Each week I'll talk about the world of sports …
For those who wondered if the Colts would play Peyton Manning for a long time against Houston on Sunday, the Texans found out the answer. Manning threw for over 300 yards, and Indianapolis is building momentum heading into the playoffs. If the Colts and Patriots meet again in the AFC championship game, it would be quite a showdown. It would be awesome, baby with a capital A!
If you don't think there is parity in college basketball, think about some of these results from Saturday. Oakland beat Oregon … Appalachian State stunned Arkansas … American upset Maryland. My friends, the lower tier schools have improved and the three-point shot is a great equalizer. Vanderbilt received a scare from Tennessee State before pulling away in the final minutes. Think back to Gardner-Webb over Kentucky, Mercer over USC … the hits just keep on coming. That's something that makes college basketball so interesting.
Give Memphis a lot of credit for its solid showing against Georgetown in the battle of top five squads. John Calipari's squad plays a number of tough non-conference opponents to prepare for March Madness. So far, the Tigers have passed every test. Chris Douglas-Roberts showed why he should be an All-Solid Gold choice with another great performance.
Michigan made a great decision hiring Rich Rodriguez as its new head coach. Rodriguez had a great seven-year run as West Virginia head coach, claiming four of the last five Big East championships and three consecutive seasons of double-digit victories for the first time in school history. The Mountaineers recorded at least eight wins in each of the last six seasons. That is a consistent winner, my friends.
Speaking of good decisions, Dolphins owner Wayne Huizenga hired a bonafide winner in Bill Parcells. I feel it is a super move for Miami as Parcells really knows his football. Look at his track record in the sport and you can understand why Huizenga is happy to get Parcells away from the world of TV and back to the gridiron, even if he doesn't want to coach. Look for Parcells to build a winner down in the Sunshine State.
I also like Arizona's decision to name Kevin O'Neill the eventual successor for Lute Olson. O'Neill will coach the Wildcats the remainder of this season and that will provide long-term stability for the program.
It is a flat-out embarrassment for Florida State to have so many kids out for its bowl showdown against Kentucky. You have to wonder what is going on down in Tallahassee as the fans are frustrated by this story. It is a sad one as players, coaches and administrators have to take responsibility for this nightmare.
Dick Vitale coached the Pistons and the University of Detroit before broadcasting ESPN's first college basketball game in December 1979. Send him a question for possible use on ESPNEWS.
