Clowns and Football and Smokin' Joe

It's been a good football season so far. As you can see in the sidebar, my teams are all doing very well, and all will be involved in post-season play! It was even a good weekend as far as my NFL allegiances go. Any weekend when the Patriots, Steelers and Eagles all lose is a good one in my book!

Of course, this was all marred by the news coming out of Penn State. I certainly won't say that I follow any FBS team, nor anything specific to this whole story, but from the news accounts I've read, I don't see how Paterno could be held responsible in any way. He didn't witness any of the alleged improper behavior. He immediately reported his grad assistant's concerns about what he saw to the proper administration, following due process and chain of command. He assumed that some sort of action was being taken, and was not privy to. I understand being the captain of your ship and all, but if Paterno loses his job because of this, it's going to be a great injustice.

Speaking of the Griz...there's now a two-week wait for the "Brawl of the Wild"! The Grizzly/Bobcat game! Both teams have a bye this coming weekend, adding an extra week of hype in the media. The Cats are ranked #2, and the Griz are #8, but rankings mean absolutely nothing in this game. If the Cats win, they win the Big Sky Conference, and get the automatic bid (and probably the #2 seed in the playoffs). If the Griz win, they'll be co-champions with the Cats, but will get the automatic bid (but probably not a top 4 seed). But again, that has nothing to do with this game. This game is for bragging rights. You're either rooting for the Cats, or the Griz. If you don't care, you're not a real Montanan. Don't forget that there's a bet on this game between Gucci and me. You all definitely want the Griz to win--trust me on this! As a side note--and a warning--there's about a 2% chance that both these teams could meet for the national championship game in Frisco, TX. If that should happen--OsTour will be heading to Dallas again! Plan on a party!

I was saddened to hear of the quick decline and death of Smokin' Joe Frazier from liver cancer. I first heard of his illness on Saturday, I think, and then his death on Monday night. I've never been a big boxing fan, but definitely remember the heyday of the heavyweight championships. I remember watching Cassius Clay on TV with my dad. And Muhammad Ali. And Joe Frazier, George Foreman, Leon Spinks and Ken Norton. During the age when the champ was the champ. When you didn't need a program to figure out who was champion for more than a couple months at a time. Before Mike Tyson finally hung onto it for a decent length of time. Anyhoo--I've never been a boxing fan, but I do have the memories of watching the big fights with my dad on TV. And with his death tonight, it's brought back some nice ones. R.I.P. Joe!

Have to admit that I'm lovin' the time change so far this week! Not a fan of the early dark, but my body thinks I'm getting an extra hour of sleep in the morning, and that's a good thing! As for the clowns...there's far too few clowns being posted online these days, don'tcha think?