Posting Premier

So I’m going to be writing a blog now for Cleveland Headline Sports. What is a blog anyway? Sounds like some kind of monster from an old Godzilla movie or something. Anyway, I was going to get started last week, but decided to wait until after the Super Bowl to begin. I’m glad I did because there is plenty to talk about after Sunday night’s game. Maybe it’s just me and my becoming more impatient as the years go by and my kids getting older, but I thought the officiating in the game was terrible. Earlier in the year, I thought the Crest-Shelby football game was as bad as I’ve seen in a big game (and the Super Bowl is almost as big as Crest-Shelby), but last night might have beat it. In the Crest-Shelby game, I thought the officiating was bad on both sides. Sunday night, the officials seemed to be clearly in favor of the Steelers. I counted at least five calls that went against the Seahawks that played a huge part in the outcome of the game. Sure, you have to overcome those kinds of things and the Seahawks did not do that, but at some point you just have to wonder if there isn’t a conspiracy. I mean, did we all not hear about Jerome “the Bus” Bettis and his return to his hometown of Detroit about 800 times? I like the Bus. He’s been a heck of a fantasy player in my league over the years and is 5th all time on the NFL career-rushing list, but do you think the other 52 men on the Steelers roster had any desire to win that game for themselves? To hear the media tell it, the Steelers were there to win for Bettis. Gimme a break. As far as the game goes, I thought it was boring. If not for the déjà vu early in the third quarter when Willie Parker broke the 75-yard run (he had an 80-yarder against Shelby in the 1997 state championship game), there would have been little to get me excited. Sure Pittsburgh had the end-around pass from Antwan Randel El to Hines Ward for a TD, but fans have come to expect those kinds of plays from Bill Cowher. Remember Mike Stewart, the former coach at Crest? That rascal called a trick play every week. You knew it was coming (I’m sure Seattle was prepared), but sometimes it’s still hard to stop. The key for calling trick plays is the timing. Cowher, and Stewart for that matter, seem to have the knack for calling those plays at the right time. I biggest problem with Seattle was the lack of plays for Shaun Alexander. The guy is a beast (1,880 yards and 28 TDs) yet he only had 20 carries. You might argue that the Seahawks had to go to the air exclusively down the stretch because they were behind, and I agree, but if Alexander had gotten another 10 touches early, they wouldn’t have been in that catch-up situation. That’s a lot of writing about a dud of a game, but this country is crazy about “Super Sunday.” Well, let me get out of here for this week. Shoot me an email at sports@cable33.com and let me know your thoughts or ideas for future blog topics.