How Bad Are the Jets? You Be the Judge

Scott Ostler in the San Francisco Chronicle on the New York Jets:

“It’s hard to imagine an uglier situation in pro football than the Jets’ current big picture, which is:

“Truly wretched team, now decimated by injuries, backed by fans with the collective compassion of Judge Roy Bean with a hangover.”

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Add Jets: Headline on a pregame story of the Raider-Jet game in the New York Post: “Sinking Ships Collide.”

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Trivia time: Which NCAA Division I-A schools played in the last scoreless tie game?

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Remember when? With Sunday’s victory, the San Francisco 49ers have now defeated the Rams 13 consecutive times. The NFL record for consecutive victories by one team over another is 20 held by Miami over Buffalo from 1970 to 1979.

There was a time when the Rams virtually owned the 49ers, winning 22 of 26 games with one tie from 1968 through 1980.

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Squish: Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch put his spin on the 49ers’ domination of the Rams: “Picture the Rams as a large floor mat with the word Welcome embroidered on the surface. Picture the 49ers as a large, wet, muddy boot.”

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Monster man: Bruce Keidan of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Ohio State’s Orlando Pace: “[Pace] is the Buckeyes’ left tackle. He stands 6 feet 6 inches and weighs 330 pounds--before lunch. Skim milk has more fat. He is part human being, part total eclipse of the sun.”

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Clip and save: The Heisman Trophy race is over, according to ESPN’s Lee Corso, who said that Florida quarterback Danny Wuerffel “has already won it.”

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Lyrical logic: Pittsburgh Steeler cornerback Willie Williams, on being called for pass interference against Houston receiver Chris Sanders on Sept. 29: “I’d rather move the sticks than give up six.”

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Weird stuff: Atlanta third baseman Chipper Jones wears a T-shirt under his uniform. On it is a front page from a tabloid newspaper, with the headline: “Bat Child Found in Cave.”

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Looking back: On this day in 1916, Babe Ruth, pitching for the Boston Red Sox, worked a World Series-record 14 innings against the Brooklyn Dodgers. Boston won, 2-1.

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Trivia answer: Oregon and Oregon State on Nov. 19, 1983. Note: UCLA and USC last played a scoreless tie in 1939.

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And finally: Tight end Keith Byars, recently released by the Miami Dolphins, predicted that Jimmy Johnson is a short-term coach: “Jimmy doesn’t have any longevity in any particular program. He creates a stir in a short amount of time. If he doesn’t get it done quick, Jimmy won’t be here. He doesn’t have the endurance to go the long haul. He’s good in small doses.”