It used to be you got 3-4 years as a coach to show what you could do in the NFL, which might stand for Not For Long for a lot people over the next few weeks.
So far this season, two coaches have lasted only four games each.
It had gotten so bad in St. Louis that they waited to take the team picture until last weekend’s game was played. Sorry ’bout that coach.
Out is Scott Linehan and in is Jim Haslett.
In Oakland what ever resembles the body and mind of Al Davis, fired Lane Kiffin and gave the herclean (herculean) task of turning around the Black and Silver to Tom Cable.
Davis is even trying to get Kiffin’s contract revoked, nice.
I have only one question.
When is Brad Childress going away? Would it be wishful thinking that we could see the third NFL coach gone by Wednesday?
Dare to dream.
Oh and the Cincinati Bungles signed Cederic Benson… Marvin Lewis is now on the hot seat, better call the Mayflower moving van Marv now before you have to pay for it yourself.
Stay tuned, we only have 12 weeks left.
-Lenn

The baseball version of the Motor City Kitties had figured to be taking to the baseball diamond after yesterday’s final day of the MLB season, but not this way. The Tigger’s were on a lot of lists to be not only heavily in the playoffs, but many had them in and winning the World Series.
But Dee-troit stumbled badly out of the gate in April and never recovered, which made today’s make-up game against the White Sox (won by Chicago 8-3) all the more ironic.
So now the White Sox and Lenn Davis’ beloved Twins play Tuesday to decide the AL Central.
So what’s going to happen when the playoffs do get around to starting? BoSox take another cruise on the SS Dynasty? Cubs finally win their first series in exactly 100 years? Heck, the last time the Cubbies were in the Fall Classic Harry Truman was president. Could it be an all-Chicago Series? An all-L.A. series? None of the above?

What say ya?

–Jim–

It was a fun weekend for area football, especially for fans in New Underwood (nice win over Wall), Winner (first West River team to beat STM since 2003, did it on homecoming no less) and Sturgis (anytime you go on the road and get a win on the other side of the Missouri, that’s cool).

The Winner win must have perked up some ears in Bronc country as Belle Fourche knocked off Winner earlier this season. Everybody likes beating STM, but the Broncs are looking at avenging two losses to the Cavs last season and there are a couple of STM players (Ty Kok and Dan Herman) who used to go to school in Belle. I don’t think the Broncs are going to have any problem getting up for that one.

New Underwood’s win over the Eagles sets up a big conference game against Lyman in Presho on Oct. 17. Lyman has been steamrolling opponents so far this season, but NU has to be feeling pretty good about their chances against anybody right now.

Meanwhile, the Scoopers are looking at the very real possibility of a winning season and hosting a first-round playoff game after beating Mitchell. Somebody correct me if I’m wrong, but that would be the first time since 1995 or ‘96 that the Scoops have been on the high side of .500. It’s good to see Sturgis heading in the right direction.

I got to watch Central play S.F. Lincoln and the four most impressive skill position players on the field were RB Gannon Moore, WR Brett Anderson (guys that fast shouldn’t be that big) and QB Ryan Hander of Lincoln and WR Dimitri Fahey of Central. Fahey’s just got that knack for going and getting the ball. Some people can catch and some people can’t – Fahey certainly can.

- Padraic

Saturday was a classic day of college football. The upset is what makes the game great. Because we don’t have the advantage of a bracket-style playoff at the end of the season we have to settle for upsets on a weekly basis rather than a March Madness of underdog rooting rooting in January.

Georgia getting blitzed at home by Alabama, USC goes down, Florida suffers major conference letdown. It’s those upsets that puts substance into each Saturday. Sure, some of them are harder swallow like Iowa refusing to win against Northwestern at HOME on HOMECOMING by turning the ball over five times. But for every Iowa loss that hurts, a Husker loss is just hours away to put a smile on my face.

I can’t wait for next Saturday.

 Jeff

Everyone has done it. Whether in a bar, at home over dinner or at a game, every sports fan has, at one time or another, debated which is the greatest team of all time.
The Journal sports staff is no different. We debate the teams and whether or not they rank among the best of all time in their respective sport. But now, we want to bring the debate to the local level.
Beginning the first weekend of January, the Journal sports department will present the Top 25 West River Teams of All Time, a weekly countdown highlighting area teams and their accomplishments. The countdown will culminate with the top West River team of all time.
The countdown will include high school, college and professional teams from the West River area. But, the Journal cannot do it alone, so we are asking for help from you — the reader.
We are looking for knowledgeable, opinionated West River sports fans who would be willing to be part of a committee the Journal is putting together to help construct the list. If you would be interested in being a part of putting together this list, give me a call at 605-394-8291.
The Journal is also looking for team nominations from readers.
We are taking nominations for high school teams, including non-sanctioned sports like soccer, baseball, soccer and softball, and summer sports, like American Legion Baseball, ASA Softball, etc. Teams from Black Hills State, National American University, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, along with professional teams like the Rapid City Thrillers, are also in the mix.
There is really only one guideline — the teams must have won a title in their respective sport. We know this will leave off several worthy teams that came up just short of a title, but, we feel, that to be considered among the greatest of all time, a team has to have won a championship.
So put some thought into it, get your nominations and a paragraph or two explaining why that team should be considered to us by Oct. 10. Submit your nomination by e-mail, which is located to the right of this column, or drop your nominations off here at the Journal. Nominate as many teams as you want, but please do not call submissions in to us.
We want to see them on paper in your own words.
Let the debate begin.
Andrew

It sounds like Sioux Falls Roosevelt junior forward Cody Larson (6-8, 220) is the latest South Dakota athlete to commit to a Division I school.

