Four.
That's the number of quarters in a dollar, the number of is in Mississippi and ' wait a second, this seems familiar.
The last time I used those words to start off a column in November, I was talking about what an amazing Fall Quarter it was for Ohio athletics. As we reach the halfway point of the quarter, that number takes on a whole new meaning.
Thursday's announcement that the athletic department was cutting four sports because of budget and Title IX compliance concerns has taken Ohio sports from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows.
It isn't known just exactly how this snafu went into motion, but for it to be made public during two of the affected teams' seasons and just before the other two teams begin preparing for their spring seasons is sickening, to say the least.
OU President Roderick McDavis was teary-eyed at the Thursday news conference announcing the cuts, saying he had a connection with the men's track team.
He had such a connection and a deep respect for the sport over his lengthy two-year track career that he decided to cut a team that has been around for more than 70 years in the blink of an eye.
At the end of the day, life will go on. McDavis will continue to run the university as he sees fit, the remaining 16 Bobcat teams will participate in their respective sports and 114 athletes will probably have moved on. The thing is, they shouldn't have had to.
I'm sure more will come of this in the coming days and weeks. The Save Our Sports flyers posted around campus, the anger and the tears that were shown at Friday's Town Hall meeting and the graffiti wall on Richland Avenue are just constant reminders of the hurt that is felt around here. Those affected deserve the right to know why this happened.
You can bet this wasn't the vision McDavis had in mind for his alma mater.And yes, there's a game Sunday
On a lighter note, the Colts/Bears Super Bowl is Sunday, and I'm just glad I have a rooting interest this year. A Patriots/Bears Super Bowl with Prince as the halftime entertainment would have been too much of an
'80s flashback.
I'm happy to see Peyton Manning, an admirable quarterback who possesses an unmatched knowledge of the game (even by you, Tom Brady), get his shot at a title. His talent finally is going to be recognized on the game's biggest stage.
As for the Bears, you won't find many of their fans outside of the Windy City. After all, they crashed the ball and sent the Cinderella Saints home two weeks ago behind an amazing defensive performance and a moderately competent Rex Grossman. Yet they deserve respect for silencing their critics ' minus Grossman's ' and getting the chance to bring home the first title since the days of the legendary Mike Ditka.
My pick? Too easy ' I have to go with the Colts. The stars finally have aligned for Manning to get his ring, and the Bears just won't be able to stop him.
Finally, he'll be able to shrug off those Dan Marino comparisons.
17 Archives
Jason Fazzone
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Chicago Bears' quarterback Rex Grossman, left, will face off against Indianapolis Colts' quarterback Peyton Manning in Super Bowl XLI in Miami on Sunday.
