Is Mike Leach's time over?

I'm guessing you've seen the story. Texas Tech head football coach Mike Leach suspended by the university and will not coach the Red Raiders in the Alamo Bowl thanks to some questionable tactics involving Adam James, the son of ESPN (and former player) Craig James. I won't go into details of the story, you can read that just about anywhere, including ESPN (http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/bowls09/news/story?id=4776848).

In that ESPN Story, it is reported: A source close to the family said James sustained a concussion on Dec. 16, was examined on Dec. 17 and told not to practice because of the concussion and an elevated heart rate. The source said Leach called a trainer and directed him to move James "to the darkest place, to clean out the equipment and to make sure that he could not sit or lean. He was confined for three hours."

What makes this worse is that from what I've read, Leach has not denied this treatment of the player.

It's time for Texas Tech to do what Kansas did, and get rid of these negative coaches. Don't get me started on why Mark Mangino had no business running a college football program.

Frankly, I think that major college football is out of control. There is now so much emphasis on winning at any and all costs, that whatever guise of academics is not even worried about any more. Coaches are encouraged to cheat because if they can't win, they won't have a job. Just look at the payouts that the bowls are paying. $17 million for a BCS game. $2.25 million for the Alamo Bowl that Tech is playing in. $3 million for the Cotton Bowl. That's some serious money for these schools and conferences.

Major college football does not have to be this way. Morals and ethics can be restored, and programs can still win. We don't have to have Bear Bryant-types taking their teams to the heat of Junction, and denying them water. We don't have to punish kids because they are hurt.

We need more college coaches that are like Sam Harrell at Ennis High School, or Tim Buchanan at Aledo High School. These are two men who hold ethics and sportsmanship in the highest regard. They breed winning teams, and build great men, not just athletes.

Or how about Ronnie Gage at Austin College, in Sherman, Texas. Coach Gage left high school coaching to become athletic director, but loved the game so much he left, and went to the Division III school. He had a situation in which an assistant coach went out of control at a road game in an open air press box, and was letting expletives fly everywhere. That coach was removed after the game.

We need coaches in the college game that garner respect, not those like Leach who are court jesters. Leach has made Texas Tech a good football program, but he has also made Tech a laughing stock.

But yet, many, if not most, Tech fans are already clamoring for Leach to be reinstated. They don't care about the players, they just want to see a win, and they don't care who gets hurt along the way.

Is the NFL friendly to High School football?

This Saturday, Fox Sports SW will air the class 5A football championships from the Alamodome in San Antonio. Euless Trinity will meet Austin Westlake at 2 pm for the Division I final, and the Abilene Eagles meet Katy for the Division II title at 7 pm.

7pm also happens to be the time that the Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans Saints play on the NFL Network (a game that will air in the DFW market on KTXA-21).

This is the second year in a row that the NFL has put a Dallas Cowboys game on the Saturday night of the UIL football championships.

I don't understand why the NFL has to do this. It's not like the UIL dates aren't known when the NFL schedule is put together. Jerry Jones (owner of the Dallas Cowboys) has always been friendly to high schools, as evidenced by the hundreds of high school playoff games at Texas Stadium, and the games played so far this year at his new palace in Arlington.

Here in Texas, high school football is big. The two games Saturday in San Antonio will likely draw over 30,000 fans, possibly even into the 40,000 range. There will also be a fairly large television audience for both games, although probably smaller for the 7 pm game, since many fans who have NFL network will probably switch over.

I just don't understand why the NFL has done this to the UIL for the last two years, especially when a game of the stature of Dallas at New Orleans would be an easy fit for Sunday night, or even the Fox nationwide game on Sunday afternoon, but yet, the NFL network rules.

I guess the NFL is saying Bah Humbug! to the Abilene and Katy fans.