Week in Review

Posted by Chris Widner on 02.01.2008

Yes, the Super Bowl is coming up, but what else is happenin'?

Since the NFL season is almost over *tear* it's time to move on to my Week in Review. The past week has been all about the Super Bowl, but let's take a look at some of the other big stories, and some that flew under the radar.

Pacman Jones gets charges dropped
Charges for public intoxication and disorderly conduct against Pacman Jones were dropped, the judge saying he's been punished enough over the past year. The charges stem from an incident at, where else, a nightclub back in 2006. The judge hopes that Jones has learned his lessons from being punished "enough." If Jones was smart enough he'd just hire his own personal dancers. With all the money he loves to toss in the air at strip clubs he can afford to have a pole or 2 installed at home. I recall seeing something like that on an episode of MTV Cribs a few years back. Come on Pacman, learn from MTV!

Johan Santana traded to the Mets
After months of negotiations and speculation, Johan Santana has finally been traded. As a Red Sox fan I couldn't be happier to see where he ended up. I didn't want to see him with the Yankees and didn't see the need for the Sox to trade Elsbury or Lester for Santana. Don't get me wrong, he's a great pitcher, but the Sox lineup is deadly as is. No need to trade a young talent for another ace, at least in my opinion. Plus, with the money Santana is asking for, the Red Sox would look more and more like the Evil Empire #2 if they went through on the deal. Santana and the Mets are working out the extension as we speak and he's rumored to be looking at $120 million over 6 or 7 years.

Tiger Woods wins the Buick Invitational
The PGA Tour started off with Tiger Woods dominating another tournament. Tiger won the Buick Invitational with an 8 shot lead. The win places him 4th all-time, tied with Arnold Palmer with 62 wins. He needs 3 more wins to take over 3rd place and pass Ben Hogan. Who's left after that? Jack Nicklaus has 73 wins and Sam Snead has 82. Needless to say, Tiger is well on a good pace to be #1 by a large margin before he is done. Remember a few years ago people were questioning whether or not marriage was going to ruin his focus? Like many other athletes he is getting better and better. If anything his new family is going to keep him grounded and focused on winning each week.

Jason Kidd on the trading block
The biggest story in the NBA right now is the possible, some would say likely, Jason Kidd trade. The strongest rumors have the Dallas Mavericks sending Devin Harris and Brandon Bass to Portland, and Jerry Stackhouse to New Jersey. Portland would send Travis Outlaw, Channing Frye, and Jarrett Jack to New Jersey, and Dallas receiving Jason Kidd. This is an excellent trade for Portland, and New Jersey will get some cap relief, but I don't know about Dallas. Jason Kidd, at 35, is still one of the top point guards in the league. Dallas can get 3 years, tops, out of Kidd so they better win a championship soon. Devin Harris has improved tremendously over the past few years and will only get better. I'm not so sure Dallas can win a championship even with Kidd, but I suppose it's worth a shot. I'd love to hear your feedback on this one.

Stoudamire gets an upgrade
In an excellent example of "squeaky wheel gets the oil", Damon Stoudamire was released by the Grizzlies and is about to sign with the San Antonio Spurs. Granted he'll only be making $545,000 for the rest of the season, but what a deal. Leave a horrible team and immediately move on to the defending champions. This is a great move for San Antonio. He's going to provide depth and relieve Tony Parker from playing so many minutes. The real test, however, will be when the playoffs come. Can Stoudamire be a team player? We all know he'll have to if he's going to play a single minute for the Spurs.

Al Thorntan gets left out
So the Clippers suck, we all understand that. Donald Sterling deserves every single horrible joke made about the team. But come on, leaving Al Thornton out of the Rookie/Sophomore game? That's flat out insane. He's a very solid rookie, with 9 points and 3 rebounds a game from the small forward spot. He should be there. This just doesn't make sense. Enough about what I think. What about Big Al? Obviously disappointed, he responded by scoring 33 points the night that he found out. Way to stick it to the man!

West Virginia sucks
This is a story that really irritates me. Rich Rodriguez leaves West Virginia for Michigan and the entire state blows up. The university has tried to drag his name through the mud, the fans have threatened his family, including his parents. For God's sake people, it's college football. I'm passionate about my Longhorns, but resorting to threatening people is absolutely insane. This says a lot about the state of West Virginia. It actually reminds me of growing up in Texas, surrounded by high school football. The old men at the diners talk about how the "boys are lookin' this year" and reminisce about the good ole days, which were 40 years ago. There's more to life than football people. Yes, you were spurned at the altar, but get over it.

K-State pulls off the upset
Speaking of coaches leaving one team for another.... Bob Huggins left Kansas State after the school salvaged his career. He wanted to coach at his alma mater, WEST VIRGINIA, and Kansas State was not looking good. Michael Beasley stays with the team and begins another 1 year legacy that we are seeing with the NBA's new rule on eligibility. So this week he led Kansas State to a historical win. After losing 24 years in a row at home to powerhouse Kansas, the Wildcats pulled off the win. We all know that Beasley will be going pro after this season, but by leading his team to a huge victory he has done a lot for the school. Not only did they not miss a step after Huggins left, they're making their own mark. Way to go Wildcats!

Washington does it backwards
After letting go of their coordinators Al Saunders and Gregg Williams, the Washington Redskins have started to fill out the coaching staff. There's just one tiny detail missing... a head coach. Funny thing about coaches, they like to have control. So why on earth would you want to take that control away from a coach? My guess is that the Redskins figure there aren't a lot of coaches left they'd be interested in, so they might as well surround the new guy buy people they trust. So if he doesn't work out, fire him and promote an assistant at the very worst. This is why owners like Dan Snyder, Al Davis, and my Boys' own Jerry Jones are royal pains. Let the coaches coach. You sit back, shut up and make your money.

Saunders goes to St. Louis
Speaking of the Redskins, recently fired offensive coordinator Al Saunders was hired for the same position with the Rams for 3 years. I think this is a great idea. Saunders loves the running game, so he'll enjoy having Steven Jackson to utilize. The receivers are getting up there in age, so the focus need to be on Jackson. We all saw the difference with and without the big running back. The team is 10 times better with him in the lineup. I think the decision to hire Saunders shows that the Rams know they are reaching a transition period. They need a proven coordinator that can handle the changes coming up.

Desperate for a story
In another case of the media working hard to make a story that just isn't there. Giants' WR Plaxico Burress was asked if he thought the Giants would win. And, shocker, he said yes! A player actually had the nerve to feel positive about his team's chances in a game. I know, this is just oozing with intrigue. So ESPN claims that Brady called Burress out. "We're only going to score 17 points?" said Brady. "OK. Is Plax playing defense? I wish he had said 45-42 and gave us a little credit for scoring more points." Yeah, really calling him out there. This is the issue I have with the media these days. Then again, I guess I can't say much since, although not professional, I am part of the media. But seriously, is that a big story? Not at all. They're digging deep to find something that just isn't there.

It's a great weekend coming up. We have UFC 81 on Saturday and the Super Bowl on Sunday. I'm rooting for the Patriots but have an uneasy feeling about this one. I'm not going with the fashionable pick to make myself look great, just in case the Giants win. I'm calling it New England 34 - 31. The Patriots love those 3 point Super Bowl wins, so let's call it another. You know you want to, so throw some feedback my way. Give me your picks for the big game!