Does This Mean Shanahan Has Lost It?

Before the New York Jets played the Denver Broncos on Sunday, a survival game between teams with 0-3 records, Shaun Powell of Newsday had this observation on Jet Coach Bill Parcells:

“If the Jets lose to a winless, desperate Bronco team and go on through the middle of October without a victory, then it’ll be a poor reflection of a Hall of Fame-bound coach.

“Maybe you’ll then wonder if Parcells has lost it, and it wouldn’t be an unfair suspicion. Most of the great coaches stay around a few years too many.”

The Jets beat the Broncos, 21-13, so apparently Parcells hasn’t lost it, yet.

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Trivia time: Which pitcher holds the major league record for the lowest earned-run average in a season?

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Early exit: Mike Littwin in the Rocky Mountain News: ‘The sound you heard Sunday, which sounded disturbingly similar to Terrell Davis’ anterior cruciate ligament snapping, was the Broncos finally hitting bottom.

“A week ago, the Broncos were well on their way. For you history buffs, the first three losses were the decline, but 0-4--with Davis face down on the field--is the official fall.

“The only dynasty left in town is the memory of a bad TV show.”

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Priorities: After suffering a season-ending knee injury, Atlanta Falcon running back Jamal Anderson was asked if he has an insurance policy that protects him in case of a career-ending injury.

“That stuff is, like, $30,000 a year,” he said. “I like to buy cars and things like that.”

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Mean! The Tennessee football program is under investigation for academic fraud.

“Tutors may have violated the standard of the UT scholar athlete,” said comedy writer Alan Ray. “A player’s paper should be written with his own crayon.”

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FYI: Stanford is the Pacific 10 Conference leader in the Rose Bowl race with a 3-0 league record. However, the Cardinal lost to San Jose State, a 19-point underdog, on Saturday, and it would seem that Stanford is bound to stumble again.

Not necessarily so. In 1971, Stanford lost to San Jose State, 13-12, but still represented the conference in the Rose Bowl game, and beat Michigan, 13-12.

The Cardinal hasn’t been back since.

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Everywhere man: From The Vent column in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution: “Sixty percent of the earth’s surface is covered by water; the other 40% is covered by Andruw Jones.”

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Trivia answer: Dutch Leonard of the Boston Red Sox, 0.96 in 1914.

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And finally: Sports-book author John Feinstein told Sporting News columnist Dave Kindred of the Jewish Red Sox fan who went to his rabbi before Rosh Hashanah and said, “I know it’s Rosh Hashanah, but it’s the Yankees and Red Sox, and Pedro Martinez is pitching.

Said the rabbi, “It’s not such a problem. That’s why God invented VCRs.”

And the fan said, “You mean, I can tape the Rosh Hashanah services?”