The Nightcap

Tonight's Nightcap is brought to you by my favorite way to kill brain cells on a slow sports day, Negra Modelo.
Chill. Open. Drink. Repeat until asleep...

-I have no idea what the Giants are thinking in bringing back Tom Coughlin for another year. Haven't they been watching the last few seasons? It's obvious that after Eli Manning makes a mistake, he goes into a shell and is worthless for the remainder of the game. What he needs is a coach that will put an arm around him for encouragement, not someone that will berate him and make him feel like a failure. Eli doesn't need Tom Coughlin. He needs love, support and maybe to share a few tears. He needs Dick Vermeil.

-Coming off of his performance against an average Michigan secondary in the Rose Bowl, USC WR Dwayne Jarrett has elected to ride the momentum and declare himself eligible for the NFL draft. Jarrett is part of a rich tradition of Southern Cal wide receivers who have left early for the draft and now must live up to the illustrious standards set by former first rounders Mike Williams and R. Jay Soward. GMs, you've been warned.

-In college hoops, both Connecticut and Duke lost yet again and should continue to sink in the polls. Someone is going to make a "They are who we thought they were" joke, but it's not going to be me.

-I'm sure this quote was taken out of context, or perhaps Coach K didn't have time to frame the response the way he wanted. But if you're at all concerned about your school's image as a haven for spoiled trust fund kids, you shouldn't explain your team's performance in this manner:

"Just because you're at Duke doesn't mean you inherit winning," coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "You inherit money -- you don't inherit knowing how to win."

-Looking back at the box score from Tuesday night's Ohio State/Wisconsin match, Greg Oden only had 6 field goal attempts in 30 minutes, while his Buckeyes teammates decided to hoist up 26 three point attempts. Watching the game, there were many trips down the court where a guard launched a three within the first 15 seconds of the shot clock without ever looking inside. That is ridiculous. Someone needs to let Ohio State coach Thad Matta know that he has a 7 foot tall, freakishly athletic teenager on his roster. I think this might be some useful information for the team.

-It's been revealed that Barry Bonds failed a test for amphetamines at some point during the 2006 season. (It's funny how information regarding Bonds always manages to get leaked out.) I don't see why there should be that big of an uproar over this. He may have tested positive, but it wasn't for steroid use; so it won't give rabid fans the satisfaction they desire. Besides, I went to a few Giants home games last season, and after watching SF play for a few innings, I know I needed to pop a few greenies to stay awake. So really, I can't fault Barry if he needed a little pick me up between Pedro Feliz and Shea Hillenbrand at bats.

-In related news, Mark McGwire tested positive for Alzheimer's disease, Sammy Sosa tested positive for English comprehension, and Rafael Palmeiro tested positive for twice the recommended dose of Viagra.