Miscellaneous Sports Comments

--To those who think team sports is all mechanics and that assembling a squad with talent is all that is necessary for success, I refer you to the Miami Dolphins and Florda Gators football teams.  The Dolphins went all out in the off-season to put together an imposing lineup on defense that would complement, if not surpass, their already capable offense.  But in the first four games, the "stars" did not work together as a unit and displayed little emotion.  The result: one win and three losses.  Now, with a shakeup in the coaching lineup, they are operating on the same page and are showing the spirit that their fans expect.  And the result under new head coach Dan Campbell? A 38-10 thrashing of Tennessee last week and an incredible 41-0 lead at HALFTIME today against Houston! The same is true for University of Florida football, which under its previous coach played in an undisciplined and sporadic manner.  This year, the new coach has brought together players that are probably no more talented than last year's...and of course, many of them ARE from last year.  What a difference, with a consistent output of effort, selfless teamwork, and self-control on the field, that their first-year head coach Jim McElwain has produced so far...

--In baseball's major leagues, I naturally root for the two Florida teams to make the playoffs and face off in the World Series.  Since that obviously wasn't going to happen this year, I went for the New York teams instead.  But although the Yankees choked against Houston in their wild card game, the Mets have fought their way to a World Series against last year's American League champion Kansas City.  Should be fun to watch: the only problem is I'll be at work for the first game, scheduled for this Tuesday evening...

--I was watching English Premier League soccer this morning, and they (NBC Sports) featured a match between cellar-dwelling (20th place) Sunderland and 18th place Newcastle.  Sunderland controlled the game, winning 3-0 for their first victory of the season and finally climbing out of last place.  I think they've discovered their formula for success: just play Newcastle every week...