Who knew Jimmy Dillon could dunk?
BRIAN CHURNEY
On the Hot Corner
The sports world has been pretty active lately.
The Super Bowl was upon us. College basketball teams are trying to get on and off of the elusive bubble, and current and ex-Florida college football players are doing what they do best, committing crimes. So here are some random thoughts on the happenings in the world of sports.
Sure, Kurt Warner's shopping-center-to-stardom story was compelling and shocking. Unfortunately, it's just like the mainstream press to let this "feel-good" story slurp up all of the attention and ignore the most important story of the weekend. Dick Vermeil restrained from crying for an entire day!
The man that single-handedly boosted Kleenex's business kept his face dry. The odds that Vermeil would cry either in defeat or victory were far greater than were the odds that Warner would throw for 300 yards. But Vermeil, as the Rams have done all year, shocked us all and kept his tears dry until nearly 24 hours after the game.
Did anyone else see Jimmy Dillon dunk Saturday afternoon?
Another pro football star has been arrested for murder, and the country is outraged. Mr. Lewis, here's a piece of advice: Hire Bobby Bowden to represent you. His record of getting sure criminals off lightly is legendary. He'll have you acquitted in time for the Pro Bowl.
Speaking of that bastion of morality known as Bobby Bowden, it looks like yet another Florida State player has had a run-in with the law. This time, it's kicker Sebastian Janikowski. You know the one who also broke curfew and was excused because he was under "international rules."
Fortunately, the police officer he tried to bribe didn't understand these "international rules." That brings Florida State's criminal total to a number too high for any of their players to count.
Attention NFL teams with a coaching position: Bob Davie is still available and he's good. You snatched up Colletto. Why don't you try Davie, too?
Too little has been made of how good Troy Murphy is. The performance he put up against St. John's solidified, at least in this writer's mind, that Murphy is the best player in the country. Yes, Kenyon Martin is more athletic and flashier than Murphy. Martin also plays on the best team in the country with four other very good players. Thus, opposing teams must cover his teammates as well. Murphy, on the other hand, has four other role players as teammates. They're very good role-players, but they lack the sheer athletic ability that a Derrmarr Johnson or Pete Mickeal brings to the court. Consequently, teams are able to focus their entire defensive efforts against him. He's putting up numbers that Kenyon can't compare to while being triple-teamed and knocked around like a Bobby Knight player after a turnover.
Tougher defenses, less help, better numbers. Hand him the Wooden Award.
Phone Operator: Coach Doherty? Hi, this is FedEx, and we've got a package for David Graves. His confidence is being returned.
Can someone tell me why Syracuse isn't ranked in the top two in the country. Sure, they have played a lot of games at home and their schedule is as tough as a Nebraska non-conference football schedule.
They're undefeated and they dismantled Connecticut! Sounds to me like a team that's underrated at fourth.
Jimmy Dillon can dunk?
Joe Montana's election into the Hall of Fame was nearly as suspenseful as the American League Central division race has been recently. Did they even need to vote? The only question was whether or not he should have an entire wing named after him.
Chan Gailey was just named offensive coordinator of the Miami Dolphins last Tuesday, and it doesn't bode well for Dan Marino's chance to stay with the team. Remember Thanksgiving, when Marino played the worst game of his career, throwing five interceptions. The game was against —you guessed it —Gailey's Cowboys.
Finally, I hope that anyone who missed the men's basketball game in person on Saturday enjoyed watching the students celebrating on the court. It was a feeling that comes so rarely, you don't want to miss it. Too bad for you.
Oh and by the way, I think Jimmy Dillon dunked.
The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
All Sports Stories for Thursday, February 3, 2000
