The Dish: Owens Saga Rages On by Christopher Harris

The Dish: Owens Saga Rages On by Christopher Harris


Imagine you missed a news day. Last Wednesday, you were skiing in the Rockies, or surfing in Maui. You didn't check email, you didn't turn on the TV, you read a book, you went on a hike, you went to sleep without feeling the long, frigid fingers of popular culture down your gullet. Then you woke up Thursday morning, and saw this headline:

"Terrell Owens Denies He Tried To Kill Himself"

Ruh? Raggy?

The saga of T.O. has taken us to the summit of homophobia and the nadir of hiphop, to the lush green expanse of a Pennsylvania front lawn perfect for an impromptu session of sit-ups amid a bevy of reporters, to a stationary bike in the hot Texas sun with a Lance Armstrong jersey stretched over inhumanly big wide-receiver muscles. But I'll bet not even the Coen Brothers could've seen this one coming.

Whether or not Owens really did try to off himself, whether it was a cry for help, whether he's depressed or disturbed or just really careless about mixing pharmaceuticals doesn't really matter to me, nor can I listen to any more talk-radio buffoons waxing rhapsodic on the topic. I don't want to hear concerned sportswriters like Sports Illustrated's Michael Silver offer Owens heartwarming words of advice, and I don't particularly care to watch the press conferences, see the police reports, listen to the EMT interviews, or wonder whether Owens himself looks sad or downtrodden. We're all about seven layers removed from the "truth" of this matter, and there we shall always stay. Some say where there's smoke, there's fire. Others say that even if it was an accident, there's nothing T.O. could say to make us believe it. Whatever.

For me, the larger point of the episode is that, for an NFL team, Terrell Owens just isn't worth it. He's a sideshow (albeit potentially a depressed one). He's immature, he's uneducated, and he's a walking circus. There is no on-field production that can make up for the emotional and mental drain he creates 24/7. Guys like Chad Johnson, Randy Moss, Keyshawn Johnson...they run their yappers, they say things they shouldn't, but they don't suck away your soul. Owens does. He's the evil spawn who drives his parents to drink. He's the problem hairdo that won't sit down. He is a walking, talking carnival who cannot, whether it's intentional or not, stay out of the maelstrom.

You might be able to win baseball games that way; Reggie Jackson is an example that comes to mind. But football requires subversion of the self. And that is something Terrell Owens can and will never do.

At 3-0, do you think the New Orleans Saints are for real? Why or why not?

BoDog Bookmakers, BoDog.ws: There is no denying after watching the Monday night game that New Orleans is for real at home. They're going to be tough to beat with the energy and atmosphere that the Superdome has with all that has happened in Louisiana over the past year. Brees looks like a great replacement for Brooks, and the 1-2 combo of McAllister and Bush can cause a lot of trouble for opposing defenses.

Who will be the last team to lose a game in the NFL this season, and why?

BDB, BoDog.ws: At this point, seven teams remain unbeaten and a lot of them are looking really comfortable. Cincy, Seattle, Chicago, Indy; no real surprises there. San Diego, Baltimore and New Orleans; we may not have expected them. Some interesting things to consider here in week 4 match-ups: San Diego visits Baltimore and Seattle visits Chicago, pitting two undefeated teams against each other on Sunday. Indy looks like the favorite to go undefeated the longest, playing the Jets this week, Tennessee in Week 5 and taking a bye in Week 6.

What did Notre Dame furious comeback at Michigan State mean for the bettors? And what did it mean for you? Do you think the Irish still have a shot at the National Championship? Why or why not?

BDB, BoDog.ws: The incredible comeback by Notre Dame on Saturday was huge for bettors who took Notre Dame at -3. At halftime, these bettors had likely written off any chance of winning, yet ended up with a push. Those who got in at -3.5 just missed the cover. For any bettor with a teaser on Notre Dame, this was also a great result. For us, the comeback did some damage in terms of teasers that fell back into play. Since it was the game of the day, a lot of money was tied up in the game. Fortunately, we didn't book the entire game at -3; a good deal of action came in at -3.5, thus we were able to walk away on a good note rather than being caught for the entire decision at -3. Regardless of the comeback, the Irish just don't look like a National Championship team early on. On the AP top 25, they are currently ranked 12th, with USA Today going as low as 14th. They have already lost once this year; they are going to need to be flawless the rest of the season to get back into National Championship contention. A convincing win at home vs. Purdue this Saturday is an absolute must for the Fighting Irish.

As the baseball playoffs are rounding into shape, who do you see winning the NL wild card and why? And will the Astros catch the Cardinals in the NL Central?

BDB, BoDog.ws: The NL wild card is Los Angeles's for the taking. Their remaining two series are against Colorado and San Francisco, which they should be able to wrap up easily. That being said, if they slip at all, a hot Philly side (7-3 in their last 10) will be knocking at the door only one game back, and facing Washington and Florida to round out the season. Playing Pittsburgh and Atlanta, Houston definitely has the advantage over St. Louis in match-ups. The Cards still have to face San Diego, who will not bank on a two-game lead being enough to seal up the division over the Dodgers. St. Louis is no stranger to pressure, however, so look for a 1.5-game lead to be just enough for the Cards to seal up the NL Central.