Random Observations on the Wonderful World of Sports

In the words of the great San Francisco Chronicle sports columnist Scott Ostler, here are my deep thoughts, cheap shots, and bon mots:

---Huge sports weekend, especially for college football. Pardon me for being redundant, but it can never be said enough: The BCS stinks!!!!!!!!!

---Let me try and follow the logic of the BCS. Colt McCoy and the Texas Longhorns beat Sam Bradford and the Oklahoma Sooners with relative ease in the annual Red River Shootout earlier this year. Yet it's Oklahoma who gets the nod over Texas to play in the Big 12 Championship Game. So tell me, what exactly is the criteria under which these geniuses make decisions?

---Oh yeah, I forgot: There is none! As Erik Kuselias said on ESPN Radio this week, no criteria exists.

---With this being said, there will be some phenomenal games tomorrow with national championship implications.

---Alabama-Florida will be the game of the day. Nick Saban's Crimson Tide will upend Tim Tebow and the Gators in a thriller. The status of Percy Harvin will be key for Florida. As for Oklahoma-Missouri, I'll take the Sooners, but Chase Daniel and the Tigers will keep it close.

---And then on Sunday, the BCS selections are announced, and sports fans across the land will be screaming at their television sets.

---College football's regular season is filled with awesome excitement, and it's about time for college football to give us a decent conclusion.

---On to the NFL, where the Chargers beat up on the Raiders last night 37-7. Uhhhh, San Diego, where has that offense been all season long?

---On second thought, the Raiders defense can make anybody look good.

---I've had enough of the Plaxico Burress saga, so I won't spend too much time on this tired story. All I'll say is that it is sad to see a guy with so much talent fall so far so fast.

---The Burress drama would be a distraction for most teams, but not for the New York Giants. The Giants are the best team in football, and they will just brush this off their shoulders and continue to dominate.

---Best game of Week 14: Steelers-Cowboys. Pittsburgh. Big.

---Here are the rest of my Week 14 winners: Bears, Niners, Vikings, Colts, Giants, Titans, Falcons, Texans, Dolphins, Patriots, Broncos, Cardinals, Ravens, Bucs.

---That's right, I picked the Niners. What a shocker.

---Usually I would have talked some NBA already, but I'm stalling because I'm reluctant to discuss my Warriors.

---Eight straight losses for my beloved W's. Ouch. I take one loss like a stab to the stomach, so imagine what eight in a row feels like. I know a lot of people expected us to struggle until the return of Monta Ellis, but I don't think anybody expected it to be this bad. We stink right now.

---Two weeks ago, I was beaming with joy over the Al Harrington-Jamal Crawford trade. I still think we got the better end of the deal, and I'm thrilled to have Crawford on my team, but it's hard to be optimistic about anything with Golden State right now. It has gotten so bad, even Nellie has openly admitted that he does not think we are a playoff team.

---However, I am keeping the faith. But in order for us to turn it around, we need a collective effort on behalf of everyone. GO WARRIORS!!!!!!!!!

---Okay, LeBron. You are the best player in the game and a great guy, but I am siding with Charles Barkley. Stop speculating about your possible future with the Knicks. Like Barkley said, it is completely disrespectful to Danny Ferry, Mike Brown, your teammates, and everybody in the organization.

---And by the way, calling Barkley stupid just made you look like a whiny toddler. Like Kobe. Hey-ohhhhhhhhhh!

---Sam Mitchell did a fantastic job with the Toronto Raptors, and he did not deserve to be fired. The Raptors are definitely underachieving, especially when they have the likes of Jermaine O'Neal and Jose Calderon. But the blame should not have fallen on the lap of Mitchell.

---In fact, the Raptors aren't even the most disappointing team in the league. That would be the Philadelphia 76ers. With Elton Brand, Andre Iguodala, and Samuel Dalembert, I thought Mo Cheeks' team would be much better.

---In fact, none of the firings in the NBA so far this season have made much sense. No offense to Scott Brooks, Ed Tapscott, and Jay Triano, but P.J. Carlisimo, Eddie Jordan, and Sam Mitchell should all still have their jobs with the Thunder, Wizards, and Raptors.

---Speaking of the Thunder, I think North Carolina would beat Oklahoma City by thirty.

---UNC is destroying everyone right now, including Tom Izzo's very talented Michigan State Spartans. They are the clear-cut favorite to cut down the nets at season's end.

---Don't panic yet, UCLA faithful, but Ben Howland's Bruins are 4-2. Granted, one of those losses came to an excellent Texas team, but the record is nonetheless unimpressive.

---Blake Griffin is going to be a star in the NBA. No doubt about it.

---The Hot Stove is heating up in Major League Baseball, as the league still awaits the destination of stars Manny Ramirez, Mark Teixiera, and CC Sabathia.

---I'm happy with Brian Sabean's moves so far. Bob Howry and Jeremy Affeldt will be of significant help to the Giants' bullpen, and though we slightly overpaid for him, I still like the Edgar Renteria signing. Here's hoping the veteran shortstop plays like the St. Louis Renteria, not the Detroit Renteria.

---And finally, O.J. Simpson was sentenced to a maximum of thirty-three years in prison today. Does anybody feel sorry for him? I didn't think so.