Valley Sports

For the life of me, I can’t understand how people can defend Patriots’ coach Bill Belichick’s decision to go for it on fourth down Sunday night against the Indianapolis Colts.
Yes, I know the raw numbers says teams are more successful than not when going for it on fourth down and short. But those numbers don’t take into account the situation.
New England led by six. It faced a 4th-and-2 from its 28-yard-line with 2:08 left. As scared as Belichick was of giving Peyton Manning the ball, he had to make Manning go 70 yards or so for the game-winning touchdown.
Instead, he risked giving Manning the ball at the Patriots’ 28, and from there we saw what happened.
It was one of the worst decisions I’ve ever seen in the NFL, and I don’t care how many pundits, mathematicians or coaches praise Belichick for the call.
He cost the Patriots the game.

I guess I’m supposed to be outraged that the Diamondbacks put an admitted steroids user, Matt Williams, into a uniform again and made him their first-base coach.
But my fury about athletes and performance-enhancing drugs is long past its expiration date. Fans are numb to it, as well. They’d rather hear who the No. 5 starter in the rotation will be than read another tired rant about Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds, etc.
I also happen to think that Williams shouldn’t have to forfeit a career in baseball because he used steroids. We all make mistakes. We all deserve second chances.
That said, Diamondbacks managing general partner Ken Kendrick can no longer pound the podium and sound holier-than-thou about steroids. As much as anyone in the game, Kendrick has decried the use of PEDs. But he can’t have it both ways - rage against the drugs and then approve the hiring of Williams as the team’s first-base coach.

Last Saturday wasn’t a good day for the Fiesta Bowl.
Bowl officials were hoping to land either Penn State or Iowa with their No. 1 pick (assuming, of course, undefeated Texas wins the Big 12 and plays in the national championship game).
But those plans may have been scuttled. The Nittany Lions dropped to 18th in the latest BCS poll after their loss to Ohio State (teams have to be in the top 14 to qualify for a BCS game) and it’s unlikely they’ll move up.
Iowa is No. 10, but it could take a big drop should it get thumped by Ohio State this weekend, which is a distinct possibility given that Hawkeyes’ starting quarterback Rick Stanzi will miss the rest of the regular season with a severely sprained ankle.
So where does that leave the Fiesta Bowl?
With USC, probably. Assuming Oregon wins the Pac-10 and USC finishes second (yes, the Arizona Wildcats are still a factor), the Fiesta Bowl likely would invite the Trojans and pair them with either TCU, Boise State or Cincinnati.
That could change if a two-loss Iowa team still is in the top 14. The Hawkeyes would travel 30,000 strong, and many of those fans would spend several days in the Valley. USC fans likely wouldn’t fly in until the day before or day of the game.
For now, though, pencil in USC vs. TCU. It’s not a sexy sell, but if it turns out to be anything like the Boise State-Oklahoma game in 2007, what a show it will be.

Catching up on a Sunday morning while waiting for the Cardinals-Bears game to start here at Soldier Field:
1. Dennis Erickson has no choice: Freshman Brock Osweiler has to start Saturday’s game at Oregon. After Danny Sullivan’s first-half performance against USC, how could Erickson possibly go back to the senior?
Osweiler isn’t ready - as his numbers against USC attest - and he’ll probably have another miserable day at Autzen Stadium, but it’s long past time to let him gain some experience so he’ll be better for it next year.
The sad thing is, had Erickson started Osweiler earlier, he might have been comfortable enough to lead ASU to a win against the Trojans.
2. You can pencil in Penn State to play in the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 4. Assuming Ohio State beats Iowa this coming weekend to clinch the Big Ten title, Penn State will finish second, and the yellow jackets at the Fiesta Bowl like the idea of inviting the Nittany Lions and coach Joe Paterno.
That plan could be toppled, however, if Oklahoma State finishes in the top 14 of the BCS. In that case, the Fiesta Bowl likely will honor its tie-in with the Big 12 and invite the Cowboys.
3. I’m still not sold on the Suns, but Friday’s victory in Boston swayed my thinking a bit. The Celtics had suffocated clubs with their defense, but they couldn’t keep up with the Suns’ speed and 3-point shooting.
Assuming Steve Nash stays healthy and Amar’e Stoudemire doesn’t lose his newfound passion for defense, the Suns may exceed expectations this year.

