburgh Steelers (9-2) The Line: Pittsburgh -3 1/2 By BenMaller.com contributer Jason Smith Now that I can talk about last Sunday's Jets loss to the Patriots, I can confidently say it's time to put the past in the past and move on to the future (and F Fred Coleman). I must say I shed no tears that the Steelers will be without Jerome Bettis. Now I know your first thought is 'Well, the Jets will make a household name out of Chris Fumatu-Ma'afala just like they did Trung Canidate'. I hate to burst the bubble of my buddy Big Ben (don't you love alliteration?) but, much like Homer Simpson's prediction we would all live under the sea, it ain't gonna happen. Which is why I feel confident in making the Jets Jason Smith's Lead Pipe Cinch Lock of the Week. If you had to say any coach is in danger of suffering a heart attack on the sidelines, Bill Cowher would have to be at the top of your list. And after Kordell Stewart's 4th pick of the game this coming Sunday, you may see it. He'll clutch his chest, fall over, and his dying words will be 'Put Tommy Maddox in next series'. No Bus means no offense for the Ketchup Kids, and the Jets come out firing, knowing full well the opportunity they let slip by last week. Jason Smith's Final Score: So the Steelers don't think this game is big enough to let Jerome Bettis play in, huh? Let's see if they're saying that after a 28 to 10 Jets victory, in which Vinny Testaverde throws for a couple of touchdowns and New York takes a Kordell pick to the house in the process. Write Back:Send Ben Maller E mail by CLICKING HERE! permalink Thursday, December 06, 2001
Large & In Charge By Ben Maller As I watch the 2001 NFL and College seasons play out, one thing keeps coming to mind: Fat coaches are kicking ass. From coast to coast, the bigger the man the better the coaching job. I have come up with a list of the top five huge football coaches: .jpg) 1.) Phil Fulmer, Head Coach University of Tennessee: Fulmer is a former offensive lineman for the Vols. In his 9th year as a head coach UT is a win against LSU in the SEC championship game away from playing Miami in the Rose Bowl for the national title. Fulmer has led Tennessee to a 10-1 mark this year and a surprising win against Florida at the Swamp. Overall Fulmer is 94-19 including the 1998 National Title.  2.) Ralph Friedgen, Head Coach Maryland University: Friedgen, in his first year as a head coach after 27 years as an assistant coach, has turned around the Terps' program. Freidgen took over a 5-6 team and turned them into ACC Champions with a 10-1 record. The Terrapins are headed to the Orange Bowl, the team's first bowl appearance since 1990 and first major bowl game since playing in the 1977 Cotton Bowl. Friedgen was a unanimous ACC coach of the year and is expected to be named National Coach of the Year this week.  3.) Mike Holmgren, Head Coach Seattle Seahawks: Holmgren is in his 3rd season as the head man in the Pacific Northwest. He has helped rebuild the Seahawks from a team that had not had a winning season since 1990 into a contender. Overall, in Seattle Holmgren has a 21-and-22 record, but this year's club is currently in second place in the AFC West with a 6-5 record. As the head coach of the Green Bay Packers (1992-98), Holmgren posted a 75-37 (.670) regular-season record, a 9-5 (.643) postseason mark, and two Super Bowl appearances, including a 35-21 victory over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XXXI.  4.) Andy Reid, Head Coach Philadelphia Eagles: Reid is in his 4th season as head coach of the Eagles taking over for Ray Rhodes. Reid has helped develop young quarterback Donovan McNabb who finished second in the MVP voting last season. Reid is 24-21 overall with the Eagles. Last year the Eagles won -- going 11-5 to make the playoffs for the first time since 1996. This season Philly is 7-4 and atop the NFC East.  5.) Mark Mangino, Head Coach Kansas University: Mangino was named head coach of the Jayhawks on Tuesday. He spent the last two years leading the Oklahoma Sooners' offense. Mangino was a big part of the turnaround at OU. He helped build the Sooners' offensive line and these past two years served as offensive coordinator. Mangino spent eight years as an assistant coach at Kansas State helping Bill Snyder build up a national power. Mangino will turn the Kansas program around. permalink Tuesday, December 04, 2001
UCLA Football Program Is a Loser  By Ben Maller Peter Dalis the Athletic Director says its a financial decision. I say its a bad decision. UCLA's Athletic Department made a statement to any possible recruits on what they think about their program. For the Bruins to not have jumped over backwords to have the chance to go to a bowl game is disgusting. The current system of college football is set up is to allow teams that choke, like UCLA, to get a small reward at the end of the year anyway. What Peter Dalis did was take that prize away from the Senior class who worked hard in the program for at least the last four years. Dalis at the same time has hurt next year's team as well. If UCLA had paid the money and gone to the Humanitarian Bowl they would have had several more weeks to practice and get ready for NEXT YEAR. So while Bruin players are getting DUI's and driving SUV's that don't belong to them, other Pac-10 rivals, Washington, Stanford, Washington State, Oregon and USC, are all going to have extra time to get ready for the 2002 season.  