Football during a pandemic? They play on against all logic
This column has had nothing but disparaging words for the notion of football in a pandemic. It just sounds too crazy, and now Cal has seen a game wiped off the schedule before the season even starts.
Eventually, there’s an overriding thought: They will try. That means everyone: teams, leagues, small businesses, universities, restaurants, hospitals. There is nobility in that, based on the simple principle of survival. So let that be the theme, with its heady mix of foolishness and courage, as we keep alive those hopes for better days.
It’s a sign of the times that a 9 a. m. start seems acceptable for Saturday’s opener of the Pac12 football season. On a typically crowded schedule featuring national powers, nothing significant gets in the way of the USC-Arizona State kickoff, and this could be one of the conference’s
best games of the year. The call here: Jayden Daniels wins the quarterback duel with USC’s Kedon Slovis and leads an ASU upset.
What would that mean? The likelihood that no Pac12 team goes undefeated ( Oregon will miss departed QB Justin Herbert and some key players who opted out) and no chance for a spot in the fourteam playoff. Then again, that probably wouldn’t happen under any circumstances. It’s just a little too awkward when the Pac12 teams start the day 00 and BYU, as a glaring example, will have played eight games.
Bad timing
The 9 a. m. start has no future. It throws the players off their routines, and when the stadiums are packed again, it’s a ridiculous adjustment to ask of fans. Why is it even happening? To improve the Pac12’ s TV ratings in the Central and Eastern time zones. As if people even care about the Pac12 within the other Power 5 conferences. They might pay attention if USC unveils a spectacular running back in pursuit of the Heisman Trophy. Otherwise, they’re all preparing for their afternoon extravaganzas. No time for Utah against Oregon State. ... It seems apparent that Ohio State, Alabama and Clemson will occupy three of the four playoff spots, assuming Clemson gets by Notre Dame on Saturday. ( Not an easy task, but quarterback Trevor Lawrence’s backup, D. J. Uiagalelei, is absolutely for real. He’s a supremely confident 6foot4, 250pound freshman from Southern California highschool powerhouse St. John Bosco, and he dominated last week’s win over Boston College.) The way some insiders see it, why expand? Four is plenty. Except that’s wrong. This is the perfect year for eightteam democracy, giving more teams reason to dream as they wade through the pandemic minefields. Too bad the sport’s stuffy leaders don’t see it that way.
Dead in the water: The Pac12 Network. It was already a disaster under overmatched Commissioner Larry Scott, reaching only 17 million households ( compared to 73 million for the Big Ten Network), unavailable on DirecTV, offering far too many night games ( nothing should start after 4: 30 p. m.) and often not informing fans of a starting time until six days before a game. In late August, at a time there would be no football until spring, the Pac12 unveiled 79 combined furloughs and 15 layoffs. According to the Oregonian, “The Pac12 Network’s entire digital team was fired as part of the move. Those in charge of social media, the website and the app were all told their services were no longer needed.” Many jobs have been restored, but morale is shot — especially because the Pac12 Network will show no games over the first six weeks, perhaps sneaking in for the final day of games Dec. 19. Everything will be on the Fox and ESPN networks, and strangest of all, this is actually a refreshing development for the most devoted football fans. No more clinging to DirecTV ( for the NFL’s Sunday Ticket package) while doubling up on Comcast/ Xfinity because of the Pac12 Networks. ... Bottom line: Scott’s contract is up in 2022, right around the time negotiations begin for a new TV deal ( starting in 2024), and he has to be ousted before he gets anywhere near those talks.
The feeling here has always been that Jim Harbaugh made his Michigan move too early. He should have targeted a return to his beloved alma mater as the final phase of his career, and if it didn’t work out — hey, some nice memories along the way. Now he’s under heavy fire with four straight bowlgame losses and a 38 combined record against Ohio State and Michigan State. Fans and school executives are exasperated, and his contract expires after next season. But does he have a clear path back to the NFL? Or anywhere? ... Could the all-Oakland baseball team compete with New York City? In the wake of our piece on ballplayers who went to Oakland high schools, we’re compelled to print those from NYC’s five boroughs: Lou Gehrig or Hank Greenberg at first base; Eddie Collins or Rod Carew at second; Phil Rizzuto at shortstop; Frankie Frisch at third, Joe Torre catching, and an outfield of Tommy Davis, Rocky Colavito and Manny Ramirez ( or “Wee Willie” Keeler if you like). Sandy Koufax starts and Whitey Ford pitches Game 2. ( Note: Frisch primarily was a second baseman, but the Hall of Famer played 459 games at third, and this team needs him there). Uptodate population reminder: NYC 8.4 million, Oakland around 433,000. ... I love the idea packing nearly 60,000 fans into a San Francisco neighborhood to watch the 49ers with virtually no parking available. Then again, I love every recollection about the old Kezar Stadium, where the team played from August of 1946 through the January ’ 71 playoff loss to Dallas. It’s all magnificently captured in “Kezar Stadium: 49ers Fans Remember” by Martin S. Jacobs, who saw his first 49ers game in 1952 ( watching Hugh McElhenny run wild in an exhibition against the Chicago Cardinals) and was hooked for life. Jacobs breaks down the team’s colorful history in a number of reference-material categories, complemented by dozens of photos and interviews with fans, players, coaches, staff and journalists who were there. Here’s to a wellresearched gift of nostalgia.