Countdown cleansing: Mora, Bowden and Wrestlemania!

The Count still can't believe Michael Stipe just sat in the corner (losing his religion?).

Sorry. Until this morning’s blog on long term projections of Tech and Georgia football, I hadn’t blogged since the Georgia game Saturday. I was off Sunday and then it was a soul-cleansing day for the Chosen Peeps (as well as relative religious hanger-ons like me) and I required 24 hours of prayer and fasting before my soul was allowed to go back to square one. Actually, I should come clean here. It wasn’t quite 24 hours of fasting. I sort of blew it with the two, post-sundown beers at the Steve Wynn/Baseball Project show Sunday night at The Earl. But then I compensated for that with two more post-fast beers at the Steve Wynn/Baseball Project show Monday night at 40 Watt in Athens, where, by the way, every R.E.M. member was in attendance and every one played (Mike Mills, Bill Berry, Project band member Peter Buck), except for Michael Stipe. He sat in the back of the room, just being Michael Stipe. I know. With those Day of Atonement beers, I’ve got no shot at a nice room in the afterlife. The Count tells me I might as well get used to the smell of brimstone now. But on the subject of cleansings, let’s count down, shall we?

10. The real Jim Mora returns

Maybe he should turn the hands around and put them over his mouth.

Jim Mora had some spectacular public meltdowns as Falcons coach, and went completely psycho with the it-sure-sounded-like-he-was-serious radio interview when he said he wanted to be the Washington Huskies coach –while the Falcons were scrambling to stay in a playoff race. But his greatest undoing here was he got too close to his players, which ultimately led to a lack of discipline and accountability in the locker room. Well, it appears Mora has gone in the other direction now. Kinda, sorta.

9. Somebody must’ve kicked him in the head

After Seattle lost to Chicago, 25-19, Sunday, ostensibly because Olindo Mare missed two field goal attempts, Mora threw the kicker under the bus. Excerpts: “No excuses for those,” Mora said. “If you’re a kicker in the National Football League, you should make those kicks. Bottom line. End of story. Period. No excuses … Not acceptable. Not acceptable. Absolutely not acceptable.” He’s right, but that’s not the point. The Seahawks have a lot of problems other than their kicker. Secondly, a coach just doesn’t do that — a point somebody must have made to Mora later, because the next day be backed off his comments and praised the kicker, adding, “I think I let the emotion of the game get to me in my answers about Olindo.” Really? You, Jim? Some guys are just not made for being a head coach. Methinks Mora is one of them.

8. Bowden: wrong recruits, wrong playbook

Bobby, they're telling you to go that-a-way.

More cleansing needed: Forgive some FSU fans what they must be thinking about Bobby Bowden. Florida State destroys BYU, then loses at home to South Florida, half of whose roster is within a three-hour drive of the FSU campus (quarterback B.J. Daniels went to high school in Tallahassee). Bowden and offensive coordinator Jimbo Fisher are getting hammered again by fans and media. Here’s the best summary I’ve seen, from Chris Humphrey’s blog in Tampa’s Creative Loafing: “Daniels looked exactly like the kind of kid Florida State used to make famous. The crafty kid who could dismantle an opponent not only with his arm and his legs, but with his mind and his will. Now Daniels wears USF green and there wasn’t a Seminole in the stands who wouldn’t have preferred him in garnet. Heck, half of them probably would trade Bowden for [South Florida coach] Jim Leavitt at this point.”

7. I miss Freddie Blassie

I admit it. I watched wrestling on a small black-and-white TV on a UHF channel in my room on a UHF channel when my mom thought was asleep. And how come the ref was never looking during the eye-gouging!?! I bring this up because the Atlanta Business Chronicle is reporting that Atlanta is bidding for Wrestlemania XXVII in 2011 for the Georgia Dome. Gary Stokan of the Atlanta Sports Council said, “This has the potential to be a huge economic impact,” and I suppose this is where Snooty Sports Fan asks the question, “How much money can a trailer park and a Shoney’s bring in?” But, sorry. It’s fake but it’s funny and entertaining and I’m all for it. Here’s part I of a past “title” match between Hulk Hogan and The Ultimate Warrior.