UCLA Alumni and fans should also take a look in the mirror. I said on my radio show its tough to get Bruins fans to drive from the South Bay to Pasadena to watch the team at the Rose Bowl. I can't imagine trying to get them to go to Boise, ID. It should be embarrassing to think that UCLA figured to only sell a little over 1,000 tickets to this bowl game while Clemson the school that was picked is going to bring close to 13,000 fans from South Carolina. Clemson doesn't figure to make any money off this game. As their athletic director, Bobby Robinson said, "We think we'll break even on the bowl. And even if we don't break even, we see it as an investment in our program,"  It takes 2282.3 miles to get from Clemson to Boise while UCLA Fans could drive the 1029.9 miles to the potato state. This missed extra practice time could have helped the Bruins coaching staff answer some tough questions heading into next year. Now they have to answer more tough questions like does your football program even really want to win? permalink
Carter "The Great Gaucho"  By Ben Maller I spent two years doing Saddleback College basketball & football games on the radio and local cable television in the Early 90's while I was working as a reporter at XTRA Sports 690am. The only player from those teams to "make it" was Anthony Carter a point guard on the Gaucho basketball team. Carter was the most exciting player at the Junior College level he had all the makings of star player. He led the California Association of Community Colleges with a 27.4ppg scoring average his sophomore year while averaging 6.5rebs, 5.4assists, and 3.9 steals per contest.  AC as he was known single-handedly led Saddleback to the state basketball tournament at San Jose State. Carter scored more than 30 points on 13 occasions, highlighted by a 44-point game against Southwestern. Carter left Saddleback C.C. as the career leader in both total points (1,530) and free throws made (309).  Anthony spent a two-year run at Hawaii averaging 18.4 ppg and 6.9 apg. Anthony was sixth in the nation in assists in '97-98 (7.3 apg). I got to know AC over his two years at Saddleback. He's a good guy who just flat out loves to play basketball. He's from Atlanta and had dropped out of high school before being convinced by Saddleback coach Bill Brummel to get his GED and head west to play ball. While I was working at Saddleback I was also covering the NBA for XTRA SPORTS and even got him and his girlfriend tickets to a few Clipper games at the Sports Arena I have to admit at that time I never in my wildest dreams expected to be going to watch him play in the NBA. But AC always believed.  Anthony was not drafted out of college and had to spend a year in the CBA before heading to the NBA as a free agent with Miami. Carter has turned into a hard-nosed role player for the Miami Heat. AC is a pass-first point guard who has made his mark playing tough defense. Carter is the kind of player that coach Pat Riley loves. Carter is a guy that will do whatever his coach asks. While his shooting range is limited, AC makes up for it with great penetrating skills.  A.C.'s rainbow runner over the backboard to lift Miami to a 77-76 OT victory in Game 3 of the 2000 eastern conference semifinals over the Knicks at Madison Square Garden is a shot that put him on the NBA map and will be talked about for years to come. While the Heat has struggled this season to the tune of a 2-11 start. Carter ranks 10th in the NBA in assists per game (7.6), 13th in the NBA in assists per turnover (3.35) and ranks 11th in the NBA in assists per 48 minutes (11.3) I'll drop by the Miami Heat's locker room tonight before the game against the Clippers and say hello to AC. We'll talk about the good old days. I'll try to tell him and his boys to listen to my national radio show in Miami, FL on FOX SPORTS 940am. Something tells me that AC is not going to get up at 4am Sunday to listen, but you never know! He used to listen to my show when he spent part of the offseason in Orange County. The Clippers won't beat the Heat tonight. Watch out for AC. One thing for sure, there is no stopping guys from Saddleback College! permalink Monday, December 03, 2001
Big Ben's Wild Weekend Review By Ben Maller  If WR David Boston played for the New York Giants or Dallas Cowboys he would be the biggest young star in the NFL. He burned Charles Woodson time and time again Sunday for the Arizona Cardinals.  Tom Brady continues to play like a Pro Bowl QB for the New England Patriots who rallied to beat the overrated Jets 17-16 Much like when a pitcher tosses a perfect game and it takes a great defensive play to keep it going, the Detroit Lions needed three missed field goals from Jason Hanson to keep their perfect 0-11 season going.  What would you rather be lucky or good? The Chicago Bears are 9-2 and will take lucky. Before we hand the MVP award to Kordell Stewart let's remember the Steelers QB has 6 Touchdown passes this season. I have had enough of the Gramatica brothers. These guys are punks who need to get laid on there asses. At least the Zendejaus brothers were cool when they kicked in the NFL. Its amazing what Marshall Faulk and Kurt Warner can do with the Rams' offense when they don't turn the ball over. The Rams have gone turnover-free in only two games this year and have won them by a combined score of 77-16 (42-10 over Dolphins, 35-6 over Falcons). Big Ben's Three Game Balls 3.) Kurt Warner, Rams' QB 17-of-23 for 342 yards passing and four touchdowns in a win against Atlanta. 