Droppin' Knowledge: 12/26

• Terrell Owens continues to get killed for leading the league in dropped passes (a stat essentially created for him) despite also leading in touchdown receptions. I wonder if Mickey Mantle caught the same flack in 1958, when he led the American League in homeruns, strikeouts and tied for second among outfielders with eight errors.
  
  The obvious difference: The Mick didn't have to deal with print media and bloggers that would rather write 100 "fuck insert athlete here" columns than risk getting called out on a fluff piece. Not that anything about T.O. makes you feel fluffy.
  
  
• It’s becoming fair to start wondering if Donovan McNabb is as important to the Philadelphia Eagles as it appears. He’s missed extensive time in three of the last five years and aside from last year (when the whole team was a mess), his backup has come on to play as well, maybe better.
  
  
• If Ron Dayne still reminisces about his college days –and judging by his NFL career, he probably does- I wonder who he thinks is easier to run on, the Colts or Northwestern.
  
  
• The Tennessee Titans would probably be even money to make the NFC championship game.
  
  
• Jeff Suppan is now the highest paid player in the history of modern baseball to ever give up more than 240 hits and 30 homeruns in a single season. Seriously, I understand where the market is in the game right now, but Suppan will not fare well in Milwaukee. The guy misses fewer bats than Rosie O'Donnell does meals.
  
  
• See ya’ Randy Johnson and Carl Pavano. Welcome back Roger Clemens and Jimmy Key.
  
  
• Alleged steroid use plays a big role when evaluating the credentials for future Hall of Famers. Most think sending these cheaters to the Hall would be an embarrassment to the all-time greats before them.
  
  I say it’s just as saddening to know Johnson and Alex Rodriguez are going to coast to Cooperstown despite being considered mentally unable to play for a team because of the city they’re in.
  
  
• On an off night, I wonder how long it takes Gilbert Arenas to make 100 three pointers before the game.
  
  
• Five, maybe six teams in the Western Conference are going to get to 20 wins before any team in the East.
  
  
• More coming on UConn basketball this week, but the jury is still out on the young Huskies. I’ve never seen a softer schedule, but I’ve also never seen a Connecticut team this quick. It feels like they’re a year away, but they can win Big East this season.

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Droppin' Knowledge: 12/11

• It’s certainly too early to start labeling Mario Williams as Sam Bowie compared to Vince Young’s Jordan, but let’s go one further: Williams could turn out to be Reggie White and the Houston Texans might still regret picking him first in the 2006 NFL draft.
  
  Young and Reggie Bush look like they’re going to be that good.
  
  
• Thank god it was LT breaking the single season touchdown record and not Larry Johnson. Imagine explaining to someone 20 or 30 years from now what Johnson was doing in his scoring celebration. “Oh he was just throwin’ up the Roc, showin’ love to his homeboy Jigga.” And that hate-filled look on his face? “Well, his offensive coordinator was still white.”
  
  
  
• Before the season, if you told a Giants fan the team would need to win at Carolina to save its season, they’d probably tell you there’s a better chance of Tiki quitting than Big Blue going to the playoffs. Hmm.
  



• After spending all that money on J.D. Drew and Julio Lugo, why are the Red Sox hard-pressed to pay for their biggest need? Its one thing if they don’t want to risk a lot on Eric Gagne, but that rotation without Daisuke Matsuzaka is questionable at best.
  
  


• By the way: To calm people’s nerves about spending $50 million just to speak with the Japanese ace, officials made it sound like the team was invading Yankee territory; taking over the Far East as though it were Fordham Road. Will not signing Matsuzaka and letting him go to the Bronx next season turn him into a modern day, pitching version of Babe Ruth?
  
  Good luck finding a Big Papi jersey in Tokyo then.
  
  
  
• It’s too bad the Sixers didn’t trade Allen Iverson before the season. They would have had a chance to compete with the 1972/73 team for the worst record in NBA history.
  
  
  
• Question: Who would win in a fight - Zach Randolph or Stephen Jackson?
  



• Eddy Curry is averaging 24.8 ppg over his last nine games. Now imagine how much he’d score if Nate Robinson and Jamal Crawford didn’t think about shooting every time they touch the ball.

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Droppin’ Knowledge

• Talk about a double standard. Those complaining about Michigan getting jumped in the BCS for being idle the last two weeks have a point. But they’re the same people that felt it was absolutely imperative Florida be punished in the standings for beating up lowly Western Carolina a few weeks ago.

• You can bank on two rule changes for next year’s BCS. 1) You must win your conference in order to play in the National Championship game. In a sport where a team needs to be as close to perfect as possible, at least winning your conference seems like a fair pre-requisite. 2) More than two teams from the same conference can be eligible for the BCS.
  
  
• That brings us to the team most screwed in 2006: Wisconsin. The Badgers fell victim to the absurd two team maximum rule, which essentially makes it possible for Notre Dame to get dismantled twice a year and still play in a major bowl.
  
  
• Vince Young is about to become the next unstoppable player in Madden. He really is the taller version of Michael Vick, which makes all the difference in the world. Rather than being an easier target to hit like many people thought, his height allows him to do so much more than Vick.
  
  
• Last week, my favorite blog questioned why Tom Coughlin continues to get a pass for being a shitty head coach. Get ready for everyone in New York to get behind that notion now. Coughlin continued to his most mind-boggling play calling during yesterday’s loss to Dallas, namely that stupid stretch play on fourth-and-1 with Brandon Jacobs. Here’s an easy prediction: Coughlin follows Tiki and Strahan’s lead and goes completely insane on someone from the media the media. Oooh, I hope it’s Mike Francesa.
  
  
• What do New England, Baltimore, Indy, San Diego, Denver, the Giants, Chicago and Seattle have in common? At some point this season, they’ve all been considered the favorite to win the Super Bowl. After tonight, Carolina joins that list.
  
  
• Considering how bad the NBA Eastern Conference is, if the Knicks play .500 ball for the rest of the season, they’ll probably make the playoffs.
  
  
• College basketball’s defending national champions are 0-2 against teams from major conferences. Thank god for the North Florida’s of the world.

• Out on a limb: One out of Butler or Wichita St. heads to the NCAA tournament undefeated.

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