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Shooting from the lip

By Tom Jones
Published October 30, 2006

Which coaching legend is getting tips from Florida coach Urban Meyer? What other coaching legend might not be back next season? Who is the best one-loss team in college football? How come it was so much nicer this weekend at the Chrysler Championship than it was in downtown St. Petersburg? And, tell us, did we really used to just watch cars go around and around a track for hours on end? Get the answer to these questions, and more, as Times staff writer Tom Jones shares his highlights and lowlights from a weekend of televised sports.

Best insight

ESPN's College GameDay did a solid piece showing the relationship between Gators coach Urban Meyer and New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick. In 2005, Belichick visited Gainesville to learn about Meyer's spread offense. And he worked out five Gators before the NFL draft. The Pats took two Gators in the draft and invited three to rookie camp. Meyer went to the Patriots' minicamp in the summer, and there's talk that Gators freshman QB Tim Tebow might hang out with Pats QB Tom Brady in the offseason. Man, that's good stuff.

Best feature

60 Minutes' piece on Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis, who recalled the first time he offered an opinion in a coaches meeting years ago with Bill Parcells: "(Parcells) looks down at the end of the table with his scowl. Says, 'You have been in the league for five minutes. No one cares what you think, so just sit there and shut up.' "

Explain this

Why were South Carolina fans on the set of the ESPN's College GameDay booing every time former coach Lou Holtz was on the screen? He turned around a horrible program, won two bowl games, was the SEC's coach of the year in 2000 and left the program in the capable hands of Steve Spurrier. Sounds as if they should erect a statue, not litter him with catcalls.

Point of the weekend

ESPN analyst Mike Gottfried nailed it early Saturday when he questioned why Texas was behind Auburn in the BCS standings. "A team (Texas) that lost to the No. 1 team in the country (Ohio State) should not be rated below a team (Auburn) that lost to Arkansas." Gottfried was dead-on. Then and now. Texas still sits behind the Gators and Auburn in the BCS standings. How any one-loss team is ranked ahead of Texas is a mystery.

On the other hand

ABC's Craig James and Doug Flutie called the Gators the best one-loss team in the country because of their tough schedule. Meanwhile, Auburn must be wondering how it is still sitting behind the Gators after beating Florida.

Funniest comment

Fox's Jimmy Johnson: "If Bill Parcells is happy, he should let his face know because I see a coach that's not happy. I've been there." Johnson went on to say that Parcells will not be back after this season.

Best scoop

Fox's Jay Glazer reported that Chiefs tight end Tony Gonzalez will void his contract and become an unrestricted free agent next season. But Glazer reported that the Chiefs have no intention of letting Gonzalez get away.

Thumbs up, thumbs down

Give Northwestern a little credit. After suffering the biggest collapse in Division I-A history when it blew a 35-point, second-half lead in a loss to Michigan State last weekend, the Wildcats showed some heart by hanging tough at Michigan in a 17-3 loss Saturday. Meanwhile, after their historic victory, the Spartans laid an egg at Indiana. Nice going.

Vroom, vroom, vroom

Television coverage of the Nextel Cup is amazing. Cameras inside the car looking out the front windshield, the back windshield, off to the side. Cameras leaning over the track. The ability to hear the pit crew talking to the driver. A ticker keeps instant track of what place everyone is in. Amazing. And it makes me wonder: How in the world could we have enjoyed watching auto racing on television 20 years ago? Heck, five years ago.

Bold comment

ABC's Bob Griese said the discipline problems at Miami are "not as bad as the rest of the country thinks it is." Griese said his sources at Miami said the players in this group are "the best kids Miami has had in 15 or 20 years."

Most interesting comment

On the Carolina coverage of the Lightning-Hurricanes game, Carolina announcers said in a conversation with Tampa Bay coach John Tortorella that despite having players such as Brad Richards, Vinny Lecavalier and Marty St. Louis, Tortorella calls defenseman Dan Boyle "the engine that drives the Lightning."

Blue skies

I'm not accusing the USA Network or ABC of any funny business, but all I know is that sky on my television screen from the Chrysler Championship at Innisbrook looked a whole lot bluer than the sky outside my house in St. Petersburg on Saturday and Sunday afternoons.

Final thought

I already miss baseball.

Best timing

Before the Penguins-Flyers game Saturday on the Center Ice package (thank the heavens for Center Ice!), Pittsburgh announcer Paul Steigerwald said Pens star Sidney Crosby was so unhappy with his goal production that he skated on a recent off day and practiced 500 shots. Crosby then went on to record the first hat trick of his career.

Best tribute

The Boston Globe's Bob Ryan on ESPN's The Sports Reporters: "The greatest coach, the greatest ambassador and the greatest single nonplaying figure in the history of the NBA was Arnold "Red" Auerbach."

Best coverage of the weekend

ESPNews coverage of the death of Celtics icon Red Auerbach. Almost immediately, ESPN had interviews with former Celtics who played for Auerbach, as well as NBA executives, analysts and media members who covered him. And it had a lengthy piece on Auerbach's storied career. This is why ESPN is called the "Worldwide Leader in Sports."

[Last modified October 30, 2006, 02:19:29]