Missing championship caliber 'Noles

MIZELL E-mail: Click here Archive

© St. Petersburg Times,
published November 25, 2001

READER'S SHOUT: E-mail from Grant Staley of Clearwater asks, "Being a lover of FSU football, I'm worried. Do you think Bobby Bowden, in his 70s, will ever again have our 'Noles deep into the national championship chase? Mickey Andrews wasn't the same sort of defensive coach this season as we were manhandled by numerous opponents. Don't tell me I must swallow the Gators beating us 75 percent of the time."

HUBERT'S REPLY: Since the return of Steve Spurrier to Gainesville, the FSU-UF rivalry has been America's finest, with your 'Noles the bigger winner. This year it's the Gators' turn to be up. But, please, if you truly are an FSU lover, stick with Bobby. Trust him. Just as Penn State backers shouldn't be quick to turn on an aging Joe Paterno. They have earned more equity. Give the elders another season or two to get cooking. When it really is time to go, I'm counting on them to know. More than anything, it's recruiting as well as luck with injuries. Joe and Bobby merit more than a quick-hook mentality.

READER'S SHOUT: E-mail from Jay Murray of Palm Harbor steams, "After vowing to not allow my sports interest to be discolored by outrageous salaries, I was stricken by nausea at seeing USA Today's list of NBA paychecks.

"How am I, an educator making just over $30,000 a year, supposed to care about Shaquille O'Neal, who's being paid $275,000 a game? What's worse, many non-marquee players and even non-starters are receiving $5-million and up.

"I've lost interest in reading about pro basketball. I click to mute when ESPN shows so-called NBA highlights. How can we 40-hour-a-week slaves have any identity with pompous multimillionaires?"

HUBERT'S REPLY: It's a growing monster. Ticket prices escalate so backup point guards, weak-hitting shortstops and underachieving linebackers can be bathed in seven-figure incomes. It's not just the NBA. Fiscal ways are berserk in most pro sports. If you wish to protest, don't buy tickets, don't watch games and snub their paraphernalia. Worst is seeing overstuffed jocks opting to loaf, whine or behave badly. We should expect ultimate effort and ultimate attitude; but when rich guys meet those standards, I still can cheer.

READER'S SHOUT: E-mail from Peter Dawson of St. Petersburg asserts, "Instead of saying the Heisman Trophy is for best college football player it should be best offensive back from a big school with a well-financed PR department.

"This year's best player is Indiana quarterback Antwaan Randle El. Because he's only raised his team's level from pathetic to merely poor does not detract from obvious skills. Unitas Trophy administrators listed five finalists for best QB; he isn't even included. What a joke the trophy scene has become."

HUBERT'S REPLY: You make a flood of arguments, Pete. Excluding the Hoosier from the Unitas list is subjective and should be debated. Paul Hornung got the Heisman in 1956 with a 2-8 Notre Dame team. IU's gent has been more impressive than the old Golden Boy. QBs do win the Heisman. It's likely this season with my 1-2 guesses being Rex Grossman (Florida) and Ken Dorsey (Miami). It burns me to think the trophy can be bought by marketing but my biggest Heisman gripe is that defensive players never win. That, my friend, is the largest joke.

READER'S SHOUT: E-mail from Anthony Perrone of St. Petersburg says, "Rule of thumb in Al Davis world: What Al wants, Al gets. Shame on you after so many years in journalism, making the mistake of jumping the gun (suggesting that Notre Dame go after Raiders coach Jon Gruden). Oakland's Raiders are back to their winning ways, not that you would know anything about it, being a Slobaneer fan all these pathetic years. That's the kind of polluted thinking that keeps the Bucs on the outside looking in."

HUBERT'S REPLY: Hey, bub, park your tire iron and eye patch. I am not a fan but a commentator. That's what journalism should mean; neutral observer. But if I ran Notre Dame football, I would go full force after Gruden.

READER'S SHOUT: Letter from John A. Eriksen of Tarpon Springs asks, "Have you mentioned the mighty pitching twosome of Warren Spahn and Johnny Sain, a la Curt Schilling and Randy Johnson? Your comments, cum philosophy, are refreshing and contemplative. For the Braves in Boston and also Milwaukee, their performances warranted a great couplet, concerning pitching rotation: Spahn and Sain, and pray for rain."

HUBERT'S REPLY: Worthy point. Today's remarkable pitching duo and those Bravos of old merit equal billing. Part of what makes Johnson and Schilling tick is a shared attitude and grit, akin to the approach of tough ballplayers from many generations.

READER'S SHOUT: Letter from Ed Murphy of Cincinnati says, "Since the end of World War II, I've been a loud Notre Dame booster, through great seasons of Frank Leahy and Ara Parseghian and even Dan Devine as well as rotten times of Joe Kuharich, Terry Brennan and Gerry Faust. Now, we're getting nowhere with Bob Davie. Notre Dame should be at least as constant a contender for No. 1 as Nebraska, FSU, Florida, Miami or Oklahoma. Jon Gruden is a marvelous idea. Worth whatever it costs. I'm sending the column to Golden Dome leaders. It sickens me to see 6-5 and 7-4 records coming out of South Bend. You can bet Knute Rockne, George Gipp and Leahy are spinning in their graves."

Whatever happened to Leon Hart?

-- To reach Hubert Mizell, e-mail mmizell02@earthlink.net or mail to P.O. Box 726, Nellysford, VA 22958.

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