Tiger, Roethlisberger, Frank, and 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:


---It wasn't a very happy Thanksgiving for the world's most famous, most dominant athlete, Tiger Woods. Woods is now at the center of an intense media storm after he mysteriously crashed into a fire hydrant and a tree while pulling out of his driveway at 2:30 in the morning. Alcohol was not a factor, which raises the question: How the hell could Tiger crash into a fire hydrant and tree when he was just pulling out of his driveway? Also, where was he going at such a bizarre hour?


---This incident has led to the swirling of several rumors. Rumor has it that the car crash came immediately after a heated altercation with Tiger and his wife Ellin, who was confronting Tiger about a possible affair. Now this rumor could very well be entirely false. Tiger could have just made a wholly innocent driving error. However, Tiger has to understand that these rumors will linger until he comes forward and answers questions about the incident. The fact that he refuses to be open about the incident only adds fuel to the fire. His cryptic, vague statement following the incident only made him look more suspicious.


---Still, I am reserving judgment until the facts are revealed. Right now all we know is this: One of the world's most intensely private athletes has put his private life in the center of the public eye.


---On to the NFL now, where there is division in the Steelers locker room in the aftermath of a tough overtime loss in Baltimore, the third consecutive defeat for Pittsburgh. Many high-profile Steelers players, including wide receivers Hines Ward and Santonio Holmes, have voiced disappointment over the lack of communication regarding Ben Roethlisberger's injury. Hines Ward's comments were especially odd, as he inferred that Roethlisberger was to blame for missing the game. Uh, earth to Hines: Ben Roethlisberger is a two-time Super Bowl champ and a fearless competitor. Nobody felt worse about missing a crucial division game than Big Ben himself.

---Mike Tomlin is an outstanding coach, but he has his work cut out for him now. The defending Super Bowl champs are riding a three-game losing streak, and a playoff birth is no longer a certainty. Making matters worse, there is now some tension in the locker room. I trust that Tomlin will steer this ship back in the right direction, but it will not be easy.

---Peyton Manning once again rallied the Colts back from a seventeen-point deficit yesterday at Houston to keep Indy undefeated. It's almost as if the Colts are toying with their opponents, spotting them seventeen points only to charge back in the second half to grab a stunning victory.

---How can you not like Vince Young? The guy has so many critics, but I am his biggest fan. Vince Young displayed yesterday the same incredible athleticism and poise that he has consistently displayed this season, orchestrating an incredible game-winning drive in the final seconds to stun the Cardinals.

---Thanks to Young and star running back Chris Johnson, the Titans continue their remarkable run. After an 0-6 start, Jeff Fisher's team has won five straight, and you heard it here first: This team will make the playoffs.

---A 20-3 thrashing of the visiting Jaguars, paired with an Arizona loss, keeps playoff hopes alive for my Niners. Yesterday's win was especially sweet because of the terrific performance out of Alex Smith, who finally put four good quarters together.

---December has arrived, which means the Dallas Cowboys are bound to collapse.

---On to the NBA (a.k.a the best sport) now, where Lawrence Frank was relieved of his duties as captain of theTitanic, also known as coach of the New Jersey Nets. With Sunday's blowout loss to the seemingly unstoppable Lakers, the Nets are now 0-17, tying the NBA record for most consecutive losses to start a season. This historically bad start was by no means all Lawrence Frank's fault, as everybody-----from Devin Harris to Chris Douglas-Roberts to the Nets waterboy-----deserves blame. But when a team starts 0-17, a change has got to be made, and Frank deserved to be fired.

---Nets GM Kiki Vandeweghe will take over as coach. He will receive guidance and counseling from FEMA.

---What a terrible loss last night for the Denver Nuggets. Two days after barely surviving against the Knicks, George Karl's team fell at home to the awful Minnesota Timberwolves. After the Denver loss, President Obama declared a state of emergency in Colorado.

---The crazy Allen Iverson saga continues. A.I. announced his retirement last week, but every knowledgeable basketball fan knew that it would be the shortest retirement in the history of sports. Now the Philadelphia 76ers have expressed interest in bringing the Answer back to the place where he launched his Hall of Fame career. Big mistake for Philly. I understand the nostalgic temptation in re-signing one of the best players in Sixers history, but the Sixers have to realize that A.I. would only turn the struggling Sixers into a total sideshow.

---The nominees for the 2010 class of the Basketball Hall of Fame were announced today, headlined by Karl Malone, Scottie Pippen, Don Nelson, Bernard King, Chris Mullin, Dennis Johnson, Tex Winter, Dick Bavetta, Rudy Tomjanovich, Al Attles, Muggsy Bogues, and Ralph Sampson. Karl "The Mailman" Malone and Scottie Pippen are absolute locks. As for the rest of the nominees, I am of course biased toward Nelson and Mullin. But let me make a case for Muggsy Bogues. Bogues' numbers may not jump off the page, but like Spud Webb, Bogues had a significant impact on the game of basketball, proving to the sports world that little guys can indeed thrive in the NBA.

---Charlie Weis has been fired from his job as head coach of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, who fell to 6-6 after losing at Stanford on Saturday thanks to another brilliant rushing performance from Stanford's Toby Gerhart. Weis' firing comes as a big surprise. In other shocking news, the sun set.

---What a depressing year for the USC Trojans and the Oklahoma Sooners. Two teams with national championship aspirations at the start of the season could very well face each other in the granddaddy of them all, the Meineke Car Care Bowl.

---And finally, today marked the end of a spectacular coaching career, as Bobby Bowden retired. The longtime coach of the Florida State Seminoles will go down as one of the greatest, most personable coaches in college football history.