Friday, January 28, 2011

A COUPLE OF RANTS

Since there is really no news to speak of, there's nothing to do but rail on about things that irritate me...and there are a few.

***JEFF FISHER FIRED***
After 16 years as head coach of the Tennessee Titans and with one more year left on his current contract, Fisher was fired by owner Bud Adams. Why, you ask? Well, it could have been because the Titans had two down seasons, but it wasn't. Fisher never got along with QB Vince Young, who happened to be Adams favorite player. The relationship reached a new low on Nov. 21, when Young tossed equipment into the stands in a fit of pique. Oh boy, now what? Adams announced that Young will be traded or released by Jan. 5th, and that Fisher would be retained. After this ringing endorsement of the coach, the inevitable happened: Young is still there and Fisher is gone. The moral of the story: Money Talks and Coaches Walk.

***THAT ALL-IMPORTANT HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE***
We all know this axiom to be the mainstay of all sports. Why? That's easy, because the reasons are many:
1) The hometown fans root for you
2) The home team is used to the field
3) The visiting team has to travel while the home team sleeps in their own bed
Actually, none of that matters. What does matter is the officiating. I know, I know, here comes another Picasner rant on officials, but it's not me this time. In the book, "Scorecasting," by authors Moskowitz and Wertheim, the biggest factor is the officiating and it's true in all team sports. We'll have to read the book to get more insight, but the two authors seem convinced that it's completely true.

***DUDE, WHERE'S MY CAR?***
Having visited a few stadiums in various cities, one of the biggest problems I found is where to park. Annie-O and I have walked as far as a mile (Milwaukee) to as little as 75 feet (Pittsburgh) to see games. We've parked in fields, underground parking areas and 7 or 8 level parking garages. But leave it to the NFL to deal with this problem. For parking at Super Bowl XLV, the NFL offers parking at Six Flags Amusement Park, located about one mile from Cowboys Stadium, including free shuttle service. The cost is $71.40. ...plus tax. ...plus shipping. Shipping? SHIPPING? Ship what? Your parking stub? I can't imaging how much the "shipping" fee is, but really. Just charge $125 and get it over with, instead of insulting our intelligence like this. And they don't even allow tailgating. A tenth of a mile from the Stadium, you can get a spot for $990. Now that's more like it. You get bashed right up front with no hidden charges. They have restrooms, security and you can tailgate your head off. But you have to ship your own body back home after the game. I can live with that.

One sad note for the Super Bowl: There will be no cheerleaders...unless you count the Budweiser Clydesdales.

CP-

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