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Monday, 27-Jan-2003

 

Spurious thoughts and idle musings from the sports week just past ...

 

Well, that's one of the Seven Signs of the Apocalypse ... Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Super Bowl Champions ... I mean, really, you gotta be kidding me ... Tampa Bay won a Supe ???  0-for-26 Tampa Bay ???  Bucco Bruce Tampa Bay ???  The Tampa Bay of Barney Bussey, Richard Wood, Steve DeBerg, Donald Igwebuike, Jimmie Giles, James Wilder and Vinny Testaverde won the Super Bowl ???  Yes, they did.  And if heaven has Gatorade showers, then I hope John McKay is enjoying a well-earned soaking right about now.

 

However, and for the record, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have to be one of the mouthiest teams in NFL history.  We already knew Warren Sapp and Meshawn were world class talkers but the other Bucs don't shut up for a second either.  Even stud safety John Lynch is a bonafide All-Yap first teamer.  But the best of the best has to be Simeon Rice ... "We just did what you do, know what I'm saying.  The offense did what you do and the defense did what you do and we all did what you do and now we the champs, baby."  So there you have it, folks.  The hell with game plans.  They just did what you do.

 

Supe ads were a mixed bag ... Willie Nelson needed help with his taxes many many bong hits ago.  And I didn't get why wearing Levi's makes the cows stampede safely around you.  Ozzy Osbourne and the Osmonds were kinda cute but I'm afraid Ozzy's 15 minutes are officially on the clock.  Quizno's, Trident, Hanes ... Thanks, see you next year.  Oh and one more thing, ABC ... It's fine if you want to show us a public service spot blaming weed for a teenage pregnancy but don't show six ... six ... beer commercials too.

 

I love mascot controversies ... And last week we had an all-timer as Calgary Flames mascot Harry The Hound, a big six-foot tall white snow dog, got in trouble for heckling the visiting archrival Edmonton Oilers from behind their bench.  Harry hounded them so hard that Oiler coach Craig MacTavish reached over and ripped out Harry's foot-long red tongue and heaved it into the crowd.  Flames management later apologized and promised to keep Harry on a shorter leash from now on.  But what kills me ... And it happens all the time with mascots ... is everybody forgets that the character isn't really real ...

 

Seriously, think about it for a second ... Years ago, when Tommy Lasorda went nuts and started beating up the Phillie Phanatic, was he fighting with Dave Raymond, son of legendary University of Delaware football coach Tubby Raymond, or was Tommy stomping on a massive walking green shag carpet with red size 30 sneakers ???  When the Mariner Moose roller skated into the Kingdome wall and broke his ankle, whose ankle did he really break ???  Was it the Moose or the young man inside ???  And now we have Coach MacTavish ... Yo, Craig, that's not a tongue.  It's 12 inches of red felt, dude.  Way too funny.

 

I didn't bet on baseball.  I didn't bet on baseball.  I didn't bet on baseball.  I didn't bet on baseball.  I didn't bet on baseball.  I didn't bet on baseball.  I didn't bet on baseball.  I didn't bet on baseball.  I didn't bet on baseball.  I didn't bet on baseball.  I didn't bet on baseball.  I didn't bet on baseball.  I didn't bet on baseball.  I didn't bet on baseball.  I didn't bet on baseball.  I didn't bet on baseball.  I didn't bet on baseball.  I didn't bet on baseball.  I didn't bet on baseball.  I didn't bet on baseball.  I didn't bet on baseball.  Okay, maybe I did.

 

From our Just When You Think You've Heard It All Department comes word of the latest hairstyle craze in soccer mad Japan.  Seems that English superduperstar David Beckham made quite the impression with the young ladies of the Rising Sun during last summer's World Cup.  So much so that now they're clamoring to have their hair done up just like his ... Kinda short but all stiff and spiky with sharp blonde highlights on the tips.  Big deal, you say.  Well, here's the kicker ... Um, well, um, let's just say that we're talking carpet and not curtains here, if you know what I mean.  I kid you not.

 

That coulda been you, Eagles.

 

Just a hunch but I'm guessing that Serena Williams has gotten way inside big sistah Venus' head ... Cause Saturday's Aussie Open win was the fourth straight Grand Slam finals triumph for Younger over Older.  At this point, you gotta wonder if Venus will ever see a first place check again and that's hard to believe, Harry.  Likewise stunning is the sublime game of Andre Agassi who absolutely crushed some German jebeep to win his fourth Aussie.  Nicely done, Mr Graf.

 

As you know, we usually avoid controversial topics but this is just too hard to resist ... For the low low price of just $49.95, you can now buy an outdoorsman's Bible complete with camouflage cover to take with you on hunting trips.  Here's an excerpt from the good book's preface ... "We hope you will take a few moments in a quiet place, a deer stand, camp, fishing pier, your den or wherever it is you spend time reflecting on the wonders of God's creation to look at God's Word, the Holy Bible, from an outdoorsman's perspective.  As you do, prepare to be drawn into God's presence."  ... And then prepare to squeeze your trigger and blow Bambi's head off.

 

Here's how insane the ACC has gotten these days ... NC State was ready to ride Herbie "The Love Bug" Sendek out on a rail following bad losses to Georgia Tech and Bee Cee but now with wins over the Dookies and the Death Star, Herb's a hero.  Meanwhile, Pete Gillen was looking to join Billie Joe McAllister in a leap off the Tallahatchee Bridge after three smelly Cavalier losses to Duke, Climpson and Vah Tech but a home win over Wake and all is well.  And Duke wasn't immune either ... Unbeaten and top-ranked in the polls and then two straight losses put all of Durham in the dumps.  Easy fellas, we're not even halfway through the schedule yet.

 

Some final Supe piglets ... I know I'm committing football sacrilege here but is there a more insufferable old team than the unbeaten 1972 Fish ???  Geez, these guys blow their own horns more than the London Philharmonic.  "Let our record speak for itself," they whine.  Guess what, guys ... It does.  You've been 17-0 for 30 years now.  We get it.  Also, whoever was whispering in Bill Callahan's ear to keep going for two after each Raider TD should be fed to the Black Hole crazies back home in Oakland.  Geez, I haven't seen scoreboard management that bad since George Seifert was last seen thawed out.

 

See ya nexted week ...

 

Robert E Hunt Jr

 

Copyright ã 2003 by Robert E Hunt Jr.  All rights reserved.