Writer Was Surprised by Flutie’s Smallness

Bucky Gleason of the Buffalo News has some harsh things to say about Doug Flutie, the former Bills’ quarterback, now playing for the San Diego Chargers:

“Flutie had two performances working--the one he played for the public and the off-Broadway persona reserved for behind closed doors. We’re talking about two totally different dudes....

“See, Flutie was a selfish, egotistical, conniving, manipulative, shrewd individualist who did almost anything to make sure he came out looking better than his former teammate, Rob Johnson, in the battle to run the offense.”

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More on Flutie: “Flutie was known as a winner, Johnson as a fragile outcast. So why has Flutie played for eight professional teams since he threw the Hail Mary? Because Flutie’s charm runs only so long before people discover the facade. Teams aren’t far behind.”

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Trivia time: Who holds the NFL record for yards passing in a game?

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They own them: Skip Bayless of the San Jose Mercury News, on today’s San Francisco 49er-Chicago Bear game: “Sunday looms as ‘Friday the 13th’ in Chicago. The 49ers might as well wear goalie masks. History could repeat like slasher flicks on cable through Halloween weekend. San Francisco has beaten Chicago eight times since 1980, by a horrifying average of 32-6.”

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The goodbye man: Buck Showalter resigned as New York Yankee manager in 1995 and was fired as Arizona Diamondback manager last year. With both teams in the World Series, he told ESPN colleagues Karl Ravech and Harold Reynolds: “If I don’t come back here next year, you guys are a lock to win an Emmy.”

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Rich get richer: Jim Armstrong in the Denver Post: “You know, after seeing them in the playoffs all these years, I’ve got to admit it. These Yankees play the game like it’s meant to be played by players other teams can’t afford.”

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More Armstrong: “Hottest bumper sticker in downtown Fresno: ‘Boise happens.”’

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No longer doormats: Veterans Tim Taylor, Dave Andreychuk and Matthew Barnaby instituted a team policy last weekend, forbidding anyone to step on the Tampa Bay Lightning logo in the center of team’s dressing room carpet. The first round of fines came Tuesday.

Goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin was among those fined, but he learned his lesson. “It’s about respect and pride and what we’re wearing on our chests,” Khabibulin said. “This is a carpet, but still, it’s our logo and we have to respect it.”

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Looking back: On this day in 1933, USC beat California, 6-0, at Berkeley on Cotton Warburton’s 59-yard touchdown run, which wasn’t seen by most fans because of dense fog.

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Trivia answer: Norm Van Brocklin of the L.A. Rams, 554 yards against the New York Yanks on Sept. 28, 1951.

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And finally: After a 17-14 overtime loss at Washington and while stuck in a five-game losing streak, Carolina Coach George Seifert called the last two weeks his toughest time “in professional coaching.” That includes a two-year stint as Cornell coach when he went 3-15 and was fired.

“That shows you how bad things are--when the reference point becomes Cornell,” Seifert said.