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CALLING SIGNALS |
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A DECADE MAKES
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Time can stand still in sports, but not often
of TheColumnists.com
Now that TheColumnists.com has entered its 10th year, we can look back at a track meet.
Talk about running in circles.
When this site started on Dec. 1, 1999, Kobe Bryant was shooting the Los Angeles Lakers to basketball’s top. He still is. And Kurt Warner was passing the St. Louis Rams to football’s peak. He’s trying to do the same for Arizona now.
The action was in an old decade, but tough to forget.
. Bobby Knight. He was coaching Indiana’s hoopsters. Seems like a foggy scene from “Hoosiers.” He carried his winning ways to Texas Tech. Now he’s part of the press he used to pressure. Doing color for ESPN, and brightly. During a Kansas-Washington basketball game the other night, Knight responded to a missed layup with “that was a layout.” The man jokes!
. Notre Dame. The Irish still had fight on the gridiron. Now their only muscle is on the basketball court. The footballers are so prissy, L.A. radio ran a contest for a new Notre Dame nickname before the USC game. My pick: There Is Nothing Like a Dame.
. Mizzou. The Tigers were the equivalent of turf--constantly stomped on. Now look at us: spankin’ heinie in style. We’re wearing the coolest helmets in college, just ahead of Iowa, Ole Miss, LSU and Syracuse.
. Tattoos. They barely existed. Today they’re on every limb and neck in the arena. Kenyon Martin drips with graffiti on the freaky Denver Nuggets. Drew Gooden’s hair is scarier than his Bulls’ shooting. Note that the ugliest teams lose.
. College football. Only bowls back then. Just as stodgy in 2008. Only now a guy’s moving into the White House who says playoffs or bust. He makes that happen, and righties like me will ponder the twilight zone: Back Barack.
. NFL. A league’s own network? ‘Twas still years away. Now NFL Network is a must. I’m addicted. Especially to Rich Eisen, whose “He. Is. Gone.” gives touchdowns fiber.
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Names.
My favorite back then was Rick Fox of the Lakers. Something about
that guy’s surname. Now the coolest tags belong to Santana
Moss of the Washington Redskins and Laveranues Coles of the New
York Jets. Then there’s Lance Pugmire, born to cover boxing
for the Los Angeles Times.
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The Mets. Their Shea Stadium looked ready to house baseball
at least till they won the World Series. Forget it. The Mets
lost the 2000 Series in five. And should’ve won it two years
ago, only choked in the playoffs. Now Shea goodbye to all that.
The Amazin’s hit Citi Field next season. Talk about a bankrupt
plan. A New York pol suggests City/Taxpayer Field. I like fellow
L.A. editor Chris Caillavet’s title better: Sucker Field.
©2008 by Bucky Fox. The cartoon is from IMSI's Master Clips Collection, 1895 Francisco Blvd. E., San Rafael, CA, 94901-5506, USA. This column first posted Dec. 8, 2008.
TO ACCESS BUCKY FOX'S ARCHIVE OF COLUMNS ON THIS SITE, CLICK HERE: FOX ARCHIVE.
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