Never thought the Richard Williamson Bucs era would look good

Florida's victory over FSU in basketball last night was an unexpected but nice beginning to a busy week for them. For a variety of reasons the Noles have had the advantage in the series in recent years, and this year there was plenty of buildup about the edge their size would give them. It didn't work out that way, despite UF really not having anyone whose performance in the game could be described as above average offensively. Michigan State in Atlantic City will be a tougher test, but this was a really important win for Billy Donovan's guys.

What's gone on in Tampa this year is now officially a total NFL debacle. As if the decision to fire offensive coordinator Jeff Jagodzinski just days before the season began wasn't bad enough, now the Bucs have for all practical purposes canned defensive coordinator Jim Bates as well. The hiring of Bates puzzled me from the beginning - he doesn't run a Tampa 2 defensive scheme, which is what the team's personnel had been signed to fit. Bates is a respected coach and a veteran DC though, and I assumed Raheem Morris wanted Bates to use the scheme he has coached for years. Now Bates has been dumped for the sin of not being a Tampa 2 DC, and the overmatched head coach who put together this disaster of a staff will serve as defensive coordinator too. How can the Glazers actually be allowing this fiasco to happen? Everyone involved in current management and coaching should be fired. Burn it to the ground, then try actually hiring competent people to do the jobs next year.

I've never understood why PETA lets nutcases make absurd arguments using their name. Getting publicity for an outlandish request that 99 percent of the people who hear about dismiss as ridiculous and stupid doesn't seem terribly beneficial to me. The latest example: PETA wants UGA to replace the deceased UGA 7 with a robot dog because breeding of animals is supposed to be cruel. There's a better chance of me becoming Pope than there is of Georgia having Mr Chips the robot dog as their mascot. This is PETA's dumbest argument since trying to get Green Bay to change their name to the pickers or "six packers" because they don't like the current name's association with meat packing.

It's well documented that there are former players in all the major sports who were gay and kept that concealed during their career. No one can possibly be naive enough to think there are no current gay players, even though none have confirmed that to be the case. These guys are unable to acknowledge their true life to their teammates and the public because it makes some people uncomfortable. There's an interesting story you should read from the world of hockey that indicates the time when a guy can come out without it becoming a career killer may be closer than a lot of people think. If a successful current college team can handle having an out student manager in their locker room without it being a disruption, what possible excuse would pros have for it being a problem?

I'm taking Thanksgiving off, but there should be a new post up for Friday to set up the weekend. I hope you have an enjoyable holiday, even with the Lions and Raiders both being nationally televised.