Danny Boy also hired Pepper Rodgers to be VP for Football Operations - whatever the hell that is - and his first job is to manage and oversee the national level search for the new coach. And most commentators just nodded their heads. Now I ask you what level of confidence does that show for "Coach" Robiske. He has three games to play against teams with a combined record of 14-25 and if he runs the table he will get into the playoffs and might win a game or two there … So why do you have to announce this move on the same day you put in "Coach" Robiske? Why not just call him "Rent-a-Coach"? Or has that name been trademarked already?

And one other observation on this matter. If you happen to see a replay of the "news conference" where Danny Boy introduces Rodgers and Robiske to the public, look carefully at the postures and the looks of all three men at the table. Rodgers and Robiske are clearly present at something that is not enjoyable to them; this is a sad and troubled time; they are not ebullient. Danny Boy is indeed ebullient and just loves the attention. He needs a twelve step program; he is addicted to the spotlight.

This week the Redskins play the Cowboys and these Cowboys have just set an NFL record that they clearly don't want. They are the only team in the history of the NFL to allow three different runners to accumulate 200 yards or more against them in a single season. Duce Staley, Charlie Garner and Warrick Dunn all did it. Now the Redskins go there with Stephen Davis and unless his arm is broken so badly that his hand is hanging by a single piece of skin, Davis has to get the ball a minimum of 25 times in this game and maybe 35. If Davis rushes for less than 150 yards, it will probably be the fault of the play calling and not the players. Come to think of it, the Cowboys might begin to worry that Emmitt Smith may demand a trade to another NFC East team just so he can play against that defensive line twice next year.

Mark Chmura's trial on sexual assault and "child enticement" will begin next month and by my calculation it will begin during the week leading up to the Super Bowl. I'll bet Paul Tagliabue is just thrilled about that.

Problems just have a way of piling up in places. After the "shoegate" scandal of last summer where Wisconsin athletes got themselves suspended for "improper discounts", another Wisconsin football player has just been arrested and charged with stealing a TV worth $4000. The story says that this player (a wide receiver) had an accomplice. I believe that. A $4000 TV set is not exactly a 12 inch portable set! This must have taken an accomplice and a pick-up truck! I bet it would not fit comfortably in the trunk of your typical compact sedan.

John Mackovic will leave the ESPN studio analyst job and take over as head coach at Arizona next year. Elsewhere in the PAC-10, the Oregon coach will stay put and not take the USC job.

In other college football news, I'll bet the phones are ringing and the coaching staffs are staying up extra late at night now that Swarthmore College has decided to drop football. Since there is no NCAA mechanism for an orderly dispersal of these players, schools must be in a frenzy to grab this talent to shore up the needs that teams around the country may have. Maybe the coach at Swarthmore should call Mike Garrett about the USC job. Garrett said he wanted someone with head coaching experience and would not consider someone who had merely been a coordinator.

And here is an insight as to the internal standards for "prestige" within the football coaching ranks. The coach of the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian League for the last two years had been Charlie Taaffe. I had never heard of him; I would not know him from Cecil the Seasick Sea Serpent. The Alouettes have been 12-6 the last two years and played in the Canadian Grey Cup game this year. He just left that job to become an assistant coach at the University of Maryland. What does Charlie Taaffe's career decision tell you about Canadian football?

The Mets thought they had made a deal with the South Korean team that owned the contract of pitcher Duc Sung Koo only to learn today he was traded to a team in Japan. Since the Mets were unsuccessful in importing "El Duque", they tried to get "The Duc." Too bad.

Denny Neagle signed a 5 year deal with the Rockies for over $50M. I think Neagle is a competent major league pitcher but not a star and not a guy who is going to be seriously considered for a paid trip to Cooperstown. So I wonder how the Rockies figure he is worth $10M per year to pitch in a park where offense rules the day.

The Orioles lost Mike Mussna to the Yanks and were told yesterday by the agent for Mike Hampton that they were no longer on Hampton's list of possible employers. But the spinners in Oriole-land (Angelos and Syd Thrift) say this is no big deal because they have made an offer to Kevin Appier and are very interested in Frank Castillo and have discussed a possible trade with Cincy for Scott Williamson. Frankly, anyone who thinks that those three pitchers belong in the same class with Mussina and Hampton is either delusional or hallucinating.

The PGA will get a respite next year even if they lose their Supreme Court case regarding Casey Martin's cart. Martin did not qualify for his full exemption on the PGA Tour next year meaning that he will have to play lots of practice rounds that will probably not be conducive to his playing much at all.

Finally, the Clippers lost to the Knicks last night by 28. The Clippers turned the ball over 22 times (there are only 48 minutes in a game, folks) and they were credited with only 7 assists for the entire game. They must have played no defense because the Knicks shot 44-78 for the game which is over 56% and is almost 8 percentage points higher than the Knicks normally shoot.

But don't get me wrong, I love sports...