STRANGE BEDFELLOWS by ST

It's amazing where being a fan leads you. I remember the only year I played fantasy, then rotisserie, baseball. 1991. Back in those prehistoric times we had to set up a conference call between Eugene, New York City, New Jersey, Palo Alto and North Carolina to do the draft. It was late in the season and we were in the hunt for the big cash that came with first or second place. We had picked up Mike Gardiner to add to our rotation. He was pitching for the Boston Red Sox. As you may have noticed, they're not my favorite team. We desperately needed a win from one of our staff members. I distinctly recall thinking my soul was at risk and I could do this no more. Rooting for the Bosox is like many of you rooting for the Beavers or the Axis Powers in World War II. It was my last year playing that insane game. Last night's Thursday NFL game had the Steelers at Cleveland. Pittsburgh was 6 & 6 heading in, a game behind Jacksonville for the final AFC Wild Card spot, tied with my Jets and a couple of others. It's 13-6 Brownies in the 4th quarter. 4th & 6 from the Cleveland 39 with time winding down. Last chance for Pitt. As the last pass fell to the ground incomplete, I jumped off the couch and cheered. Really? Yes. I love sports.
I think tomorrow we might see the closest vote in Heisman Trophy history. As I'm writing this I must admit, despite that fact, I'm not riveted by the outcome. This is the ultimate popularity contest among players from high profile programs, not about who the best player in college football is. CJ Spiller of Clemson didn't make the finals. That pretty much renders the balloting insignificant. How can anyone possibly be a BETTER player than this guy? He runs, catches, blocks, returns punts and kicks for touchdowns. Duh! We've seen a lot of late support for Nebraska's terrorizing defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh. The last D-lineman to finish in the Top 5 of the voting was Warren Sapp of Miami 15 years ago. Here's another bit of history. If in fact Alabama running back Mark Ingram wins, he'd be the 3rd sophomore in a row following Tim Tebow of Florida and Sam Bradford of Oklahoma last season. They are the only 3 soph's ever to take home the award. The closest vote ever was 1985 when Bo Jackson narrowly outpointed Iowa's Chuck Long. I think we'll see that challenged, but it's certainly not "must see" tv.
Here's a question that could win you some loot. I will let you know the prize on today's show. In this decade, what was the closest Heisman vote & who won & what year? Email your response to stevetannen@live.com
Enjoy the weekend