Random thoughts

There don't seem to be any topics important or interesting enough for a full blog entry today, so here are a few short ones:

* When will people leave Ricky Williams alone and just appreciate the fact that he is, again, a really good football player? Despite the fact that the man rushed for 119 yards and scored all three Miami touchdowns in a win over Carolina on Thursday night, you'll scarcely be able to hear mention of him without a joke about smoking weed. So the guy smoked some marijuana. He's certainly not alone, and my guess is that an anonymous poll of NFL players would reveal that a majority of players either have smoked or still do. But since Williams admitted it, he's the butt of these lame jokes.

* How can Larry Johnson possibly fit in with the Bengals? This is a team that struggled for years to keep players out of trouble and on the field. Finally, they appear to have all of their ducks in a row, they're leading the AFC North and are talked about more for their play than off-the-field headlines. Even Chad Ochocinco has been (by his standards) relatively quiet. Now they bring in a controversial, disgruntled running back who, seemingly, doesn't get along with anyone. Doesn't make sense.

* While Allen Iverson is hardly a likable player, it is a little sad to watch his recent fall from grace. He used to be a top-5 player in the NBA. Now he can't hold a job with a lousy team and rumor has it he's going to sign with the Knicks. You have to believe that if Iverson had been willing to put his ego aside and be a role player for a contender, like Rasheed Wallace is doing this year in Boston, Iverson could finish his career with a championship.

* Even though part of me is excited about college basketball season getting underway, another part feels like it's way too early. College football won't be over for a month and a half, and already preseason hoop tournaments are in full swing. Just seems unnatural.

* Speaking of college hoops, it's also too early to try to predict who's going to be the last team standing come April, but this much I do know: URI and Providence College both are going to stink.