By: J. Daniel Pearson
For Positively Osceola
A couple of takeaways from last Friday’s playoff games. First, as predicted, the internet was full of comments from college football power five fans railing about how Cincinnati proved they never belonged after Alabama stifled them 27-6. Not quite sure how they could have watched the second game when Georgia (who lost to Alabama) absolutely hammered Michigan by an even bigger margin of 34-11 and still came to that conclusion (you’re fine with Michigan getting pounded but somehow Cincinnati’s loss proved they didn’t belong?) The fact remains we are now in the eighth year of this new system of selecting four teams and of those 16 semifinal games – 12 have been decided by three or more scores. Cincinnati certainly did not embarrass themselves against Alabama; in fact they were one of only five teams in the last four years and 54 games to hold the Crimson Tide to under 30 points in a game. My other comment is sort of related to how uncompetitive these semifinal games have become. Do we really need to add four or eight more teams to this tournament and create two more layers of games? The fact remains we have yet to have two close games in the semifinals in a single year so somehow we’re going to make it more interesting by adding a bunch of more lopsided games to the mix? If Alabama and Georgia are winning the semifinals games against Cincinnati and Michigan by 21 and 23, are you really all that excited to watch them do the same or worse to Ole Miss or Utah in the quarterfinals? Because of money, that eight or 12 team playoff is coming – I’m just not so sure it is going to add any excitement to the mix….
Antonio Brown stripping down to just his football pants and storming off the field was more than just a little bizarre and there has been the tons of speculation, theories, and excuses on why he did so. Claims of mental illness and brain injuries have been put forward, as has an explanation/excuse that Brown was closing in on contract incentives and he became incensed when the Bucs had sat him down in the third quarter to keep him from reaching those incentives. And then there is the Antonio is simply “a loose cannon” or the old “Manny being Manny Theory.” Not sure what to believe, the contract theory makes no sense. The Bucs were trailing in a “must-win game” to keep any hopes of a number one seed alive and no NFL coach is going to sit a player to save a few thousand bucks over a chance for a win…
Speaking on the Bucs, Tom Brady’s closing drive was vintage “G.O.A.T.” material but I still have a hard time trying to understand what in the world head football coach Jets Robert Saleh was thinking when he called a quarterback sneak on a fourth and two play. With the Jets leading by four, a field goal gives them a 7-point lead in the final two minutes and most likely guarantees at least overtime. Instead, Salah elects to run a quarterback sneak. It was a long two yards and the Bucs have Vita Vea, a totally immovable mountain of a man at 6-4, 350-lbs., in the middle of the defensive line. Just a weird decision….
The best sport clip from the week had to be in Washington, where Philadelphia fans were leaning over a railing trying to bump fists with Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, who had led a second-half comeback win. The railing broke – sending half a dozen fans tumbling on top and around Hurts. The second-year quarterback simply started helping fans to their feet and after realizing no one was injured, he stood there for a few seconds and posed for photos with the fans. Absolute class act…
I would like to say Brown’s departure was the strangest thing I have ever witnessed in athletics, but I can’t. True story. Back in 1977, I was in my first year as a student assistant in the West Virginia University Sports Information office and I had to cover a men’s gymnastics meet at the WVU Coliseum over Christmas break. Don’t remember the name of the WVU athlete, but he was a senior who was going to be ruled academically ineligible for the second semester. It was also known to his teammates that he harbored a lot of hidden “resentment” towards the coaching staff. Knowing his career was essentially finished, he came up with a devious plot. He went to the coach with a story about how his parents were coming to the meet and he wanted an opportunity to “compete for them” one more time. Although the coach knew he would not be eligible for the rest of the season, he agreed to let him participate. When WVU got to its last rotation on the rings, the athlete acknowledged the judges but then stripped down to only his athletic supporter before starting his routine. Total chaos ensured. The few people present broke out and laughter as the WVU coach and his assistants came running on to the floor trying to pull him off the rings as tried to continue. When they finally pulled him down, he gave a double finger salute to the coaching staff and walked off the floor – never to be seen again. There were way less than 50 fans in the stands so when I called my boss to tell him what had transpired, he simply said “do not put that in the report you send to the paper and never mention it again.” The story never got out to the public, but will be burned in my mind forever…
For one glorious afternoon in January 1982, I had an opportunity to sit next to John Madden and watch a football game. At that time, Madden was a broadcaster, but his network did not have Super Bowl between Cincinnati and San Francisco. Some company was having a huge meeting in Orlando for its executives and planned a Super Bowl watch party in the hotel ballroom. They hired John Madden to come to attend the party, with the idea that Madden would get up give analysis and offer opinions on strategy when the game went to commercials. I don’t remember how I was hired for the gig, but I was sitting next to Madden during the entire game and keeping stats for him (way before the internet so I was compiling the stats by hand just telling him the information he wanted before the commercial started). It was almost 40 years ago, but I do remember how Madden treated those guys in the room. He was charming, cordial, and bigger than life. When it was over he came over to me and personally thanked me for keeping the stats for him. At the time, I was just excited to make $150, but now I’ll remember it as the day I watched a Super Bowl with a Legend…
Have a Great Week….
J. Daniel Pearson, a long-time resident of Osceola County, has joined Positively Osceola as a freelance contributor. His JD’s Morning Musings column will be a regular feature and he will be covering events for us throughout the year. Dan is a former Public Relations Specialist for Florida State University, Boardwalk and Baseball, the Florida Sports Hall of Fame, the Orlando Predators, and other professional sports teams and has been a freelance reporter to many newspapers in the state.
