Randomly Thinking

Just wanted to wrap up some loose ends before we hit the weekend ...

1, I went 2-0 against the spread on Sunday during the NFL playoffs. I was 1-1 straight up. Same exact record as Saturday. I was wrong on the Packers in print, although I'd said they Pack would lose to many people during the week. Again, don't go against your gut. I would be strong in Vegas ... 4-0 against the spread over the weekend and that's all that matters.

2, Vikings owner says get Joe Buck off the telecast of my game on Sunday. It's not an odd request. Buck was tough and outspoken about Randy Moss' move near the goalpost on Sunday. This is the same Joe Buck that does a Bud Light commercial with Leon. He's not doing those spots for A-B because he's a St. Louis guy. So, for Buck to be so outspoken is a little over the top. I can fault Buck for his quick judgment on Randy Moss while playing along with the script for his commercial deals.

But, Red McCombs is off in asking Buck to be removed from the telecast. McCombs is deflecting the issue. This has nothing to do with Buck being impartial. It has to do with McCombs not admitting the fact that Randy Moss is a mess. McComb's is almost being an enabler for Moss' behavior and he needs to stop. Take action. Suspend him. Trade him. Cut him. Moss is an enormous talent, but he doesn't know how to conduct himself like an adult. McCombs, the ultra-wealthy San Antonio car dealer isn't probably the best role model for Moss. McCombs rarely hears the word no, unless it's from the Minnesota legislature regarding a new stadium.

3, I'm a big fan of the 10 Spot on si.com ... http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2005/writers/pete_mcentegart/01/12/ten.spot/index.html

In the 1/11 edition, it was revealed that the NCAA is going to team up with the Cartoon Network to raise the awareness about the dangers of gambling.

There are two problems with this.

One, our society is accepting the fact that our children are receiving life lessons from the Cartoon Network. What happened to a message from your father about loosing your money. Oh, dad's probably at the Indian Casino.

Two, why is gambling the A-number-one issue at the NCAA? I can list a few that should raise eyebrows before we worry about Marco and Roberto breaking an 18-year-olds legs over unpaid college basketball bets.

Here are a couple of the issues:

- Graduation rates, especially the disparity in the minority graduation rates
- Outrageous sponsor deals
- Ohio State's athletic department
- Academic issues ... credit for Harrick's basketball coaching class (how many points for a trey?)
- Gary Barnett still occupying the coaching slot at Colorado

Gambling is a problem for many Americans, including those in the college demo . But, drug and alcohol abuse is also a problem. So is date rape. So is plagiarism. Will we soon see a PSA on Cartoon Network about downloading a term paper from the internet?