Wake-up call: NFL turnarounds; black college football coaches; Rose Bowl
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With now only a week left in the regular season, the NFL playoff picture is gaining focus, though at least a couple of teams continue to lose it. The Times’ Sam Farmer puts everything into perspective as the Detroit Lions are within one game of the first 0-16 season in NFL history, and the Denver Broncos are on the verge of being the first team to blow a three-game division lead with three weeks to go and fail to make the playoffs.
That brings to light one of the best questions asked of Lions Coach Rod Marinelli by the Detroit News’ Rob Parker, inquiring about Marinelli’s defensive coordinator and son-in-law, Joe Barry: ‘On a light note, do you wish your daughter would’ve married a better defensive coordinator?’ That led to a column from Parker explaining the relationship.
Major college football on Sunday added one name to its minuscule rank of black head coaches with the hiring of Ron English at Eastern Michigan. Still, as The Times has reported with some frequency, the record remains a sore point for the NCAA, and Myles Brand acknowledged just that in a story over the weekend in the New York Times.
Penn State has arrived in L.A. for the Rose Bowl game against USC, without enduring the kind of problems the Nittany Lions experienced in 1922 on their weeklong train trip to Pasadena for the first meeting between the two schools in the Jan. 1 game. Corina Knoll’s account in The Times spoke of a much different time for cross-country travel.
The Chinese Olympic gymnasts who were suspected -- and eventually cleared -- of having competed at the Beijing Games when they were younger than rules allowed, apparently aren’t the only Chinese athletes who are having their ages questioned. Now word comes that Chinese basketball players’ ages are under scrutiny. The word is the New Jersey Nets Yi Jianlian may be one of 36 players from Chinese leagues whose birthdates have been changed. Gee, is there anyone in sports we can trust these days? Pretty soon, we’re going to have boxers announcing their retirement then coming back and fighting again.
-- Mike James
