· How weird is it that as awful a season as the Bucs had this year, one of their three wins was against a team, the New Orleans Saints, that will be in Sunday’s Super Bowl? The NFL, of course, would delight in reminding everyone that even for demonstrably bad teams, the “any given Sunday” shibboleth still applies. And that “parity” is more than marketing boilerplate.
· Anyone else tired of the overuse – and positive connotation – of “swagger” in sports? As in athletes or teams – University of Miami football comes readily to mind – who have regained their “swagger” and are so much better for it. What’s wrong with merely playing with the confidence that is a byproduct of being good and practicing hard? Doesn’t that speak volumes? Why condone, encourage — and celebrate — insolence, bluster and conceit? Or is the genie of boorishness beyond rebottling?