Curiouser and Curiouser

Well, tomorrow's another big football day and things just get curiouser and curiouser in the National Football League. Where's the defense? How many teams really have one worthy of the name? Certainly not the Jets, who, while they won their game against the Pats in overtime, let the Pats and Randy Moss tie it up on the last play of the game.

The Giants, too, would seem to be a little suspect after allowing the Eagles to score as many as they did. I mean, gimme a break, they won much because of overly conservative Herman Edwards-like play calling.

Yeah, I know, both teams are leading their divisions and who cares about defense anyway. Well, besides me, most successful playoff teams of yesteryear have cared rather passionately about defense. Need I mention the '85 Bears? Nah! How about the 2007-08 GEE-Men?

In the Jets case, their coach just overthinks everything. What had been successful against Moss all day was abandoned on that last play. Because he had thought, "well, there's no time on the clock, the qb can't afford to scramble, the ball can't go to the middle of the field, yada, yada, ad infinitum, and he forgot that he had put Moss to sleep all day by smashing him at the line of scrimmage.

Randy looked like a kid who's just gotten his first bike for Christmas. And, when he snared that pass from Cassell (and indeed, Randy was the only guy who could have caught it), he got his bike, and a Christmas goose too. Wait...check that, it was the Jets who got the goose. That they came back to win in OT was great, but somehow that bad taste lingers for me. Can the Jets really go much further?

The G-Men will finally see some real defense played tomorrow. The Ravens are unbelievable, a fierce defense, no over-thinking going on. I don't see Brandon Jacobs or Derek Ward doing much, not that Coughlin won't try. Hopefully, he will change his game somewhat in the face of some furious realities in the forms of Ray Lewis and his band of renown.

What's most curious about football is the emotion involved in the game. The fact that the G-Men have a nice little cushion in their division will surely alter the metabolism of each and every man on that field. The same will apply to the Baltimore crew, of course, and their collective chomping at the bit can only bode well for them.

The other curious thing is the affect of injuries. Who could even figure out who's playing? "Questionable" means everything from "no way" to "definitely in". Take Clinton Portis, for example. He's questionable every week. The G-Men have some questionable secondary people for tomorrow. I have no idea who's playing.

And, speaking of curious, let me turn to baseball for a second. Isn't it a little strange that C.C. Sabathia may be practically forced by the Players Union to accept the highest salary offered? When did the players give up their individuality? Who authorized that?
<>What if C.C. hates the Yankees? I can’t think of a team that less suits him. I have followed C.C. since his first year in the majors, if just for the size of him and the tilt of his cap. Will the Yankees make him straighten it out? Probably. Never was there a more serious bunch than these Yankees. Never was there a group that appears to be having less fun.

Shouldn’t C.C. be allowed to take that Milwaukee offer? Sure, it’s millions less but what about job satisfaction? Shouldn’t that really be the first consideration? C.C. won’t like the Yankees, I know, and, as hard as this may be to believe, I don’t think the Yankees will like him.
<>Money, money, money. It’s keeping Stephon Marbury in limbo, if a very rich and comfortable limbo. Last on the bench, first in the bank account. Isn’t he a basketball player? Doesn’t he care about that?

Whether Stephon may eventually get bought out or not, the Knicks’ fortunes have certainly been changing for the better. They seem reborn, these D’Antonians. Defense once again graces the floor of Madison Square Garden. No more Marbury or Curry, these Knicks have guys who actually leave their feet.
<>Wilson Chandler seems to be the biggest difference, an under-sized power forward who does it all, rebounding, scoring, blocking shots, and yes, thank goodness, defense. The most curious thing, though, is that much of the personnel remains the same, Jamal Crawford, Zak Randolph, yada yada. Oh, and a guy who cares not so much for money, an unselfish point guard named Duhon, Chris Duhon.

On the other side of the river, the Nets look horrible one night, terrific the next. While that inconsistency is supposed to be normal for a young team, a kind of consistent inconsistency, it still seems awfully strange. I’m glad I don’t gamble. I’d never have picked them to beat the Atlanta Hawks.
<>The world of sport is filled with curiosities, of course. New York has no monopoly on strange. The Cowboys could be the weirdest of the bunch (if you don’t count the Raiders and the Lions). How can a premiere team neglect to get themselves a decent backup quarterback?

Tomorrow, we’ll see another curious but interesting phenomenon, the positive affect that the quarterback return can have on a team. The Redskins, though much improved themselves this year under new coach Zorn, will have to deal with a Cowboys team that should be angry, fed up, and just delighted to have good old Tony back behind the center. I think they’ll totally forget the PacMan, and maybe even their crazy owner, even if he does place himself front and center on the sideline.

Enjoy Week 11 (including the bye week, another curious thing), sports fans. I know the fans in Miami will, what with Chad at the helm and in Atlanta, where a Yankee named Ryan seems to be taking the Falcons to the heights.

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