All right, the life is back in order.  I'm in reasonably good spirits considering Mother Nature decided to relieve herself on my rec room carpet Tuesday morning.  And alcohol wasn't necessary to create that mood.  Shocking.  Simply shocking.

What's going on in the world of sports?  Oh, let us see.

Ahhhh yes, we have a new home run king in Barry Bonds of the San Francisco Giants, who boldly stated, after whacking No. 756 off of some nobody that the Washington Nationals called up to serve as a sacrificial lamb, that the record wasn't tainted.

I never thought I'd agree with that, but in essence he's got a point.  Why?  Bonds played in an era when performance enhancing drugs (such a wordy statement) permeated the game.  Almost anyone and everyone who put up gaudy numbers in the smash-em-bash-em '90s is suspect.  Some in the game and media will want to hold him to that higher ideal, but when everyone else doing, how can they single him out?  Logically, they cannot.

On a completely different note…

Brady Quinn is in town with a brand spanking new contract.  Gee…now was that so tough?  C'mon do you mean to tell me that the Cleveland Browns low-balled him so much that he needed to not sign his deal oh…I don't know…ummm…back in June? early July?  I'm not seeing it.  You can say a lot of things about the Browns since the team's return (like they stink, they can't block or tackle, quarterback, what's that) but the Lerner family has never been accused of being cheap…Sorry Brady (or is that Tom Condon), this one is on you.

And on a completely different topic…

I never ever wanted to get into the great racial divide that has become the Michael Vick Saga.  It shouldn't have even come to race, in my opinion.  I should have known better, however, given that I lived in Selma, Ala. for a year and it was quite evident that then and on a recent visit there that the racial wounds of the Deep South haven't come close to healing.  In some areas such as Selma that wound has an infection. In other parts, such as Atlanta, it's just a scab that keeps getting picked.

But there is a divide when it comes to Vick.  On one side we saw a bunch of white faces, animal lovers and although I didn't scan the photos completely, I'm sure there were some black ones.  On the other side, however, his most vocal supporters were almost universally black.  I could go into a deep philosophical reason why, but I couldn't do it with the depth, compassion and intelligence that Wright Thompson shows in this piece.

 Add end…

Lastly I haven't gotten the chance to thank those who posted kind words about the recent loss of my grandmother.   Perhaps I just didn't want to acknowledge that she's indeed gone, but to those who said a kind word, my warmest thanks.  A special thanks for a couple of folks who took the time to send a sympathy card to the paper. 

The Super Bowl is finally over and I have to admit that I'm glad it's over.  The hype over the two African-American coaches is done.  We should never have to address the issue of a coach's ethnicity again.  By the way, anyone remember how much media coverage there was of Tom Flores, the first Hispanic head coach to win a Super Bowl, and his ethnicity when the Raiders beat the Eagles in the early '80s.

I was extremely happy to see Tony Dungy and Peyton Manning finally get what they richly deserved, but there was a moment that made me cringe.  When Dungy was talking about being the first black coach to win a Super Bowl, he said that it was more important that he and his friendly adversary Lovie Smith were Christians and there were several mentions of the Almighty and the Lord. 

Yes, I consider myself a Christian, but one thing I don't do is put that on display for everyone to see.  I would never deny anyone the fundamental right to worship as they choose fit, but by the same token, I don't expect to have to listen to them testify about their beliefs either.  Religion - like politics and sexual preferences - is a private matter. 

Besides with the problems in this country and on this planet, I don't think God much cares about football.

Yup, I come back from vacation only to have to look outside at a foot of snow;  I do so love Northeast Ohio - seriously.

Of course I'd much rather be in Miami right now for a little shindig known as the Super Bowl, but that's not about to happen.  I'll have to be content to impart my wisdom from afar - in 20 degree weather.

Oh where do I start?  Oh, wait.  For those of you who didn't realize it.  I'm what is known as African-American.  In my short 41 years I remember being called Negro, colored, black and now, yes, African-American.  Gee, there's something to be said for variety.  Why do I bring this up?  Well, in case you have been living in some remote cave in the mountains of Colorado, we have not one, but two African-American coaches in the Super Bowl.  And, yes, this fact has been played up by the media, the group to which I belong.

Do I have a problem with it?  Somewhat because it only reinforces the belief that some people still living in the 1930s still think - what a shock!!!  They must be the exception to the rule!!!

But I can also see the other side of this, having grown up with darker skin.  It is a momentous occasion -one that's taken far too long for the NFL - and it deserves recognition.  That being said, a tip of the hat to the Dan Rooney of the Pittsburgh Steelers for The Rooney Rule, which requires at least one minority candidate to be interviewed for a head coaching vacancy.  Notice that it only requires an interview.  In spirit, it opens doors that's it.  It doesn't require a hiring. 

But funny things happen when you open doors to people you might not have before - you actually find that you like their company.  That's what happened with the Steelers when they granted Mike Tomlin an audience.  Tomlin, a promising 34-year-old defensive coordinator witht the Minnesota Vikings, knocked Steelers management off their feet and boom! (to be Maddenesque) he had the gig.  It was about opportunity - not charity.

That's why what Tony Dungy and Lovie Smith have accomplished merits some attention this week.  They've further shattered decades - maybe centuries - old stereotypes both regarding ethnicity and with respect to the way sports coaches should behave. 

However, it's the first time we've dealt with the issue and it should be the last.  Why?  Because their success should make it a non-issue.