Sports

Commentary

The Buzz

Compiled from staff and wire reports
Published January 1, 2006

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THUMBS UP

Tony Dungy. Even after tragedy struck, the man found a way to inspire us.

THUMBS DOWN

Kirk Ferentz of Iowa and Urban Meyer of Florida. Both coaches say they want no part of a playoff system. Well gentlemen, with all due respect, some of us want no part of a bowl system in which teams with so-so records (7-4 and 8-3 in this case) are telling everybody how big their game against one another is.

WEEKLY MEMO

To anyone writing about the upcoming "chess match" at the Orange Bowl between Florida State's Bobby Bowden and Penn State's Joe Paterno: Do everyone a favor and hold the story until you actually see one of these guys put on a headset during a game.

VOICES CARRY

"ABC's Monday Night Football promotion is like a restaurant that tries to attract customers by telling you how entertaining its waiters are. Then when one of them keeps dropping dishes, management will bring in a new one, and then another, all the time keeping the pitch going about how this is a promotion not to be missed.

"The food? Naah, nobody cares about that. It's our waiters they're interested in, our stars. The sick thing is that journalists buy into this nonsense ... TV columnists, molders of public opinion. I've already begun to read the hand-wringing about the departure of ABC as purveyor of Monday Night Football, as if some great monument were being torn down. ABC is leaving? Who cares? Certainly not me. Bring in the next network, the next set of waiters to serve our food. Make sure it's hot.

"I've never bought into ABC's "We are the Show' approach, especially during what they (and few others) like to call their Golden Age. You know, Howard Cosell and Don Meredith, the limos, the parties and the fabulous expense accounts. Oh, the byplay was occasionally amusing. It's fun when a waiter drops an occasional gag on you. But okay, let's get through it and get to the reason why we came to the restaurant. The meal. The food."

- Paul Zimmerman, Sports Illustrated

FINAL THOUGHTS

Have any of you ever actually visited a city because of something you saw in a commercial during a bowl game? Didn't think so.

Compiled by Times staff writer Keith Niebuhr.

[Last modified January 1, 2006, 00:29:14]