Vince Young

While I was busy knocking the recent spat of poor play in the National Football League, Ta-Nehisi Coates stepped up to remind the rest of the world how sports continue to surprise, delight and inspire. Here he is on Vince Young's truly remarkable 99-yard touchdown drive yesterday against the Arizona Cardinals. 

I love the Cowboys and my son loves the Giants, and my Dad loved the Eagles. (Except when Doug Williams played for the Redskins.) But I don't just remember Troy Aikman hitting Alvin Harper in the 92 championship. I remember Steve Young hitting Terrell Owens in the divisional playoffs against Green Bay. I remember Randall Cunningham hitting Fred Barnett for 95 yards, with Bruce Smith breathing down his neck. And every time I think of those moments, I get warm and happy. Vince Young gave me, my partner and my kid one of those moments yesterday. I swear it makes living a little easier.

I'm still trying to get an accurate read on football. The game just doesn't grab me, or resonate with me, the way baseball and basketball do. More specifically, football's varied cover schemes and myriad strategies and game plans don't always reveal themselves to me. Viscerally, sure, I get it. I mean, I was as geeked as anyone when Eli Manning found David Tryee, but in general the NFL for me is like hearing kettle drums when expecting guitar. But, if my other site proves anything, I can at least say I'm trying and I can admit that Vince's drive remains a thing of orchestrated beauty.

   

“Hovering Is Never Good.”

The other big story this Thanksgiving was Tiger Woods’ “car accident,” which occurred early Friday morning, around 2:30 a.m., outside of his Florida compound. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out what really happened. Rumors of infidelity. Bloodied lip. Facial abrasions. Shattered back window. We all know what happened, but so far only Wanda Sykes has had the balls to say it publicly.

Parity Begins At Home

Believe it or not, the New York Jets, losers of six of their last eight games, still have a puncher’s chance at making the playoffs. Granted, this isn’t because the Jets have distinguished themselves on the gridiron; the team's barely beating playoff chances are in reality a byproduct of an AFC-wide level of mediocrity. 

As of this morning, there are as many AFC teams with losing records (8) as there are teams with winning records—and two of those teams (the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens) are sitting at 6-5, one tenuous game over .500. Only the Indianapolis Colts (10-0), the Cincinnati Bengals (8-3), the San Diego Chargers (8-3), the New England Patriots (7-3) and the Denver Broncos (7-4) seem assured of a spot in the NFL’s postseason. (The undefeated Colts clinched a division title with last night’s win against the 5-6 Houston Texans).

This, I guess, is the NFL’s vision of parity. A few really good teams, mixed in with a bunch of middling-to-flat-out-terrible teams. Most of the AFC's franchises are mired in prolonged periods of mediocrity, which doesn’t really reflect well on the NFL's decade-long attempt at leveling the playing field, not to mention the often sad quality of play exhibited around the league on any given Sunday. 

Nate Robinson

When all is said and done, I believe Robinson will probably be remembered as much for this incident than anything else he’ll ever accomplish in the National Basketball Association. Sad, but true.

The Hand of Henry

Merde a dieu. Historically, the Irish national football team has had a rough go of it in international competition. In 1990, for instance, the Irish qualified for their first World Cup, advancing to the quarterfinals, largely behind the stellar play of keeper Patrick "Packie" Bonner, who saved Romanian Daniel Timofte's penalty shot during the knockout stage, famously depicted in the film adaptation of Roddy Doyle's "The Van." 

The country's glee was short-lived, however, as in the Round of 8, Ireland drew Italy, the host team, in Rome. The Irish, playing in front of about 75,000 hostile Italians, played well before falling 1-0, behind a cheap goal in the 38th minute by Salvatore Schillaci, a name that ranks right up there with Cromwell, as far as some Irish are concerned. It was a brutal loss, almost unfair in its letdown. 

Yesterday's World Cup qualifying match against France, though, has to sting even more. In the match's 104th minute, Frenchman Thierry Henry, one of the best players in the world, settled, practically caught in his hands, an errant pass along the Irish back line, before passing the ball to a streaking William Gallas, who headed it into the back of the net. Henry's handball is, shockingly, even more blatant than it sounds-- and, arguably, as egregious as Diego Maradona's "Hand of God."  

The equalizing goal (2-1 aggregate) assured France a place in the World Cup and eliminated the Irish from contention. The Irish are understandably upset. Their coach, God bless 'em, has gone so far to say Henry, who admitted he handled the ball, and his countrymen have a moral obligation to replay the match. That ain't gonna happen. The French team is off to South Africa, while the Irish are headed home. 

Merde happens, I suppose.  

When Smart People Say Dumb Sh*t

I've said my share over at my other site. There's just something about the Patriots--and their fans--that gets under my skin. Maybe it's the organization's arrogance, or the head coach's smugness. Either way, both traits seem to have rubbed off on their fan base, like an incurable contagion. I'm a Jets fan, which means I'm infected with hostility and delusion, and a virulent strain of self-defeating perversity. Ours, then, is a symbiotic relationship, entirely dysfunctional and borderline hostile. The sickly Ying and gangrenous Yang of sports. At least it makes for good copy.    

The 100 Best Quotes from The Wire

The Yankees are on hiatus. The Knicks stink, and the Jets are nearly irrelevant. What's a New York sports fan to do? How about enjoying this extended collection of the 100 best quotes from "The Wire," the greatest show in the history of television. Stringer Bell's right: there's games beyond the game.