Congress tackles footblah, blah, blah

By Todd Hartley on July 10, 2009

I was bartending the other night — believe it or not, this column doesn’t pay all my bills — when this gal at the bar mentioned how excited she was that NFL training camps are opening soon. Naturally, she was a Denver Broncos fan, as people in most states have other things to hold their interest in the summer. I gave a weary groan, in my own obnoxious way, to let her know what I thought of football talk in July, and that was basically the end of it. Sadly, though, football discussion has become a year-round pursuit, and unless you’re a rabid pigskin fan, it gets mind-numbingly boring. Continue reading »

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Does the Buckeye stop here?

By Todd Hartley on September 26, 2003

A year ago at this time, Ohio State tailback Maurice Clarett was the second coming of Archie Griffin, the only man ever to win two Heisman Trophies and, like Clarett, a god around Columbus.

Clarett was on his way to 1,237 rushing yards and freshman-of-the-year awards, and the Buckeyes were on their way to an undefeated season and the school’s first national championship since 1968.

What a difference a year makes. Continue reading »

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Holy cliches, Batman!

By Todd Hartley on December 6, 2002

If you are any sort of sports fan, by now you’ve heard dozens of athletes, upon finishing a game, offer up all their success to “our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.” And if you’re like me, you’re getting a little tired of it.

It’s not that I have anything against Jesus. By most accounts in the one book that describes his deeds, he was a pretty good guy. He saved folks, gave them bread and wine, redeemed their souls, and he was into fishing and carpentry. I admire all those traits. Continue reading »

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A third-string Cinderella

By Todd Hartley on November 22, 2002

So by now I imagine you’ve heard of this Marc Bulger kid, who has stepped in at quarterback for the St. Louis Rams and helped to turn their season around. I’m guessing you’ve already noticed that he has led them to five straight wins after they started the season by losing their first five games, and I’m assuming you’re suitably impressed.

Bulger, who is in just his fourth year as a professional, had never thrown a pass in the NFL before a few weeks ago. Continue reading »

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The return of Titus Asolis

By Todd Hartley on November 8, 2002

The following is a copy of a letter sent to Paul Tagliabue, the commissioner of the National Football League.

Dear Commissioner Tagliabue,

God bless you and the other NFL officials who finally decided to crack down on the rampant violence going on in your game. If you had allowed it to persist one more week, you would have lost me as a fan. Continue reading »

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Writing off Randy Moss

By Todd Hartley on September 27, 2002

I got an interesting e-mail from my brother the other day: “I hate to say I told you so, but I told you so.”

I knew in an instant what he was talking about. He was referring to a conversation we’d had a few years ago about Randy Moss, the volatile superstar of the Minnesota Vikings.

His contention was that Moss was poison to a team’s chemistry, given his checkered past, which at that time included drug arrests and losing scholarships from two major college programs. Continue reading »

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