The Cardinals have made wide receiver Anquan Boldin (ankle) inactive for Sunday’s game against the Bears. Boldin has been battling an ankle injury for weeks but he practiced Friday, so his being placed on the inactive list is a bit of a surprise.
Boldin’s unavailability means Early Doucet will play for the first time this season.
Middle linebacker Gerald Hayes (back) is also inactive, meaning Ali Highsmith will start in the middle. That could affect the Cardinals’ run defense, as Highsmith is 16 pounds lighter than Hayes.
Other inactives are offensive linemen Herman Johnson and Brandon Keith, tight end Stephen Spach and tight end Dominique Byrd.

Phoenix Suns owner Robert Sarver was on KTAR (620 AM) Friday afternoon. As the interview concluded he engaged in some off-color banter with co-host John Gambadoro. The dialogue was sexual in nature and completely inappropriate, not only for an afternoon talk show but for the owner of a professional sports team.
I could just imagine a father taking his kids to the game, tuning in to the team’s flagship station and hearing Sarver discuss topics that are better suited for Howard Stern and satellite radio.
I also thought: Jerry Colangelo never would say anything like that.
A piece of advice, Robert. You’re not 14 years old. Think before you talk.

Disgraced former NBA referee Tom Donaghy has made some serious accusations about his former co-workers in a book that he hoped to get published but won’t because there’s no corroboration for his charges.
One of Donaghy’s charges concerns the 2007 Suns-Spurs playoff series. You know, the series in which Amare Stoudemire and Boris Diaw were suspended for Game 5. I won’t name the referee here because there’s no way to know if Donaghy is telling the truth, but he alleges a certain official wanted San Antonio to remain in the playoffs because he liked traveling to the city.
The accusation seems ridiculous but it’s sure to rile up Suns fans who still believe the NBA and commissioner David Stern has it out for them.

As I write this, Game 1 of the World Series is less than two hours away. I was right on in my NLCS and ALCS predictions, so I thought I’d try to keep the streak going in the Fall Classic.
Clearly, this is a matchup of baseball’s two best teams. The Yankees and Phillies have proven their superiority, and that could make for a World Series classic.
Who do I like?
Well, both teams have unhittable aces (CC Sabathia, Cliff Lee) and powerful, deep lineups. The Phillies may be the only club in baseball that is New York’s equal one through nine.
The one huge advantage the Yankees have is their bullpen, despite Phil Hughes’ blowup against the Angels in the ALCS. And given the way New York makes pitchers work, thus shortening their nights, the Phillies’ suspect bullpen could be exposed in a big way.
That’s why I like the Yankees in 6.

Arizona State wide receiver Kyle Williams, who leads the team with 34 receptions, didn’t make the trip to California and won’t play in Saturday’s game against Stanford.
Williams has been bothered by a sore hamstring.
Williams’ injury could be significant that both of Stanford’s cornerbacks are making their first career start: Sophomore Johnson Bademosi and freshman Quinn Evans.
On another front, there are whispers throughout the ASU program that sophomore running back Ryan Bass needs an attitude adjustment. Bass was supposed to be a major part of the Sun Devils’ offense, but he is listed as the third-string tailback behind Dimitri Nance and Cameron Marshall.
Reportedly, Bass’ effort in practice hasn’t been to the liking of coach Dennis Erickson. Don’t be surprised if an unhappy Bass thinks about transferring after the season.

If last week’s Pac-10 football games taught us anything, it’s this: The conference hierarchy is still a mess.

You have Oregon and USC at the top, and Washington State on the bottom. From No. 3 through 9… well, take your pick. Stanford was making a case for No. 3 in the pecking order before blowing a 15-point lead to Arizona. Washington looked like it had turned things around with some impressive showings (knocking off USC) before self-destructing against ASU.

How will it shake out? It might be one of those seasons where home-field advantage and turnovers decide the majority of these games.

ASU already lost to Oregon State and still has games against USC and Oregon remaining. Assuming losses to those two, the Devils must win two of the following four games to become bowl eligible: at Stanford, vs. Cal, at UCLA, vs. Arizona. Anything more than two wins and they could be in the mix for third or fourth place in the Pac-10, which is a lot better than many predicted coming into the season.

PAC-10 STANDINGS

(Overall record in parentheses)

Oregon (5-1)……..3-0

USC (5-1)…………..2-1

ASU (4-2)………….2-1

Arizona (4-2)……..2-1

Oregon St. (4-2)…..2-1

Stanford (4-3)……..3-2

Washington (4-3)…2-2

California (4-2)…….1-2

UCLA (3-3)………….0-3

Wash. State (1-5)….0-4