A growing trend among NFL running backs and records
This past Sunday was just another day for San Diego Chargers running back LaDainian Tomlinson, who carried the ball 25 times for 199 yards and two touchdowns (he also had one reception for five yards) in the Chargers' 20-9 win over the Kansas City Chiefs. Not only did the game mark Tomlinson's eighth straight multi-touchdown game, but it also extended the former TCU star's NFL record for rushing touchdowns in a single season to 28. Most likely, Tomlinson will surpass 30 rushing TD's, a mark that has never been seriously within reach in the past. Consider some of the great running backs in the history of the NFL--Barry Sanders, O.J. Simpson, Jim Brown, Franco Harris, Walter Payton, Priest Holmes, Marshall Faulk and Emmitt Smith. Prior to the turn of the century, 30 touchdowns were virtually unreachable. Brown's highest single-season totals were 17 in 1958 and '65. Simpson's high mark was 16 in 1975, and Harris and Payton had highs of 14 in '76 and '77, respectively. Sanders went as far as 17 rushing scores in 1991. When Smith topped the list in '95, over 10 years since Washington's John Riggins moved into first place in 1983 with 24 TD's, it seemed that no one could possibly reach that plateau. But within the following decade, Smith's record would be crossed three times--in 2000 by Faulk with 26, in 2003 by Holmes with 27 and last season by MVP Shaun Alexander, who crossed the goal line 27 times. Considering how many times the record has been reset in the past decade, it is highly possible that whatever total Tomlinson finishes with this season could easily be passed by 2015, possibly multiple times.


So long, "new ball"!
Back in 1985, Coca-Coca figured that it might be a good idea to introduce a new formula to replace the older, proven one. History knows how well that grand idea turned out. (Wonder why you don't see New Coke or Coke II and the bottles you get at the stores are called Coke Classic?) Prior to the 2006-07 NBA season, National Basketball Association Commissioner David Stern decided to change the basketball to a microfiber one from the previous leather versions. Not only did the type of ball change, but the patterns on it did as well, as shown in the picture to the left of Miami's Shaquille O'Neal. (To examine the two, here's two pictures from Wikipedia of the old ball and the new ball.) The change brought forth a large amount of criticism about the design, how it played on the court and other various aspects. Many criticized Stern's decision to change the ball because it was felt that using a ball whose skin was made from animals was cruel. Dallas' Dirk Nowitzki, Phoenix's Steve Nash and New Jersey's Jason Kidd all reported cuts on their fingers as a result of using the ball. But all of the complaints and grumbled were silenced recently when Stern decided to go back to the new ball starting Jan. 1. Although the move ticked off PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals--who went so far as to call NBA players "siss[ies]"), it has received numerous praise from basketball players and purists everywhere.


Ohio State-Michi...what!?
I recently took the time to write a game summary and analysis for the Nov. 29 Ohio State-Michigan game that sold me as a believer in pitting the two teams against each other in college football's title game, the BCS Championship. The week following the game, it seemed as if the rest of the country felt so as well ... and what a fleeting time that was. Shortly thereafter, the Southern California Trojans were thrust into the no. 2 spot ahead of the Wolverines, only to be knocked off of the title scramble by UCLA, 13-9, Dec. 2 at the Rose Bowl of all places. It appeared at that point that Michigan would have been vaulted back to the no. 2 position, setting up a rematch for the ages between the two rival schools Jan. 8 in the title game. But instead, the pollsters moved the Florida Gators up to the second spot, putting head coach Urban Meyer's squad in the title game instead of the more proven Wolverines. Don't get me wrong, in no way do I think that the Wolves better than OSU. (In fact, I think that the Buckeyes would once again defeat UM if the two played again.) But putting Florida, a team that has posted so many less-than-stellar performances this season against some of the weakest teams in the country, into the title picture was insane. The only reason that it was done was because the pollsters did not want to see a rematch so soon after the two rivals had just played. As a result, expect a major blowout in this year's title game as the Buckeyes are in a whole different league than the Gators.


What, Radford University has fans?
I tried my best to hype up the already anticipated Dec. 6 game between last season's Final Four participant George Mason and the Radford University men's basketball team in the last issue of The Tartan for the fall semester in hopes that it would help get the fans into the stands for a change. After all, student and faculty attendance is generally subpar at best at RU sporting events. Apparently, it's too darn hard to walk across the bridge to get to Cupp Stadium or the Dedmon Center to cheer on your Highlanders and Lady Highlanders. That's the only conclusion I can give. But from what I've learned so far from my time here at RU is that students and faculty will show up ... if you shove the game in their face enough and hype it enough. It works every season for Homecoming and most games against the Virginia Tech Hokies. I knew that the student body would show up for the game in larger-than-usual numbers but to see a packed Dedmon Center surprised me a bit. Perhaps it was because people were further encouraged to go if it meant that they could get a free Terrible Towel-like towel to wave around during the game. (Free stuff always seems to entice people.) Or perhaps people really, for once, cared. Whatever the reason, the players noticed. In fact, they always notice. Being a reporter/Sports Editor for three semesters now, I get to converse with players and coaches about attendance and how it helps their performance when the stands are filled. Almost every time I talk to an RU athlete or coach, I am told how influential cheering can be at times. For me, a person who has been to numerous sporting events at various levels, the Mason game was refreshing to attend because it was exciting. And not because the game itself was exciting, but the atmosphere was simply bouncing (as were the people). I applaud RU students for showing up. You folks helped make a great game even greater and hopefully will make it out to more events in the future.

The players and coaches noticed, by the way. In case you're wondering, here's a few post-game quotes:
George Mason Head Coach Jim Larranaga: "[It was] pretty enthusiastic."
Radford sophomore guard Martell McDuffy: "[The fan turnout] lifted the team up great. We saw the student body and fed off the crowd noise."
Radford senior guard Reggie McIntyre: "The fans did a great job coming out and showing their support. It seemed like all of Radford was here."

Previous editions of this series:
* - Edition 1--Nov. 28

Photo Credit: Sports Illustrated (Tomlinson, O'Neal), Associated Press (Meyer), Blake Fought (Oliver)