Barely even a slap on the wrist

If I'm Bill Beli-cheat, I'd consider myself very lucky, this morning. Let off the hook with merely a fine and the loss of one late first-round draft pick? I'm sorry, but for this offense, the given punishment doesn't even rate a slap on the wrist. More like a raised eye-brow and a shrug of the shoulders. Really? No suspension at all? I'm sure Tim Donaghy wishes he was an NFL official instead.

Few cheats are bigger than Beli-cheat (who claims to have misinterpreted the most black and white rule in the book), but O.J. is one of them. "No, listen, Officer, I swear I only needed that sports memorabilia so that I could lure the 'real killer' to a big autograph signing. It's my plan for justice, see?"

The loss of Greg Oden for the season doesn't just affect Portland (though they never had a prayer of going to the playoffs, this season, anyway), it affects the entire league. Profoundly. Personally, I've already lost steam with the Kevin Durant train and, frankly, half the fun of watching Durant, this coming season, was going to be comparing his progress to Oden's. The NBA just lost a major star and for a league that just endured it's lowest rated Finals since they ceased airing on tape delay, this is devastating. The weapons for sparking fan interest continue to diminish.

I'm not saying that playing in Nebraska isn't tough, but I don't think USC will have a problem covering the 10-point spread. I'm thinking 30-13 in favor of the Trojans. Arizona, on the other hand, is playing at home against a lousy New Mexico team and they will have trouble covering the spread. Willie Tuitama, you fill my heart with worry and doubt. Hanging 45 on NAU doesn't prove anything. Arizona 20 New Mexico 14.

If Michigan wins, this Saturday, it'll be business as usual. If Notre Dame wins this Saturday, Lloyd Carr will be executed on the field. Most likely by "Crazy Eyes" Mike Hart. I see the Wolverines at least surviving this one, though. As bad as their D is, Notre Dame's offense may be worse. Michigan 25 Notre Dame 17.

For so early in the season, there seem to be a ton of "locks" this Sunday. Cincy, Indy, Pittsburgh, New Orleans, Seattle, Jacksonville, Carolina, Dallas, Denver, and Chicago are all sure bets to win. All will cover, too, except for the Jaguars who still have an awful lot of explaining to do, after last week, and have an unreasonably big line of -11 (as of, right now).

Having dodged the bullet of any real repercussions from video-tape gate, the New England Tim Donaghys knock off a Chargers team that's flying across the country after getting physically beat-up by the Bears. It'll be close, but that Donaghy offense looks too impressive. Also, it's Norv Turner playing in a big game. 'Nuff said. Donaghys 27 Chargers 23.

Today, the Springboks will avenge their disaster against England in 2003 by mashing them in their Group A contest at the Rugby World Cup. The victory will all but guarantee the Boks a top seed in the quarterfinal round when, praise be, Schalk Burger will be back from his unjust suspension. South Africa are looking a good bet for at least the semis at this year's RWC.

What do you wanna do, Marty?

"I don't know, Angie. What do you want to do?" You know, I think I'd really enjoy an update of Marty with Marty Schottenheimer assuming the title role in lieu of Ernest Borgnine.

At any rate, I'm no fan of Marty the coach and I'm the first to point out his playoff futility (and delight in it), but he wasn't the reason San Diego bombed out in the playoffs, this season. His players were. Tough break, I guess. But with that in mind, we once again see why the Chargers organization has been revered for so many seasons as one of the worst run in the NFL. Who knew things could go sour so quickly? Well, a lot of us. It's fairly obvious that Spanos had been digging for a reason to ditch MartyBall ever since the collapse against New England and it's this kind of pettiness that kept Eli Manning away on draft day. Now, with virtually the entire coaching staffbeing replaced, the Chargers look anything but a sure bet to repeat their 14-2 success. Still, whoever San Diego hires as a replacement -- doesn't matter who -- is guaranteed to be a more inspired choice than Wade freaking Phillips.

Couple college basketball notes.

1. I watched the West Virginia upset of UCLA on Saturday. First off, very good win for the Mountaineers. Finally, they have a W worth talking about. The Bruins looked completely disinterested until they fell behind by 18 in the second half (then they turned it up a notch). Secondly, let's not get carried away with any chants of "overrated" or talk that the Big East is "for real" (unless we're talking about G'town who whipped WVU's butt, last night). UCLA was without Darren Collison who, for my money, is the most effective point guard in college basketball today. His speed alone is enough to fluster and confuse defenses and I think it is more than fair to say that had Collison played, UCLA would've won by ten. I'd be stunned if a healthy UCLA didn't reach the Final Four. Stunned.

2. I said it in the Nerdicon post, but I really have to stress how much I dislike Alabama. Not from a personal standpoint, but from an objective standpoint. The SEC is very down, this year, and dropping games to the likes of Ole Miss isn't helping the Tide's cause, I don't care if they have Ronald Steele. Their next three games -- @ Florida, Kentucky, @ Tennessee -- are going to have 'Bama fans crying in their Cheerios as their bubble pops. Losing to these three wouldn't be unexpected, but I'm predicting they get mauled. Again, if Alabama somehow finds their way into the big dance, you'd do well to put your money elsewhere. And by "elsewhere" I mean "against them."

