Observations on sports

A quick run through the worlds of college football, the NFL, the major league baseball playoffs, and the NBA.

College Football

Defending national champion Ohio State is undefeated, but unimpressive. The offense has struggled, with and without senior quarterback Craig Krenzel.

Miami nearly lost to West Virginia, and a tough game with Florida State looms this weekend. Michigan has two losses against ranked opponents.

No one in the Pac-10 will finish the season undefeated.

As usual, Oklahoma is rolling, but Texas will be ready for them on Saturday. Auburn, which began the year as a sleeper national title contender, lost early in the season but just ruined Tennessee's shot at going undefeated.

This could be a year when no one can figure out who should be number one. This could be a year that a college football playoff makes sense. But, it will not happen anytime soon.

Expect yet another announcement of a committee formed to study the feasibility of a college football playoff, followed by a decision to use the current Bowl Championship Series system instead of a playoff.

The Major League Baseball Playoffs

The League Championship Series and World Series will be a lot of fun this season. Sit back and enjoy. The main reason is that each team has unpredictable pitching.

Certainly the Chicago Cubs can rely on Mark Prior and Kerry Wood, the New York Yankees will count on Mariano Rivera and Andy Pettitte and Pedro Martinez and Derek Lowe will boost the Boston Red Sox.

However, aside from that group of pitching studs, there is no one left who should dominate opposing hitters.

The remaining playoff pitchers are either too inexperienced, too old, or simply too unsteady to guarantee wins for their respective teams.

No lead is safe with these bullpens, and no starting rotation is deep enough to take its team's bullpen out of the equation.

Rush Limbaugh ad nauseam

Rush Limbaugh blew it. During ESPN's National Football League pre-game show, he stated that the Philadelphia Eagles' Donovan McNabb, an All-Pro quarterback, is not "all that good," and that members of the media are hyping him because they want a minority quarterback to succeed.

His comment was pointless.

McNabb is not Joe Montana, McNabb is not Y.A. Tittle, McNabb is not John Elway. He is a young quarterback who led his team to the NFC championship game, and he has played in two Pro Bowls.

Maybe in 10 years McNabb will be seen as an all-time great, maybe not.

Limbaugh is correct that McNabb is struggling this season, with one touchdown, five interceptions, and a completion percentage barely over fifty percent.

As an All-Pro, however, McNabb deserves the same consideration that the Saint Louis Rams' Kurt Warner has received during his descent from Most Valuable Player to backup quarterback.

Would Limbaugh suggest the media protected Kurt Warner because they want a devoted Christian to succeed?

Of course not. That would be absurd.

One can point out that Philadelphia played well when McNabb was injured last season, but the same argument applied to Steve Young when he backed up Joe Montana.

Good backup quarterbacks in systems tailored to their strengths will perform well. That does not make the starter a lesser quarterback.

Over time, we will find out how good Donovan McNabb is.

Let's wait a few more years to decide what kind of player he really is.

Kobe Byrant and the National Basketball Association

Sadly, the Los Angeles star's sexual assault trial will help the NBA financially.

Why? Ratings.

People love courtroom dramas. People watch them as they unfold, people watch public appearances by people involved in them, and people watch over-analysis of big cases on cable talk shows.

NBA games and other NBA coverage featuring Bryant will get higher ratings this year due to the frenzy surrounding his legal troubles.

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban was right: the Kobe Bryant saga will benefit the NBA because higher ratings get the NBA more money.

The NFL

Monday night's classic Tama Bay Buccaneers-Indianapolis Colts game ended after a controversial overtime Unsportsmanlike Conduct call against Tampa Bay's Simeon Rice allowed Indianapolis a second shot at the eventual game-winning field goal.

Apparently that call was correct, although most spectators thought it was a minor penalty that should not be called in crunch time.

Lost in the shuffle was the terrible Running Into the Kicker call against Indianapolis earlier in overtime that gave Tampa Bay a first down.

On that play, Tampa Bay punter Tom Tupa clearly leaned and fell onto a nearby Indianapolis player who had not touched him. Nice acting, terrible call.

If Tampa Bay had scored instead of punting the ball away on the ensuing drive, Colts fans would be screaming bloody murder right now.

Sometimes bad calls help, sometimes they hurt, usually they even out over time.

The Buccaneers should stop whining about the call and focus on how they, the defending Super Bowl Champions, blew a 21-point lead in the last four minutes of regulation.

Alma Mater Watch

Thanks to transferring during college and attending graduate school, the author of this article has three alma maters. To satiate his ego (which apparently is not satiated by referring to himself in the third person), here is a quick look at those schools' football teams.

The University of Oregon Ducks:

Record: 4-2

Next Opponent: at Arizona State, October 11

Issues: The Ducks are trying to recover from two straight losses. The team is young at critical positions, meaning that a shocking win over Michigan followed by two stinkers against Washington State and Utah was not a total surprise. Significant injuries on an experienced offensive line have turned a strength into a weakness.

Prediction: The Ducks will bounce back with a win against struggling ASU. Optimistically, the Ducks are looking at an 8-4 season and a mid-level bowl. This team could be a BCS contender in a year or two.

The Oberlin College Yeomen:

Record: 1-3

Next Opponent: College of Wooster, October 11

Issues: The Yeomen average a meek 11.8 points per game. On the bright side, the defense has ten interceptions and is giving up 18.2 points per game. Oberlin fans still pine for the glory days of late-1800s football coach John Heisman (yes, THAT John Heisman). Naming the indoor athletic facility after Coach Heisman was a nice touch, but Oberlin's days as a football powerhouse are long gone.

Prediction: Wooster will win this weekend. The Yeomen will have a difficult season, but they can take solace in the fact that they are still over .500 all-time against Ohio State.

The Lewis and Clark College Pioneers:

Record: 3-1

Next Opponent: at Chapman, October 11

Issues: The defense is surrendering 30.8 points per game. However, the offensive juggernaut, led by quarterback Trent Thompson's 64% completion rate and 9-to-1 touchdown-interception ratio, is putting up more than 36 points per game. In small college football, high-powered offenses tend to dominate. As long as they keep moving the ball, the Pioneers will be in good shape.

Prediction: Look for lots of scoring and a road win for the Pioneers, who should start thinking about the playoffs.