Sports Fodder: Gee, Nevada football just can't get any respect

Sports fodder for a Friday morning . . .

Why is everybody always picking on the University of Nevada? The Wolf Pack bashing by the national media happened four more times this week. Denver columnist Woody Paige said on ESPN's Around the Horn that the North Carolina basketball schedule is "filled with cupcakes" until February. The Pack plays the Heels on Dec. 31. ESPN's Lou Holtz said that Boise State football needs "to get in a conference where you can be challenged every week" and he urged the rest of the Western Athletic Conference "to get competitive." ESPN radio's Scott Van Pelt called the Wolf Pack-Maryland football game one of the "dog bowl games" this year. The week was topped off when Washington Post reporter Eric Prisbell said on the television show Washington Post Live that the Pack bowl game was "in the conversation" for one of the "worst bowl games in civilization."

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Don't turn off your television no matter what the score is at halftime of the Pack-Maryland game. Maryland rallied from a 31-point deficit in 1984 at the Orange Bowl to beat the Miami Hurricanes and the Wolf Pack came back from a 35-point deficit to beat Weber State in 1991 at Mackay Stadium. Which one was better? Well, as (more than likely) the only person who was in attendance at both games, the Pack's comeback was better by far, if only because it was at home. The Orange Bowl crowd (those that didn't leave at halftime, that is) sat in stunned silence as Maryland staged its comeback. Mackay Stadium, though, resembled Virginia Street on New Year's Eve. The Humanitarian Bowl needs to recognize this unique history and get the quarterbacks of those amazing games -- the Pack's Chris Vargas and Maryland's Frank Reich " to meet in the middle of the field for the coin flip.

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Is the Nevada-Maryland Humanitarian Bowl one of the worst matchups this year? Not even close. In fact, the Boise Bowl has the potential to be one of the best bowl games of the year. There are five bowl matchups that I wouldn't watch even if the game were being played in my backyard " Central Michigan-Florida Atlantic in the Motor City Bowl, Louisiana Tech-Northern Illinois in the Independence Bowl, Connecticut-Buffalo in the International Bowl, South Florida-Memphis in the St. Petersburg Bowl and Rice-Western Michigan in the Texas Bowl.

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It is a disgrace that Texas Tech quarterback Graham Harrell is not a finalist for the Heisman Trophy. Harrell's season (4,747 yards and 41 TD passes) was every bit as good as that of Florida's Tim Tebow, Oklahoma's Sam Bradford and Texas' Colt McCoy. Harrell earned the right to at least be in New York on Saturday, smiling for the cameras.

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Here's hoping that the Wolf Pack puts in its own version of the "Wildcat" offense for the bowl game. Why not? It has a month to prepare, bowl games are supposed to be fun and the Pack has the perfect running quarterback for the old single wing in Colin Kaepernick. By the way, when the Pack's "Pistol" offense bogs down and shoots itself in the leg, can we call it the Plaxico Offense?

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What, exactly, was UNLV thinking this week by giving football coach Mike Sanford a three-year contract extension? The guy has a record of 11-36 in five years at UNLV and has lost four games in a row to his top rival.

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Why does Boise, Idaho have a football bowl game and Reno does not? Just asking. Which city would you rather visit for a week? Which city has the better hotel rooms? Which city has better entertainment? Which city doesn't roll up its sidewalks at 8 p.m.?

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Nothing against Carsten Charles Sabathia, but no pitcher is worth $160 million. The New York Yankees could have saved themselves about $159 million, signed Darrell Rasner and still finished third.

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The Veterans Committee bypassing Ron Santo for the Hall of Fame this week proves one thing. It proves that old baseball players are just as stupid as old (and young) sportswriters.