And if that’s just enough enough for you, here’s two more links, via YouTube.

LINK: “Part II: Hogan vs. Ultimate Warrior”

LINK: Part III: Hogan vs. Ultimate Warrior.

6. With Wrestlemania, you get Divas!

It's just another boring SEC vs. ACC argument.

These are some of the WWE Divas. There are many. This is one of the few photos I figured I could post without getting suspended (but I can’t stop you from Googling). Besides, they’re wearing college jerseys in this shot, so I figured, hey, I’ve got the college sports argument working for me. “But, Julia! I had to run it. I got the SEC and ACC into one blog item! Page views! Nice shoes, by the way. Yes, I am a pig. But I think admitting that up front puts me ahead of the curve before next year’s spiritual cleansing.

5. Parcells pays the price (sympathy anyone?)

Umm, can I get a do-over?

Miami Dolphins quarterback Chad Pennington is injured. Again. He won’t be coming back. Again. A few weeks ago, I played Hindsight Is 20-20 Theater and remarked how Bill Parcells should be catching heat for passing on Matt Ryan in the draft. That heat just got turned up. The only drops if Chad Henne, a second-round pick, can rescue the 0-3 Dolphins. (By the way, is Miami the first team in NFL history replacing one Chad with another? And do you want that distinction?) I just heard Chris Mortensen say this on ESPN: “Dolphins fans want to see something out of Chad Henne. Otherwise, guess what? They’re going to be talking about Matt Ryan for a long time in Miami.” Where have I heard that before? By the way, here’s why Parcells never should have counted on Pennington. His games played stats since 2002: 15-10-13-3-16-9-16-3.

4. Latest from the Twitterati

Terrell Owens has been pounding Rodney Harrison in interviews and on Twitter for past steroid/HGH use. (Just one: “So Rodney, I’m thinking if u overnite it 2day, I’ll get em by 2morr @ noon. Better yet, mark it Priority!! I “really” wanna b a CHAMPION like u!!”) Personally, I have a far greater concern. Owens didn’t have a catch Sunday and he’s the third receiver on my Fantasy League team. Dude, I don’t get points for your Tweets.

3. Twitterati, part II

Tweet you want to see: @nflcommish: "NFLPA, take da deal or u can stick it!"

I’ve vented several times in this space about the Twitter thing getting way out of hand. The NBA is considering coming down with a policy, and the NFL could follow. (By the way. Commissioner Roger Goodell has a Twitter page. Could be fun during CBA talks, but I’m not getting my hopes up.) Anyway, here’s the latest: Texas Tech coach Mike Leach has banned his players from going on Twitter after some players took shots at the program — and him — following Saturday’s loss to Houston. One, sent by player Marvin Williams said, “Wondering why I’m still in this meeting room when the head coach can’t even be on time to his on[sic] meeting.” Sweet. For the record, scholarships are not automatically renewed.

2. Brooking must’ve been out that day

Laughed at Rick Reilly’s piece on the written test given to the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders, in which he posed some of the questions to players. Here’;s an exchange with Keith Brooking. “Reilly: List three lean proteins.” Brooking: “Like, foods?” Reilly: Uh, yes, foods. Brooking: “Tuna fish. I don’t know, man.” Didn’t he go to Georgia Tech?

1. This just in: Raiders are a mess

Dynamic Duo: Lane Kiffin and Al "The Creature" Davis.

Remember when Oakland head coach Tom Cable reportedly broke the jaw of assistant Randy Hanson in a training camp fight? It turns out some of the Raiders players snuck a laptop computer out of the facility and gave it to the banished Hanson so that he could give them tips. John McGuinn, Hanson’s lawyer, said, “Al Davis doesn’t know he has been providing detailed coaching for these guys, and randy has not gotten any credit for it.” Yeah, well. I think he knows now.