THIS and that to chew on over lunch: This time, Heisman
went to right playerGiven the checked history of the NFL careers of players who have won the Heisman Trophy, you'd think Peyton Manning fans would be happy that Charles Woodson won the award.
I suspect many of these folks are the same people who for years hollered about the award only going to quarterbacks and running backs -- Johnny Rodgers notwithstanding. Heaven forbid a defensive player win the award, which allegedly has been given to the best player in college football every year since 1935.
Manning is a great college quarterback who has all the physical tools to be a great pro. He led Tennessee to the Southeastern Conference title and is sure to be one of the first picks in the NFL draft.
And he's a solid person. Would have made a wonderful choice for the Heisman.
It's funny, though, that one man in town who would have had a legitimate interest in seeing Manning get the award is a real Woodson guy.
Lenny Klompus, chief executive officer of Bowl Games Hawaii, attended the Heisman awards ceremony at the Downtown Athletic Club in New York on Saturday night.
He might have gotten Manning to play in the Hula Bowl, given that game's agreement with the club to send its winner here. Had he won, Manning wouldn't have been required to play, but seeing as how his dad, Archie, was a Hula Bowl alum, it's reasonable to believe he might have.
"I truly believe that the award was given to the best athlete, the best player in college football," Klompus said.
It obviously has been easy to argue that point, but the fact is, Woodson is a marvelous talent who plays on both sides of the ball, and that appeals to a lot of people, including me. He picked off seven passes from his cornerback spot. He caught two touchdown passes, rushed for a touchdown, returned a punt for another and even threw a touchdown pass.
He's the best player on the nation's stingiest defense and its top-ranked team, Michigan.
"This kid just did everything. He did it all," Klompus said.
I'll bet he even threw a couple blocks, too. I like that in a player. Ask a quarterback to do that these days and he's likely to call an attorney, or at least a referee.
Woodson apparently made a good impression on Klompus character-wise as well.
"He's a real quality kid," Klompus said. "Very polite. Marcia (Klompus' wife and business partner) spent a lot of time with his mother. What nice, nice family."
Klompus said Woodson, a junior, is likely to come to Hawaii for the Hula Bowl if his trip isn't against NCAA rules. Woodson's a junior and the DAC and the Hula Bowl don't want to jeopardize his eligibility.
"The indication we got Saturday night was he will come if it doesn't break any rules," Klompus said. "And he would participate in all the activities surrounding the game."
Sounds as though the voters made the right choice.
Think baseball owners have gone completely crazy? If Rupert Murdoch fails in his bid to buy the Los Angeles Dodgers, hang on to your seat.
There's a fascinating story in the Dec. 8 issue of The New Yorker that should be required reading for anyone who cares about baseball and/or its most marketable team.
Murdoch's offer, through the Fox Group, is still being debated by the other baseball owners.
At issue is whether the owners can trust Murdoch, whose meeting with Dodgers owner Peter O'Malley was like "putting a black widow in with a butterfly."
Trouble is, he already controls many of the game's television markets and could squeeze owners to get what he wants.
In a very twisted way, wouldn't that serve the screwheads right?