It’s flying around Gonzaga and Iowa message boards (reportedly his top two schools) that he gave a verbal commitment to the Hawkeyes after a visit there this weekend. Thanks to the Journal’s Jeff Budlong for spending time on the internet commiserating with other Hawkeye fans on their loss to Northwestern. It could be premature speculation, or a downright falsehood, but it makes sense. Larson wouldn’t be the first athlete to matriculate through the Dakota Schooler program and end up at Iowa (Jared Reiner and Chad Greenway).

There was no doubt that Larson was going to go to a big-time school somewhere, but I have to say that I’m a little surprised that he picked one before his junior season has even begun. Still, if he did commit, big congratulations to Cody, a truly special talent and great kid.

- Padraic

In times when ticket prices for professional sporting events seem like they keep increasing, a couple of NHL teams have come up with some great ideas to gets fans to the games.

For instance, the New York Islanders are offering the Victory Plan. Fans buy tickets for a particular game, and if the Islanders win, those fans can return to watch another selected game for free. This may not be a new idea, but it might work.

The St. Louis Blues are offering something even better in my opinion. They came up with the “Name Your Price” promotion. There’s minimum bids for different tickets. Fans can type in dollar amounts for different seating areas. The Blues can then accept or reject an offer. This too is a good idea, but will it be successful?

Let’s hope these promotions work. Again, I realize these ideas may not be new and some teams in other sports may have already used these types of promotions to attract fans to games. Giving fans opportunities to either see free games or attend games at a reduced price definitely helps in the long run. What do you think? Will these marketing tactics work?

-Jerome

Finding life as a mere mortal somewhat boring, Lance is back in the saddle to once again prove he’s clean and to raise awareness about the Big C.
Cycling superstar Lance Armstrong stunned the sports world a couple of weeks ago when he announced that he would come out of a three-year retirement to attempt to win the Tour de France for a record eighth time.
Lance Armstrong said taking the message about cancer worldwide means erasing the stigma behind it.
The 37-year-old Texan said he was returning to raise awareness of cancer, having survived testicular cancer to triumph in cycling’s most famous race.
I for one am thrilled you are back.
You have nothing more to prove, to anyone ever.
Ride like the wind TEX, I can’t wait to get up extra early for those three weeks in July to watch you on Versus.
See you in yellow atop the podium, where you belong.

-Lenn

Really, who did not see this one coming for USC from at least one podunk opponent in the Pac-10?

Last night’s USC-Oregon State game was the perfect example of why coaches routinely go with the ‘one game at a time’ line. And we routinely are reminded that Pete Carroll is not a great coach, he just has great athletes and the perfect place for recruiting. Too much is make of him being a player’s coach - he does so at the expense of being a team coach, I guess.

It seems the Trojans make a habit of this. USC opens the season like gangbusters, and trounces cupcakes and one pseudo-quality opponent (Ohio State) to open the season. USC earned the No. 1 ranking, and it seemed that with a conference with no other ranked teams, USC would walk to the end of the season and play in the national title game (Since the Pac-10 will not man up, take Boise State and Fresno State and form a two-division conference with a championship game like other real conferences.)

Most major college football programs have a pattern. Tom Osborne and Nebraska could not win the big game for more than 20 years. Oklahoma, for the 2000s decade, has lost all but one big game and one they did not expect to lose during the regular season (Which, in my bias opinion, I think will happen again this year). USC has a pattern. They get up to play the big boys, only to lose to someone they are favored to beat by more than 20 points. Two years ago - more than coincidentally - it was a loss to Oregon State and then a huge upset against UCLA. Last year, Stanford snuck one by them.

Call it a pattern or just say that USC was due for someone to run right at them and punch them in the mouth (sorry for the cliche), USC was ripe Thursday. They were hyped by ESPN as having ‘Pete Carroll’s best defense ever.’ Oregon State was 1-2, unranked and even lost by 31 points to Penn State from the uber-weak Little 11 conference.

Carroll - the coaching genius who did not have Reggie Bush on the field during the crucial fourth down play a couple years ago against Texas for the national title - could be seen yelling at his defensive coordinator as early as the middle of the second quarter. The defensive coordinator just shrugged his shoulders. Throughout the game, you could tell which team had the better athletes. USC was faster, but continually out of position. But OSU’s offensive and defensive lines played out of their minds, and the game was won in the trenches.

But I do have one thing to say about OSU. Please, please do not jump out of the stands with a less-than two score lead and more than 2 minutes left in the game. And players, do not give your coach the Gatorade shower before your team has to recover an onsides kick. But, kudos on the win.

What do you think?

- Russo

Top-ranked Southern Cal lost last night to Oregon State … a defeat that would seemingly end all national title hopes (but maybe not). Georgia’s got Alabama this weekend and the rest of the SEC minefield left to dodge along with Florida and LSU … Oklahoma and Mizzou look like they could be on a Big 12 collision course.

Who’s going to go undefeated? And, if nobody in the BCS conferences does, will BYU or Boise State get into the BCS national title game? 

- Padraic