* Former Buccaneer John Lynch was the color analyst on the Fox Sports telecast of the Bucs-Atlanta Falcons game last Sunday. He’s articulate, knowledgeable, and, increasingly, candid in his analysis and criticism. This one wouldn’t pass the political correctness test, but it resonated with anyone paying attention. After quarterback Mike Glennon ran for a first down, once again showing unexpected agility, Lynch safely commented by quoting Glennon. “People see me as a tall, lanky white guy, but I can run.”
* The controversy over the Washington Redskins’ name continues apace. A New York Times story recently quoted Washington owner Dan Snyder as saying that while the franchise doesn’t “intend to disparage or disrespect a racial or ethnic group,” it won’t be changing the name. For context, the article noted that a number of college teams have changed nicknames and mascots in the last few decades, such as the Stanford Cardinal (nee “Indians”) and the St. John’s Red Storm (formerly the “Redmen”). The latter, however, should have come with an asterisk. The St. John’s “Redmen” were so named because the football team back in the 1920s wore all-red uniforms. It had nothing to do with Native Americans.
And, no, don’t look for the Florida State Seminoles to be doing any nickname changing. FSU actually consults with the Seminole Tribe of Florida, even sharing a percentage of paraphernalia sales and establishing a course in Seminole history. That’s not exactly Chief Wahoo (the Cleveland Indians’ demeaning caricature) out there astride the appaloosa, Renegade, at Seminole home games.
* We know from the Rays’ success that there is no automatic correlation between payroll and winning, although the biggest MLB spenders typically win more than their less affluent competitors. For the record: The World Series matches the ($154 million) Boston Red Sox and the ($117 million) St. Louis Cardinals. Falling just shy: the ($148 million) Detroit Tigers and the ($216 million) Los Angeles Dodgers. Making it to the post-season, but losing in the first round: the Oakland A’s and the Tampa Bay Rays (identically at $61.9 million). For what it’s worth, nobody topped the New York Yankees ($228 million), who didn’t make it into the playoffs. Too bad.