What’s the buzz from the world of sports? Here are some items that will have people talking:
1
Anybody can put together a list of the best NFL coaches in history: Vince Lombardi, Bill Walsh, Chuck Noll, etc. In fact, ESPN just spent a month or two counting down just such a collection.
But where’s the fun in that? We’re more inclined to the kind of list put together by Deadspin.com: “The 16 worst coaches in modern NFL history.” There’s Dennis Erickson, at No. 14; and Bruce Coslet, at No. 10. And who could ever forget the immortal Rod Rust, who comes in at No. 8?
What’s that? You have forgotten Rod Rust? Um, never mind.
And at No. 1? (Drumroll, please) Marty Mornhingweg, who went 5-27 in two seasons as the Lions’ coach. Somewhere, Bengals fans who remember David Shula are preparing to protest.
2
As columnist Jim Litke of The Associated Press points out, golf officials will grow to rue their policy of allowing TV viewers to phone in infractions. With the advent of 80-inch high-definition TVs, every viewer is now a junior sleuth sniffing out the tiniest of missteps.
TVs are only going to get bigger; pictures are only going to get sharper; viewers are only going to become more able to see a twig move as a golfer addresses his ball.
But, as Litke writes: “The rules of golf were first codified in 1744, and because of the sprawling field of play, the burden of calling fouls was placed on the players themselves. Let’s take the high road and assume they have ever since, and that the same ethic holds for another 250 years or so.”
3
Russian businessmen and officials close to President Vladimir Putin have stolen up to $30 billion from funds for next year’s Sochi Winter Olympics, according to a report released by opposition leaders.
We don’t know whether this is true, but apparently the price tag for the Games is now $50 billion, according to the Reuters news agency — and that’s a wee bit more than the original budget of $12 billion. Which is pretty disturbing, especially if you are a taxpayer in Russia.
And while much of the cost overruns are being attributed to graft and corruption, our discerning eye spots an additional problem: They awarded the Winter Olympics to a subtropical climate and are planning to import snow in order to stage ski events in the peaks near palm-tree lined streets.
Gee, couldn’t foresee any problems with that plan.
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