This, That And The Hall

Yes, boys and girls, it's another round of my legendary random observations. Sit back, grab a drink and let's see where this goes.

* In looking over the Detroit Lions list of would-be coaching choices, I'm not overly excited about any of them. Yes, we are all aware that I like Tim Lewis, the Giants defensive coordinator. (Much to my pleasant surprise, he is on Matt Millen's "To Be Interviewed" list. In fact, he may be chatting with Millen right now.) I like Mike Singletary and Russ Grimm, as well, just a bit less than Lewis. But, overall, this group of candidates just doesn't have much zest, for lack of a better word at this moment. There just isn't a sure-fire, gotta have 'em coach in the lot.

Actually, there probably is one of those type of coaches in the lot making the interview rounds currently. The odds are one of these guys on the interview carousel is probably going to turn out to be a great coach. The problem is we don't know which one it is. The disturbing question, especially for those of us who remain loyal to the Lions, is can Millen pick out the right candidate?

* A note to my fellow Michigan residents. I saw three robins on Saturday. Reminder, it's still January. Now, here is the query. Are the robins plain crazy and should be bolting town immediately or do they know something the weather forecasters don't?

* Lots of folks are up in arms over Joe Paterno's latest insensitive comments. As Michael Rosenberg points out in the Fox Sports piece, the list of JoePa's ill advised statements gets longer each year. Now, I'm not quite sure I'd can the guy over his latest ramblings, but let's get something very clear--they are ramblings.

Coach Paterno is, well, old. Old enough that, like others in his age group, he says things that are either painfully honest or just plain painful. Is that an excuse? No, just a fact of life. Once some reach a certain age, they are either unwilling or unable to edit their comments. They aren't interested in political correctness. They've been around longer than you and they feel they know what's best.

Unfortunately, that means this sort of thing is going to happen again. Which isn't really acceptable from your football coach even if he's a living legend. What Paterno's family needs to do is convince Paterno to walk away on a high note. This was a tremendous season for Penn State. PSU surely does not want to fire their most famous face after such a triumphant year. Yet, leaving him to continue his duties will only guarantee further and, perhaps, even more deeply regrettable statements that will only taint his status.

Here's hoping Paterno has enough sense left to step down. Not because of one statement, but because it's been more than one statement. Not because I want him fired, but because I don't want the university to have to fire him a la Bobby Knight. Not because he's a bad guy, but because I don't want Paterno to follow in Woody Hayes' footsteps and have his last coaching image be a negative one.

* Even with more television coverage than ever before, I still find tennis' Australian Open to be lost down-under. It's tennis' version of golf's PGA Championship--the forgotten major. I expect both golf fans who stop by here to decry this comparison. Sorry.

* So, I'm still curling. And, yes, I have found out that I do have some Canadian blood way back in the family lineage. I attempted to play last evening for the first time in about five weeks. I say attempted as I was so bad words fail to describe my futility. I openly apologize to those on my team.

The step between an adult recreation class and a weekly league gathering is very large. Like the difference between high school and college sports. Premise is the same. Pace of play and skill level are entirely different. No need to worry about me, though. I have plenty of Tylenol.

* The normal thing for a Detroit sports blogger to do is complain about Alan Trammell's and Jack Morris' latest exclusion from Baseball's Hall of Fame. I'm going to skirt the issue just a bit. (Besides, I'm confident others will take up this cause much more effectively.) I think a case can be made for either man to be enshrined. I think a case can be made to exclude either man from Cooperstown's hallowed halls. However, what I cannot quite get my tiny brain around is the incredibly small vote totals each man continues to receive.

How Trammell gets on only 17.7% of the ballots astounds me. So, too, does Morris getting only 41.2% of the vote. I just don't see how the numbers for these two guys can be so incredibly low.

* I can't quibble about Bruce Sutter's election. I would have voted for him, too. Probably years ago. However, I don't quite see how the voters justified Sutter, but bypassed Rich "Goose" Gossage? I agree with ESPN.com's Buster Olney on Gossage.

When I was but a wee lad, Gossage was THE closer in the game. He was the prototype flame thrower. When he was with the Yankees, I disliked him as much as any kid who rooted for the Red Sox did. However, the guy was dominant in his prime. Yes, he pitched far past his peak, but he help set the standard all others closers have aimed for. His exclusion is unfortunate.

It's getting late and I've got things to do, so that's it for this edition of my own elderly ramblings. Thanks, as always, for stopping by.