It’s Possible He Made Too Much Dough

It apparently was time for Paul Hackett to go.

The New York Jet offensive coordinator, and former USC coach, resigned Wednesday under pressure, and Tennessee Titan offensive coordinator Mike Heimerdinger was quickly hired as Hackett’s successor.

Hackett was a target of media and fan criticism for his conservative play calling, and also had little support remaining internally.

Even Coach Herman Edwards, Hackett’s longtime friend, supported Hackett’s decision, which had been expected since the Jets’ 20-17 overtime loss to Pittsburgh in the AFC divisional playoffs.

How bad had things gotten for Hackett in New York?

Pretty bad, according to Bob Glauber, Newsday’s NFL columnist.

“Not enough touchdowns? Paul Hackett’s fault. Offense too conservative? Blame Hackett.... Pizza guy forgot the pepperoni on the takeout order at the late-night coaches’ meeting? Must be Hackett.”

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Trivia time: Who holds the Dodger record for home runs in consecutive seasons?

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Optimism in Arizona: The Arizona Diamondbacks had the worst record in the major leagues last season at 51-111, didn’t do their homework before offering the manager’s position to Wally Backman and traded five-time Cy Young Award winner Randy Johnson to the New York Yankees.

But they also made major acquisitions, including former Angel third baseman Troy Glaus, former Dodger right fielder Shawn Green and veteran starter Russ Ortiz, in an expensive off-season makeover.

Infielder Craig Counsell, a member of the club’s 2001 World Series championship team, expressed confidence that the newcomers would help raise Arizona.

“The biggest thing is they’re professionals,” Counsell told the Arizona Republic’s Paola Boivin. “Ask anybody about Shawn Green, Russ Ortiz, those guys. They’re as quality people as you can get.”

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It’s not college life: Stanford has struggled since former coach Mike Montgomery left for the NBA’s Golden State Warriors, but he hasn’t had much fun either.

The Warriors are last in the Pacific Division at 12-27 -- 18 1/2 games behind first-place Phoenix. The Cardinal won its first 26 games last season and finished 30-2.

“I’ve got a list a mile long of things we don’t do as well as I think we need to do them or could do them in time,” Montgomery told Associated Press. “I think that we’re a better team than our record, but that’s easy for me to say. You have to prove that.”

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Trivia answer: Green, who hit a club-record 49 homers in 2001 and 42 in 2002, a two-year total of 91.

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And finally: After 78 years, it’s time for Michigan Stadium to get a facelift. The University of Michigan has sought renovation proposals from architecture firms for the stadium, which was built in 1927 and has a seating capacity of 107,501.

“The stadium is physically and functionally obsolete,” said Bruce Madej, the school’s sports information director.

But it’s still one of the best venues to watch college football.