H as parity overtaken college football? A glance at the rankings suggests so -- with a couple of glaring exceptions.
No. 1 Oklahoma clearly is the best team in the nation, with speed and talent all over the field. The Sooners' defense flocks to the ball like none other. Oklahoma runs the ball, like good Sooners teams always do. But these Sooners -- behind the heady play of quarterback Jason White -- shred you with the pass as well.
No. 2 Miami and perhaps No. 3 USC -- on its best day -- could test the Sooners, but beyond that, forget it.
No. 4 Georgia struggled to beat Alabama Birmingham at home in Athens last week. USC will overwhelm Washington State this weekend in Los Angeles. If WSU is the No. 6 team, this truly is a litter of mutts.
Michigan State -- whose biggest win is over fellow pretender Minnesota -- is a fraud at No. 9 and evidence that the Big Ten is losing its Midwestern grip to the upstart Mid-American Conference. Virginia Tech, at No. 10, is the biggest imposter of all. West Virginia exposed how a weak schedule -- the best team the Hokies have beaten is Texas A&M (3-5) -- can make heroes of mediocre teams.
Oregon State and Oregon fall to the role of spoilers. The Ducks can salvage pride with a win against the hated Huskies in Seattle on Saturday. The Beavers can wreak havoc with the BCS on Dec. 6 at USC. The Civil War game will be bigger than any mediocre bowl appearance for both teams. That is kind of nice.
With all the money and hype, running an NBA team is more about handling egos than basketball strategies. Trail Blazers guard Derek Anderson is sidelined with back spasms, and the injury gave coach Maurice Cheeks a chance to name his starting five without trampling Anderson's ego.
But the truth is, Bonzi Wells is better and brings toughness to the court that Anderson lacks. Once forward Zach Randolph emerged as a force, it was a matter of time before Anderson headed to the bench.
Once his back heals, Anderson must prove he deserves significant playing time. And for the former Kentucky star, it's not about three-point shooting, it's about the talented Anderson bringing a warrior's attitude to the court.
T he baseball world swooned over the Florida Marlins' defeat of the New York Yankees in the World Series. But their victory in six games was no upset. The Marlins were superior in the most critical aspect of the game: defense.
Baseball writers and fans clamor about home runs and batting averages, but pitching and defense fuel championships. Jack Dunn, the former Portland State coach and one of the brightest baseball minds, always said you can't knock in what you let in.
The Marlins had seven postseason errors compared to the Yankees' 13. Florida led the National League in fielding and, more important, did it with players with extraordinary range. Juan Pierre, for example, routinely gets to balls that other outfielders only chase.
An old baseball maxim calls for strength up the middle. With Ivan Rodriguez behind the plate, Alex Gonzalez and Luis Castillo in the middle infield, and Pierre in center, no playoff team matched Florida. Certainly the Yankees didn't. Bernie Williams has lost several steps; Jorge Posada is a solid catcher, but Rodriguez is among the best who have ever donned the tools of ignorance.
The only club in baseball with leather as reliable is the Seattle Mariners -- more the pity that Seattle's old bones ran out of gas. The Mariners had the fewest errors in baseball with 65; the Marlins were second with 78; while Yankees were 24th with 114.
Despite talk about the Mariners' offensive lapses, Florida's success points out that Seattle takes the right approach. The new leadership should remember that before it panics and tears this team apart.
www.oregonlive.com
No. 1 Oklahoma clearly is the best team in the nation, with speed and talent all over the field. The Sooners' defense flocks to the ball like none other. Oklahoma runs the ball, like good Sooners teams always do. But these Sooners -- behind the heady play of quarterback Jason White -- shred you with the pass as well.
No. 2 Miami and perhaps No. 3 USC -- on its best day -- could test the Sooners, but beyond that, forget it.
No. 4 Georgia struggled to beat Alabama Birmingham at home in Athens last week. USC will overwhelm Washington State this weekend in Los Angeles. If WSU is the No. 6 team, this truly is a litter of mutts.
Michigan State -- whose biggest win is over fellow pretender Minnesota -- is a fraud at No. 9 and evidence that the Big Ten is losing its Midwestern grip to the upstart Mid-American Conference. Virginia Tech, at No. 10, is the biggest imposter of all. West Virginia exposed how a weak schedule -- the best team the Hokies have beaten is Texas A&M (3-5) -- can make heroes of mediocre teams.
Oregon State and Oregon fall to the role of spoilers. The Ducks can salvage pride with a win against the hated Huskies in Seattle on Saturday. The Beavers can wreak havoc with the BCS on Dec. 6 at USC. The Civil War game will be bigger than any mediocre bowl appearance for both teams. That is kind of nice.
With all the money and hype, running an NBA team is more about handling egos than basketball strategies. Trail Blazers guard Derek Anderson is sidelined with back spasms, and the injury gave coach Maurice Cheeks a chance to name his starting five without trampling Anderson's ego.
But the truth is, Bonzi Wells is better and brings toughness to the court that Anderson lacks. Once forward Zach Randolph emerged as a force, it was a matter of time before Anderson headed to the bench.
Once his back heals, Anderson must prove he deserves significant playing time. And for the former Kentucky star, it's not about three-point shooting, it's about the talented Anderson bringing a warrior's attitude to the court.
T he baseball world swooned over the Florida Marlins' defeat of the New York Yankees in the World Series. But their victory in six games was no upset. The Marlins were superior in the most critical aspect of the game: defense.
Baseball writers and fans clamor about home runs and batting averages, but pitching and defense fuel championships. Jack Dunn, the former Portland State coach and one of the brightest baseball minds, always said you can't knock in what you let in.
The Marlins had seven postseason errors compared to the Yankees' 13. Florida led the National League in fielding and, more important, did it with players with extraordinary range. Juan Pierre, for example, routinely gets to balls that other outfielders only chase.
An old baseball maxim calls for strength up the middle. With Ivan Rodriguez behind the plate, Alex Gonzalez and Luis Castillo in the middle infield, and Pierre in center, no playoff team matched Florida. Certainly the Yankees didn't. Bernie Williams has lost several steps; Jorge Posada is a solid catcher, but Rodriguez is among the best who have ever donned the tools of ignorance.
The only club in baseball with leather as reliable is the Seattle Mariners -- more the pity that Seattle's old bones ran out of gas. The Mariners had the fewest errors in baseball with 65; the Marlins were second with 78; while Yankees were 24th with 114.
Despite talk about the Mariners' offensive lapses, Florida's success points out that Seattle takes the right approach. The new leadership should remember that before it panics and tears this team apart.
www.oregonlive.com