2.) Joe Horn, Saints' WR 13 catches for 150 yards and a TD in a win against Carolina 1.) David Boston, Cardinals' WR 6 catches for 106 yards and a TD in an upset of the Raiders. Howie Long of Fox Sports mentioned that Jon Gruden is already gathering high school scouting reports. Long said the Raiders should show Gruden the money or they'll lose him to the Irish. According to the guys on the NFL This Morning Show on Fox Sports Net, Bill Parcells is letting it be known around the league that he is ready to coach again next season for the highest bidder. Parcells is looking for at least $7 million a year. Raiders' DL Darrell Russell reportedly chose Ecstasy instead of playing football. Russell is facing a year's suspension from the NFL for a second drug violation. What a jerk. I wonder if that had anything to do with the Raiders losing to the Arizona "Freaking" Cardinals.  Doug Flutie continues to stink up his Chargers' uniform. San Diego scored all of 10 points in an overtime loss to Seattle. Flutie was 19-of-33 for 195 yards and a pair of interceptions. The Boltz have lost power to the tune of five straight losses.  Emmitt Smith bitches to Dave Campo that he doesn't get the ball enough and all of a sudden he has his first 100 yard game against Washington. The Cowboys' winning streak over Washington at 9 games is currently the longest in the NFL. Big Ben's Three Bums 3.) Denver Broncos who allowed the Dolphins to score three touchdowns in a 4:21 span of the fourth quarter for a 21-10 victory. 2.) Phil Luckett, NFL Official: Saints' QB Aaron Brooks threw deep to Joe Horn. It appeared Horn would catch it just steps from the end zone, but he collided with back judge Phil Luckett and dropped the ball. 1.) David Dunn, Raiders' WR, Dunn was back to return a punt in overtime, instead of calling for a fair catch. Dunn fumbled a punt on the Oakland 25. NFL Stat of the Week: for the second straight year, no teams will go undefeated at home. Before 2000 that hadn't happened since 1994. The BCS is working perfectly. Miami will play Tennessee in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 3rd. Those are the two best teams in college football right now. All you need to know about the UCLA Bruins' football program is that the Humanitarian Bowl committee feels that Clemson can bring more fans to Boise, Idaho than UCLA. Clemson lost four of its final six games, while UCLA lost four of its final five. USC offensive coordinator Norm Chow is being mentioned for head coaching jobs at SMU and Vanderbilt. Chow gets paid a truck full of Trojan alumni money, and did not live up to the hype in year one. Texas coach Mack Brown lived up to the hype of not being able to win the big game over the weekend yet again. Since beating the Cornhuskers in '99, his teams have lost two Big 12 title games, two bowls games and two games against the Sooners. Although he's one of the highest-paid coaches in the country, he remains without a conference title in 18 years as a head coach. Who goofed? I've got to know.  Bob Davie can spend alot more time with his family now that he's been fired as coach at Notre Dame. Davie did to the Irish what Ted Tolner did to SC. Turning a football powerhouse into a second level school. I have been saying for several weeks that I felt Tom Coughlin of Jacksonville would leave the NFL to go coach at Notre Dame. Lee Corso of ESPN said it best before when he said that Coughlin is the right man because he has worked for priests in the past while at Boston College. Offensive coordinator/stud Mark Mangino of Oklahoma withdrew from Kansas' search for a head coach. Mangino knows that something better will come along soon. Maryland sophomore Bruce Perry, BYU junior Luke Staley and Tennessee senior Travis Stephens are the finalists for the Doak Walker Award. BYU is 11-0 but figures to miss out on a BCS-affiliated bowl berth that would pay $11 million to $13 million to each team. Last year, the Liberty Bowl paid $1.25 million to the Cougars.  Michael Olowakandi gets charged with three felonies and Lamar Odom gets busted twice in eight months for smoking pot. Maybe the Clippers were right with the add campaign that says " We won't let you down". The Lakers remind me of a Play Station team right now. They are too good to be real. Or are the other teams to bad to be real? It took an eleven game losing streak to get guard Jim Jackson back into the NBA. Jackson is now part of the Miami Heat. Dog Alert: The Philadelphia 76ers get this week's award. They lost at home to the Memphis Grizzlies Sunday Night. Pau Gasol had 30 for Memphis.  I couldn't imagine watching John Smoltz finishing his career with anyone other than the Atlanta Braves. Smoltz got a three year $30 million dollar deal. Pictures of Week 12 in the NFL from BenMaller.com Sound Off! Write Back: CLICK HERE permalink Sunday, December 02, 2001
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