Imagine that you missed a news day. Last Wednesday you were skiing in the Rockies or surfing in Maui. You didn’t check email, you didn’t turn on the TV, you read a book, you went on a hike, you went to sleep without feeling the long, icy fingers of pop culture on your throat. So you woke up Thursday morning and saw this headline:
“Terrell Owens denies attempting suicide”
Hey? Ragged?
The TO saga has taken us to the height of homophobia and the nadir of hip-hop, to the lush green expanse of a Pennsylvania front yard perfect for an impromptu sit-up session amidst a group of reporters, to a stationary bike in the hot Texas Sun in a Lance Armstrong T-shirt stretched over inhumanly large wide receiver muscles. But I bet not even the Coen brothers could have seen it coming.
Whether or not Owens actually tried to kill himself, was a cry for help, is depressed or disturbed, or just doesn’t mind mixing pharmaceuticals, I don’t care, nor can I listen to any more radio buffoons. waxing rhapsodic on the subject. I don’t want to hear concerned sportswriters like Michael Silver of Sports Illustrated offer Owens poignant advice, and I’m not particularly interested in watching press conferences, watching police reports, listening to EMT interviews, or wondering if Owens himself seems sad or dejected. . We are all separated by about seven layers of the “truth” of this matter, and there we will always stay. Some say that where there is smoke, there is fire. Others say that even though it was an accident, there is nothing TO can say to make us believe it. Whatever.
For me, the biggest point of the episode is that, for an NFL team, Terrell Owens just isn’t worth it. It’s a sideshow (albeit potentially depressing). He’s immature, uneducated, and he’s a traveling circus. There is no production on the field that can make up for the emotional and mental toll that 24/7 creates. Guys like Chad Johnson, Randy Moss, Keyshawn Johnson… they talk, they say things they shouldn’t, but they don’t suck your soul. Owens does. He is the evil spawn that pushes his parents to drink. He is the problematic hairstyle that does not sit. It is a traveling carnival that speaks and cannot, intentionally or not, stay out of the maelstrom.
You might be able to win baseball games that way; Reggie Jackson is an example that comes to mind. Goal football requires the subversion of the self. And that’s something Terrell Owens can and he will never do.
At 3-0, do you think the New Orleans Saints are real? Why or why not?
BoDog Bookmakers, BoDog.ws: There’s no denying after watching Monday night’s game that New Orleans is real at home. They are going to be hard to beat with the energy and atmosphere that the Superdome has with everything that has happened in Louisiana over the last year. Brees looks like a great replacement for Brooks, and the 1-2 combination of McAllister and Bush can cause a lot of trouble for opposing defenses.
Who will be the last team to lose an NFL game this season and why?
BDB, BoDog.ws: At this point, seven teams remain undefeated and a lot of them look really comfortable. Cincy, Seattle, Chicago, Indy; no real surprises there. San Diego, Baltimore and New Orleans; we may not have expected them. Some interesting things to consider here in Week 4 matchups: San Diego visits Baltimore and Seattle visits Chicago, facing two undefeated teams on Sunday. Indy looks like the favorite to remain undefeated the longest, playing the Jets this week, Tennessee in Week 5 and bye in Week 6.
What did Notre Dame’s furious return at Michigan State mean for bettors? And what did it mean to you? Do you think the Irish still have a shot at the National Championship? Why or why not?
BDB, BoDog.ws: Notre Dame’s incredible comeback on Saturday was huge for punters taking Notre Dame to -3. At halftime, these bettors had probably ruled out any chance of winning, but they ended up with a push. Those who entered at -3.5 simply missed the cover. For any punter with an advance on Notre Dame, this was also a great result. For us, the return did some damage in terms of teasers coming back into play. Since it was the game of the day, a lot of money was put into the game. Fortunately, we didn’t reserve the entire game at -3; a lot of the action came at -3.5, so we were able to get out on a good note instead of being stuck for the entire decision at -3. Regardless of the comeback, the Irish don’t look like a National Championship team from the start. In the AP top 25, they currently rank 12th, with USA Today ranking 14th. They’ve already lost once this year; they’re going to have to be flawless the rest of the season to compete for the National Championship again. Resounding victory at home vs. Purdue this Saturday is an absolute must for the Fighting Irish.
As baseball’s playoffs kick into shape, who do you see winning the NL wild card and why? And will the Astros catch up with the Cardinals in the NL Central?
BDB, BoDog.ws: The National League wild card is in the hands of Los Angeles. Their two remaining series are against Colorado and San Francisco, which they should be able to finish easily. That said, if they fail, a hot Philadelphia team (7-3 in their last 10) will knock just one game behind and face Washington and Florida to complete the season. Playing in Pittsburgh and Atlanta, Houston definitely has an edge over St. Louis in matchups. The Cardinals still have to face San Diego, which won’t trust a two-game lead to be enough to seal the division over the Dodgers. However, St. Louis is no stranger to pressure, so look for a 1.5-game lead as the Cardinals seal the NL Central.