Let's skip the "get off the replacement refs' ass, they've had all of two days on the job" sermon and go straight to the field.

Falcons already look primed for playoff run

 

            Sure, it's been only a week and one game.

            But this is the new Falcons.

            Good riddance to coordinators Mularky and VanGorder. The massive differences in coordinators was evident from the start. Atlanta took a little bit to get going, and Kansas City matched the Falcons for the first half.

Call the bookie

            It's safe to say that New Orleans will do its best to not annoy Roger Goodell, now that he's been overruled.

            Somewhere, David Stern is smirking, "Let somebody try dat shit with meeee."

            It may be a loss for Goodell, but it's also safe to say that the NFL has gotten the point across on bounties and that kind of stuff.

            Of course, the level of paranoia we can expect from the Saints and moreso Saints fans will be nice and high.

            We are, you know, a country of paranoia.

 

CALL THE BOOKIE

            Five to make money on:

Welcome to the SEC, Mizzou; better get some ice

    

            The great thing about the first weekend of football is that we finally get a little idea about how good or bad teams are.

            The bad thing is, as the country is increasingly wont to do, the raging paranoia on one side or the other.

            Georgia's inability to really sock it to Buffalo has a fair number of Dog populace worried. Winning by only 22 points isn't terribly surprising, considering that Georgia usually is slugging against inferior teams and wasn't anywhere near 100 percent firepower.

            There were going to be issues. And, of course, there's the fact that most fans don't know much about teams outside of their conference, stat and brain. Thus, they don't know much about the vast majority of teams, like Buffalo.

Tee that bad boy up

            It's a little more humid than we'd like, especially after some fall-like days the past few weeks.

            But football's here.

 

LOUGHDMOUTHINGS

 

            Grew up in Pa., never was a Penn State fan, and as an adult, never even close to a Joe Paterno fan. Certain arrogance in Happy Valley.

            But again, I find myself sort of pulling for them a bit now. I like Bill O'Brien, and think Penn State got scuhrewwwed by the NCAA. People are making more of certain things than are necessary because it sounds good.

            And my bet is that Penn State will emerge from the four years with a winning record. ...

            Dear ESPN,

            Enough with Sparty and Meeechigan every freakin time you mention Michigan State and Michigan. Please, I'm begging you. It's not funny or cute or creative or indicative of personality.

            It's lazy. It's like every Berman reference to music is pre-1988 and his "oh yeah, this just in, ______ is good" and, well, every blasted thing he says. ...

I keep hearing this: Les Miles will reinstate Tyrann Mathieu next year.

            Really? Even Miles knows that would cause all sorts of hell.

            That's a little different than Richt-like compassion and simply helping a player. It would be disruptive as hell, and by October, LSU will have completely moved on from not having Mathieu. ...

            As I scroll through the cable guide, it says "college football" on five channels in the first 60. Sweeeet.      

            Quick picks:

            Buffalo at Georgia: Those playing for the suspended get plenty of playing time, and even their backups will. This shall make life better next week and all season.

            Georgia 65, Buffalo 13.

            Clemson vs. Auburn: Sources report that Auburn defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder is a candidate for the job at, OK, any one of 47 teams that have yet to announce an opening.         

            Clemson survives without Sammy Watkins.

            Clemson 24, Auburn 17.

            Michigan vs. Alabama: For some inexplicable reason, I almost want to pick Michigan.

            Playing indoors helps Michigan, which is pretty hungry. Both teams are without a few folks.

            OK, logic returns.

            Alabama 28, Michigan 17.

            That's all. Kickoff's here.

 

ESPN=Stairmaster: wearin' us out

            Dear ESPN,

            Please stop sucking sooooo bad. Please quit thinking with your little Twitter when it comes to news judgment and the ensuing stalking and dead-horse-beating.

            Like the smothering of the Jets training camp, which meant updates on Tebow's favorite toilet paper and interviews loaded with "blessed" and "happy" and "want to win" and "excited" and whether his average pass was a 79 percent spiral or 84 percent spiral or if one could perceive better shotgun snaps to him or to Mark Sanchez, which then leads into three days of analysis on who the team prefers.

            Yes, I'm begging, because I can't watch ESPN for more than about 90 seconds, because it's barely relevant for about 90 seconds before moving on to stalking and dead-horse-beating and wretched writing - is Berman doing scripts? - I-want-my-own-show-on-any-network-doing-anything anchors.

DAD, BOWLING, T-BONE STEAK AND GOING TO NOTRE DAME

(Me note: Google doesn't save everything, although a process has to involve something be available for Google. That wasn't the case apparently on June 15, 2003, when this column ran, on Father's Day).



    Every Friday night, during the season, for years, it was a  simple routine.
    Leave around 6 o'clock, drive for five minutes to East York  (Pa.) Bowling Lanes, and race around and annoy adults for about the  next three hours.
    Dad bowled; I played. He'd get done around 9:30, and we'd  go home, he'd put a T-bone on the stove, and we'd watch "Love,  American Style" or "The Odd Couple." Or we'd go over to the home of  Ed Bell, a bowling teammate and co-worker at Standard Register, for a  little while.
    When I eventually started bowling, the goal naturally was  to employ the same style he did: curl the pinky into the palm and flip  the ball out toward the right gutter and it would hook into the pocket.  It was like a slow curve in baseball rather than a slider.
    He mastered it. I didn't, and had to adjust. Still, I did bowl a  205 when I was about 12.
    It's Father's Day, and I think of bowling, but that's not all.