JUST 7 SPORTS: Punting on Punting and November Neurosis

HEADLINER

It was the call that shook the world: Patriots coach Bill Belichick went for it on 4th & 2 from the New England 28 with a 34-28 lead and 2:08 remaining. After Tom Brady's pass to Kevin Faulk came up short, Peyton Manning and the Colts had little trouble getting into the endzone for the game-winning touchdown and PAT. Statisticians everywhere defended Belichick's decision, explaining that punting would not have helped the cause. But former Patriots linebacker Tedy Bruschi made perhaps the most astute observation: if you play for the New England defense, aren't you at least a little bit offended that your coach thought you weren't good enough to stop Manning from picking up 60+ yards in two minutes?


DELICIOUS DIGIT

6. That's how many undefeated FBS teams there are in Division I heading into late November. The SEC figures to have a lock on one spot in the BCS championship game, with 10-0 Florida and Alabama facing a litany of weak opponents en route to their conference title matchup on Dec. 5th. Meanwhile, the Lone Star State holds the No. 3 and No. 4 spots in the BCS rankings - Texas has just lowly Kansas and Texas A&M to hold off until the Big 12 showdown, but TCU is hoping for a miracle that will allow it to compete for the top spot in the country. The loser in all of this, however, is Boise State: the longer the Horned Frogs stay undefeated, the more likely it is that the 10-0 Broncos will miss out on a BCS bowl. Can someone call Utah's attorney general? Idaho needs some help.


THE 7

1. After years of being exalted as the Tiger Woods of women's golf, Michelle Wie finally broke through to win her first LPGA title in 65 tries, beating out Paula Creamer at the Lorena Ochoa Invitational. Wie, who is still just 20 years old, vindicated her fans and endorsers with a two-stroke victory and was summarily doused with beer on the 18th green. The winners' check brought her 2009 total to $900,000 - impressive, but just a fraction of the millions of dollars that Nike pays her every year.

2. Looks like voters are starting to take the Cy Young award more literally. In what seems to be becoming a tradition, both of this year's Cy Young winners were from non-playoff teams - and, in the case of Zack Greinke, from a team that was never even close to making it to the postseason. The Giants' Tim Lincecum took home the award for the second straight year for the Giants (3rd in the NL West), while Greinke won his first for a Royals team that lost 97 games. The Cy Young discussion seems to have been democratized by nontraditional statistics in recent years, with voters seemingly willing to overlook average win-loss records by blaming the poor run support pitchers received from their teams. How pervasive is this trend? In the past four years, only one of eight Cy Young pitchers won 20 games - Cliff Lee, who finished 22-3 for the Indians last season. Cy Young, who lost 316 games in his career, would be proud.

3. WWAID - what would Allen Iverson do? Asking to be released by the Grizzlies after just three games, Iverson is back on the market. The Knicks are reported to be considering signing Iverson despite passing on him in the offseason. (Could New York's 2-9 start have anything to do with that?) Miami is reported to be interested as well. A bottom-feeding squad with too many guards in a city with too many reporters, or South Beach and a chance to actually make the playoffs? You don't need to ask WWAID to answer that question.

4. You know college basketball is in full season when No. 1 teams are barely avoiding upsets by unranked opponents. Kansas, currently atop the national polls, came within a Mario Chalmers-style three-pointer attempt by Memphis from losing, edging the Tigers, 57-55, on Tuesday night. This came just hours after No. 2 Michigan State held off Gonzaga despite trailing for much of the game. Who needs March Madness when there's November Neurosis?

5. Jauron out. Shanahan in? Buffalo fired head coach Dick Jauron, who has led the organization to a 24-33 record since 2006. Just one day later, ESPN. com reported that that the Bills are considering former Denver coach Mike Shanahan to take over. Shanahan, who won two Super Bowls with the Broncos, would certainly bring expertise and confidence to a mediocre Buffalo team. The question is, is there much he can do if he has to choose between Trent Edwards and Ryan Fitzpatrick at quarterback? When it comes to the NFL, perhaps a Stanford-Harvard combination isn't your best bet.

6. Jason Bay may have found a home in Boston, but the Red Sox have not yet earned his loyalty. Bay did not come to terms with Theo Epstein & Co. in the exclusive time window and will become an unrestricted free agent. The Sox had planned to spend significant money this offseason on Bay and/or Matt Holliday, but they will surely be disappointed to have to pay market price to retain their prized left fielder.

7. South African runner Caster Semenya, whose gender had been under review after she won the women's 800m at the world championships, was exonerated on Thursday, with the South African sports ministry announcing that Semenya would be able to keep her medal and her prize money. More surprisingly, it appears that the results of the gender tests will be kept confidential. If Semenya is indeed a woman, why all the secrecy?


HORIZON

It's still a month and a half away, but the tickets sure aren't priced like it. The NHL Winter Classic, featuring the Bruins and the Flyers facing off at Fenway Park, promises to be an expensive affair for fans, with seats going for no lower than $300 and over $1,000 on StubHub. Although the memories of the lockout are finally fading, hockey revenues are still far from overwhelming, and many venues still offer very cheap tickets. With fans and advertisers opening their wallets for the January 1st showdown, Gary Bettman has to wonder: should all NHL games be played outdoors in historic baseball stadiums?


THE Q

In a win-or-don't-go-to-South-Africa qualifier for the World Cup between France and Ireland on Wednesday night, Thierry Henry knocked a ball home late in the match after a very clear handball. However, the referees missed it, and despite an admission by Henry and protests by the Irish, FIFA has not taken any action. In your opinion, should the match be replayed? Leave your comments below.


Tune in next week for your Just 7 Sports briefing.


CORRECTION: Last week, Just 7 Sports asserted that UNC had "a run of mediocrity in the late '90s and early 2000s." While the Tar Heels missed the NCAA Tournament in 2002-2003, they qualified for the Dance every single year from 1990-2001 and actually reached the Final Four in 1997 , 1998, and 2000. Just 7 Sports regrets the hyperbole.