What 'Cher Point

The Super Bowl is over and I am already into serious football withdrawal but there are other things happening that are neat to observe and write about.

I don’t know at this writing who won the Super Bowl. More about that next week. For now I do know that some of the stories that attracted most of my attention were that Peyton Manning needed a hip replacement (can you imagine a starting quarterback in the NFL needing a hip replacement?) Probably that was not a true story although time will tell for sure.

Then there was the strange fate of the Panthers quarterback Cam Newton who spent most of the week before the Super Bowl saying that he was disliked because he was an Afro-American and the last half of the week saying how that was not true. Race certainly did rare its ugly head that week and it was amazing the amount of sports people who had something to say about it once the door had been opened. It was like a gusher had been discovered going both ways!

Meanwhile in Bronco Land all signs point to Brock Osweiler being their starting quarterback next season said more than one headline. It would be great for the Kalispell native if he got the nod and could play at a level that would take the Broncos into the playoffs again. Funny how much better the Broncos look to me when their quarterback is from Montana. I might even have reason to cheer them on which I never thought I would write!

Closer to home the ax continues to fall at MSU in Bozeman. Athletic Director Peter Fields was fired from his post and given until June to pack up and leave the campus.

Fields was hired in 2002 and before that had worked for six years at the University of Missouri.

No reason given for the firing but I will tell you one thing. Bozeman is going to have no continuity at all with what the football team has done in the past with all those who knew anything now gone. It all doesn’t bode well for Bob Cat football or sports in general on that campus.

In prep standings this week it looks like Havre fell some in Central A. On the girl’s side Havre is still at the top of the list but in the boy’s side of things, Havre second, behind Belgrade.

Going with the boy’s first in 2 B it is Harlem not making the cut and in 9C it is Box Elder in second, the Thunderbirds in third and Chinook in fourth. CJI is in first right now. Turner is next to last and Big Sandy is at the bottom of the heap.

Now, looking at the girl’s part of things, in 2 B Harlem girls are in fourth place.

In 9C it is Box Elder, Fort Benton and Chinook in first, second and third. Turner is sixth followed by Big Sandy and the Thunderbirds are last.

And last, there was a very sad story last week that Johnny Manziel’s father fears for Johnny Football’s personal safety.

After being dropped by his agent and part of an investigation that he hit his girl friend, the family has tried to get Manziel into a treatment center but to no avail.

Father Manziel said that he thinks his son is suicidal.

The 2002 Heisman trophy winner played for Cleveland for a couple of years but apparently they don’t want him around them unless he gets some help and off whatever he is on.

It is so sad and almost patterns the life of Ryan Leaf here in Montana. It is like it is all too much for some young men and they can never pick it up and get it together.

I hope that Johnny Football can!

That’s my story and I am sticking to it. Go thunderbirds!