NFSHSA vs. big men everywhere
Offensive linemen get no love. We all know that.
And now the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFSHSA) has taken one giant step towards limiting the chances of a big man ever making a trip to the end zone for a touchdown.
In the process, this association has proven that the NFL is not the only No Fun League in American football, as the high school game will no longer feature one of the most enjoyable trick plays in football.
That's right. The NFSHSA has banned the fumblerooski.
"What is the fumblerooski?" you ask. It is a play, banned by the NFL in the 1960s, that involved the quarterback taking the snap, placing the ball down on the field, the offense faking a play in one direction, and an offensive lineman picking the ball up and running, presumably slowly, to the end zone.
While this might not seem like a big deal, it now means that when a coach tells a high school football player that he is on the offensive line, he is effectively telling him that he will not be scoring a touchdown in his high school career.
If you think that sounds like fun for a 14-year-old high school freshman, don't come to my next party.
The pick: We all lose. Fans will never again see the sight of the largest offensive player on the field rumbling to the end zone, and high school offensive linemen have one less thing to enjoy about playing football.
-by Andrew Silver
Roddick vs. Haas
Houston, we have a problem.
In the quarterfinal round of this weekend's U.S. Men's Clay Court Championship, held from Apr. 11 to 16 in Houston, Texas, two of men's tennis' most tenacious players, American Andy Roddick and German Tommy Haas, will do battle for a semifinal berth in the French Open tune-up.
Roddick, the tournament's first seed and the fourth-ranked player in the world, has had only lukewarm success throughout his career against Haas (fifth seed, 27th in world rankings). Although Roddick has won the trio's last three meetings, most recently in the semifinals of the 2005 San Jose Championship, Haas has won all three of their matches on clay, including the one in the 2004 finals of this very tournament.
However, Haas' star is fading somewhat. Once ranked as high as No. 2 in the world (in May 2002), he has fallen out of the top 20. Although he has had sporadic success this year, winning the Memphis and Del Ray Beach tournaments earlier this season, he has underperformed in many of his tournament appearances.
The pick: Roddick. He has never failed to make a final in the five years of the tournament's existence and has taken home the top prize on three of his chances. Plus, he lives in Austin. Don't mess with Texas.
-by Kelley Vendeland