3. If Gonzaga remains without Josh Heytvelt, they are dead in the water.

Memo to Vincent Jackson: Karma's a bitch

Vincent Jackson is not a quarterback. Vincent Jackson did not attempt a pass after a crucial 4th down conversion for San Diego that put them on the Oakland 27, trailing by seven late in the fourth. Vincent Jackson is not a smart man. Vincent Jackson is a tool and he did make a deal with the devil. In exchange for the ref's inexplicable insistance on interpreting the NFL rule book literally, to the letter (Could you imagine if the bible was interpreted literally? We'd all be dead!) -- an insipid, terrible call that singlehandedly swung the game to San Diego -- Jackson sold his soul. For one regular season win, his life is in for some dark times ahead. CBS flashing the "first career pass attempt" under Jackson's miserable face after the fiasco was just salt in the wound. Thankfully (I suppose), Randy Cross and Dick Enberg both saw the stupidity in the ref's decision. I understand the rule about illegal forward passes. THAT was not a forward pass! No one could ever interpret it as such. EVER! And there's Randy Cross on the broadcast, reminding everyone of the time Plaxico Burress did the EXACT SAME THING -- throw down the football after receiving it, before he had been tackled (thus making it a live ball) -- and how it was correctly ruled a fumble. I saw that Burress play and it's no different than this Vincent Jackson crap. Not at all. "Illegal forward pass" may not have the same lasting bitterness and pain as "tuck rule," but Raiders fans -- actually, ALL NFL fans can agree that this is yet another instance of the cluttered rule book ruining the game. Before you attack that statement, think about it. The NFL, like no other sport, has 1,200 rules for every possible scenario. There isn't a single sport on the planet that is so convoluted. I'm still not sure how people can accept that it takes four hours to play a one hour game. Yes, I blame Oakland's loss yesterday entirely on this blown call. 100% And it's not like San Diego deserved a victory, yesterday, either. They looked a picture of mediocrity and had a lot of trouble figuring out the Raider defense. This is your contender? The same can be said of so many "good" teams in this league. Rex Grossman, Eli Manning, Michael Vick, there's so much not to like about the quality of football this season. I said it back in September rather casually, but I'll say it again, now: I hate this season. No one stands out. In week one, the Chargers were light years better than the Raiders. Now, they're only a terrible call better. The Bears are supposedly the best team in the league, yet you'd be hard-pressed to find a person with any sense that believes in Rex Grossman. I'm saying it. This year, the NFL sucks. Screw you, Vincent Jackson. You're on my list. What goes around, comes around. Don't be surprised if you tear an ACL over the next week or two, jerk.

Thankfully, there are other sports happening in the world. Phew. Though I didn't catch a whole lot of it, this weekend. College football is going just as expected, yet it's actually news that USC jumped MIchigan in the poll. Why? We all saw this coming. And Arkansas is going to beat Florida on Saturday, anyway, so why fight it? Arizona losing to Arizona State is a gut punch and a definite surprise considering the polar opposite directions each had been headed in over the past month. At least the win couldn't save Dirk Koetter's job. Even ASU, worthless institution that it is, could figure that one out.

Sadly, I didn't get to see all the college hoops I wanted, but I did have the occassion to twice see Jared Jordan from Marist, courtesy of the new "Old Spice Classic" in Orlando. Both games, Jordan led Marist to victory (over Minnesota and Western Michigan). They're calling this guy the next Steve Nash and, let me tell you, it's not just because he's white. The senior point guard can flat out play. Playing in such a prestigious conference as the MAAC, a conference that is more of a "minor" than a "mid-major" (I hate that term), it wouldn't be any stretch to see Jordan in the NCAAs come March. Remember the name. He could be a pro next year. There's a strong chance of it happening. Steve Nash didn't exactly go to a national powerhouse either (Santa Clara) and I seem to recall John Stockton graduating from this tiny little school called Gonzaga a good 15 years before they made an elite eight run and became "Gonzaga." Jared Jordan: He's really good.

Speaking of the Zags, I missed their loss to Butler on Friday night (How about those Butler Bulldogs? Give 'em a ranking!), but GU is officially a big boy school. Every year since '99, they lose a special player or two and every year, they come back strong. They're reloading, people. Matt Santangelo, Casey Calvary, Dan Dickau, Ronny Turiaf, Blake Stepp, Adam Morrison, and I'm sure the list will continue. Gonzaga has survived the departures of all of them. They're here to stay, as North Carolina can attest.

An amazing college baller from last year is becoming a pretty good pro, so far, this year. Marcus Williams shined for the short while that he saw action last night during the Lakers' victory over the Nets. 14 points in 11 first half minutes. The night before, he went off for 27 against Phoenix. I said it back in June and I'll say it again, New Jersey was a big winner on draft day. Jason Kidd still looks every bit like a HOFer, too. Williams is going to be top flight in a year or two.