Sports Fodder: Hooray! for everything in the world of sports

Sports fodder for a Friday morning . . .

Say what you want about Nevada football coach Chris Ault. Then again, don't bother. We've heard it all before. But there is one thing you cannot deny. When the man senses a problem with his football program (remember Jeff Horton's quick exit and the Jeff Tisdel and Chris Tormey eras?) he fixes it as quickly as possible. This time the problem was the defense. You remember the defense, don't you? It's that other side of the ball that always has gotten overlooked in the Ault regime. Yeah, those guys. Well, it would have been easy for Ault to just chalk up the 2007 dreadful defense to injuries, underachieving and overhyped players, too much sun on the Pack sideline and you name it. But Ault went out and found a new defensive coordinator (relieving the loyal Ken Wilson of those duties) in Oregon State's Nigel Burton. It was a move that had to be made. Let's hope that Burton's first order of business will be to teach that defense how to tackle.

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Ault will always have his critics in Northern Nevada. But the one constant throughout his career is that he has never allowed the Pack football program to become fat, lazy and comfortable with mediocrity. He took it from a schedule that used to include the likes of Simon Fraser, Montana Tech, Willamette and Westminster to one that includes Nebraska, Northwestern, Arizona State and Miami. He carried it into Division I-A in 1992 when it would have been oh so easy to just remain in I-AA and win 10 games every year. Ault has always looked 10 years ahead and right now he sees the Pack slipping into a meaningless Division I-A mid-major coma where the biggest reward is a bowl game nobody will even watch on TV. Yes, say what you want about Pack football. But while you're talking about it, you can be sure Ault will be off somewhere working to fix it.

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In keeping with this week's Isn't-Everything-Wonderful theme we'd like to take a moment to congratulate Galena High basketball player Luke Babbitt for breaking the state's career scoring record last weekend. It was sort of fitting that Babbitt broke the record in Las Vegas. It has always been the Las Vegas teams that Galena coach Tom Maurer has judged his teams against. And Babbitt, who has played for an AAU team in Las Vegas for the last few years, has probably played as many games in Southern Nevada as Northern Nevada in his career. Las Vegas certainly is a big reason why Babbitt became a nationally known recruit. With Hug's Armon Johnson tying the record last year and Babbitt breaking it this year, coupled with Reno Highis state title in 2006 and Galena's in 2007, we are currently in the midst of the greatest era in Northern Nevada boys basketball in history.

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Bud Selig and Don Fehr in front of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee was a complete waste of time. We learned that major league baseball had a serious performance enhancing drug problem for more than a decade, Fehr and Selig are willing to share in the blame and that baseball is doing all it can to correct that problem. Aren't you glad we got all that straightened out? Here's an idea. If performance enhancing drugs are a serious problem in baseball and Fehr and Selig admit they were to blame, then why are those two guys still employed?

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Terrell Owens was last seen in public openly crying about the possibility of Tony Romo being criticized in the media? It's funny, but I don't ever remember seeing film of Raymond Berry crying when Johnny Unitas was criticized. Did Jerry Rice ever shed any tears when Joe Montana or Steve Young's faults were pointed out? We don't think Don Maynard ever needed a tissue to wipe his eyes when Joe Namath was bombarded by the New York media, did he? We don't buy it. Ask Jeff Garcia and Donovan McNabb how Owens feels about his quarterbacks. His blubbering last week was the best sobbing act by a football player since Billy Dee Williams (playing Gale Sayers) cried over James Caan (playing Brian Piccolo) in Brian's Song.

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Is this the best NFL postseason ever? It's close. You have the drama of history being made with the perfect New England Patriots. The heartwarming story of Brett Favre. The trash-talking, banged-up San Diego Chargers. Peyton Manning's little brother Eli and the New York Giants. Peyton and Eli licking Oreos. Last week we had Tony Romo and Jessica Simpson in bathing suits in Mexico. This week we have a woman accusing Randy Moss of battering her. Owens crying like a baby. It's awesome theater. Hey, we're really starting to enjoy this Isn't-Everything-Wonderful theme.

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Tony Sparano was hired by the Miami Dolphins this week and the only thing we're wondering is when the Dolphins will hired Christopher, Paulie, Silvio and Bobby as assistants and Meadow as cheerleader coach. Does Bill Parcells know he isn't in New Jersey anymore? Then again, Miami is where New Jersey folks go to retire, isn't it?

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If the New England Patriots win the Super Bowl - and there is no reason to suggest they won't - then you have to declare the Patriots as the greatest dynasty in NFL history. You could make the argument right now. But throw in a perfect season with another Super Bowl title and, well, sorry San Francisco 49ers, Oakland Raiders, Green Bay Packers, Dallas Cowboys and Miami Dolphins. The Patriots Era with Tom Brady and Bill Belichick is the best. No question.

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The Miami Heat needs to trade Shaquille O'Neal. Now. He's back playing. The Heat is still horrible and needs to rebuild around Dwayne Wade. Everybody needs a center who can score. Trade him. The Los Angeles Lakers need a center now that Andrew Bynum is injured. Hmm. Kobe Bryant and Shaq back together? OK, that's not going to happen. But Shaq in Dallas, Shaq in Boston, Shaq in Phoenix or Shaq in Detroit does make sense.

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The Baltimore Orioles will probably finish fifth, win 72 games and fall out of the American League East race before the start of the Kentucky Derby. But it doesn't matter. The organization has already had a fantastic 2008. The O's somehow found a organization dumb enough to take the fading, overpriced Miguel Tejada off their hands. And, oh yeah, Tejada might be spending more days in jail over the next few years than in the Houston Astros lineup.

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Let's hope that the Peyton Manning Commercial era is about to slow down now that the Colts are out of the playoffs. We understand that Manning makes America feel good about itself. He doesn't have fancy girlfriends, he doesn't look like a Super Model and he treats his dogs with tender loving care. But enough with the Manning commercials already. Licking cookies? Joe Montana never licked anything in a commercial, did he?

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A Wisconsin man was arrested for forcing his son to wear a Packers jersey last week. Why was the poor guy arrested? Hey, it's a father's responsibility to discipline and teach his son, isn't it? The Packers are in the playoffs. You sleep, eat, drink and, well, you never take off the jersey during Packer playoff season. It is Wisconsin, isn't it? It's state law to wear a Brett Favre jersey on your wedding day, right? Somebody has to teach the youth of Wisconsin.