Longing for some controversy

Sometimes you run across stories that make you homesick. Earlier this year, Portland Trail Blazers guard/forward Qyntel Woods was arrested - and later suspended by the team - for allegedly engaging in dog fighting with pit bulls.

That, while reprehensible, is at the same time funny enough to provide material for weeks on end. Yesterday, however, came news of the cherry on top of this comedic sundae: Woods has been suspended by the NBA for … wait for it … violating the substance abuse policy.

This is the same dunderhead who when pulled over by Portland police a couple of years ago for speeding and DUI did not have proof of insurance or a driver's license. Woods tried to use his rookie trading card as ID.

As I laughed my way through the AP story Friday (the same kind of story I wrote a dozen times while covering the Blazers), it made me yearn for some good old fashioned sports controversy.

This week's top 10 (down to nine after one item froze to death at the Class AA soccer tournament):

- 9. Curse reversed. I am of several minds when it comes to the Red Sox finally winning the World Series. While it is nice to be rid of the Curse of the Bambino and all the incessant nattering that went with it the last few years, the Curse was at the same time a humorous tool with which to torment New Englanders.

And on some level the Red Sox winning is one of the most significant sports moments of our lifetimes when you consider all the history behind it. And in five years when ESPN does its summer-long 30th anniversary retrospective we can find out where exactly it places.

But on another level, as Associated Press columnist Jim Litke pointed out, Boston is now just another big-market, big-spending baseball team able to buy a championship.

And really, how significant is that?

- 8. The REALLY impressive story in New England. Today the Patriots go for their 22nd win overall and 19th in the regular season. New England is defying the odds in this day of parity in the NFL, and I'm not sure enough is being made of the streak.

The one thing going against New England is that they have not (yet) gone undefeated in a single season. Even Patriot Ty Law said this week on ESPN's "Pardon the Interruption" that the 1972 Dolphins 17-0 season is more impressive than his team's run.

Nevertheless, what New England has done is head-shakingly amazing.

- 7. College football I: Upset specials. First Florida State gets nipped by Maryland, then Miami goes down in flames at North Carolina. Add on the sad state of affairs in Gainesville these days (more on that later) and suddenly the state of Florida isn't as shiny as it used to be in college football.

- 6. College football II. I'm still trying to figure out how an idea like firing your head coach in the middle of the season, but not making it effective until the end of the season, is (a) generated, (b) doesn't get laughed out of the room when brought up, (c) actually gets approved by superiors and (d) actually gets carried out.

However that all happens, it happened at the University of Florida this week, and all it does is make a bigger mess of things. With decisions like this getting made at the Division I-A level, it suddenly becomes clearer to me how we ended up with the BCS.

- 5. Questions that need answering. While standing on the sideline at Eureka yesterday for the Class B playoffs, I had to think about the paradox of a delay of game penalty on Florence with the score 35-0 and the clock running continuously. How can you delay a game with a running clock? Isn't it by nature impervious to delay?

- 4. College football III. This is shaping up to be an interesting stretch drive for Montana State. After drubbing Northern Arizona so bad yesterday even the Bobcats couldn't find a way to have to win it at the end, MSU is in command in the Big Sky race.

It's not easy, with games still to come at home versus Eastern Washington and on the road at Montana (plus another roadie at Sacramento State, but does that even count?), but it's a simple formula: win and you're going to be hosting a playoff game.

- 3. A lousy way to end a game. After watching the first two days of the Class AA state soccer tournament out at Kidsport and seeing two games decided on penalty kicks, it's clear to me this is a lousy way to end games.

I don't know what an acceptable alternative is, but shootouts, especially in the playoffs, stink, plain and simple.

- 2. College football IV. That was a big, big loss for the Griz in Portland. While I suspect it was mostly a product of the bye week, it's still a pretty substantial blunder for the No. 4 team in the country to lose to a team that was 3-4 overall and 1-3 in the Big Sky coming in.

Still, it's not that big a deal, so long as they win their last three games at home (Northern Arizona, Sad Sac State and Montana State). If they do, the Griz will win the Big Sky championship.

- 1. Congratulations to the Columbia Falls girls soccer team for winning state for the first time, and to the boys team for coming up just short in defense of their state title.

Andrew Hinkelman is a sports writer for The Daily Inter Lake. He can be reached at hink@dailyinterlake.com