SPORTS DOESN'T MAKE SENSE ... UNLESS YOU ARE CURT CIGNETTI

 BRIEFLY TOLD (I hope) …

… You want crazy? ENZO FERNANDEZ cost Manchester 

City $169 million – Yes … MILLION – to acquire him from 

Chelsea. Yet he was scheduled to be on the bench Saturday at 

the outset of an EPL match with Coventry City. That is, until 

another of his high-priced teammates was injured during 

warmup.

City led 1-0 at halftime on ERLING HAALAND’s diving header for goal in the 26^th minute … Who else? … He also was 

stopped one on one by goalkeeper CARL RUSHWORTH in a 

wild opening 45 that saw Coventry’s JAIWO AWONIYI miss 

a wide-open net … Man City’s playmaking midfielder

 CHERKI slam a shot off the left upright and keeper

 GIANLUIGI DONNARUMMA mishandle a pass that barely 

missed being an own goal. The ball actually crossed the 

line...but not all of it, according to VAR, which NBC/USA 

didn’t bother to show us.

Haaland’s goal held up – barely -- as City, one of three teams 

promoted from Championship, had numerous chances but still 

hasn’t scored in three outings … Donnarumma was forced to 

make a couple of point-blank saves in the second half … when 

both sides were left shaking their heads over missed 

opportunities. Rushworth barely got his left arm on another 

shot by Haaland.

With ownership spending more than $552 million on new 

players, they surely expect more from City than what new 

coach ENZO MARESCAhas been able to provide, so far. I 

know, I know it is atop the best soccer league in the world, top 

to bottom, with a 3-0 record … that could just as easily be 1-2 

… Sometimes it’s hard to get a large group of blue ribbon 

players to play together. If Maresca can come up with the right 

combination … well, it would be folly to discount City as 

contender for Arsenal’s crown.

…. OK, SO HE always makes it easy … at least TOM 

RINALDI didn’t mess up Saturdays pre-game interview with 

Indiana football coach CURT CIGNETTI who, as usual, was 

full of himself – a sound bite waiting to happen.

TR -- When you won your first Division One playoff game at 

James Madison, your daughter Madaline sent you a text: ‘Are 

you happy?’ Your answer?

I said, ‘No,’ … because we had another one coming up.

TR -- You win a national championship last season, and she 

asks you the same question.’Are you happy?’ Your answer?

‘Yes.’

TR -- What’s the danger of success?

It’s very temporary. You can’t get caught up in it … because it’s 

fleeting. Complacency is the biggest danger. And then, 

expectations.

TR -- After winning the national championship, Curt, what’s the 

difference between climbing the mountain and getting to the top 

… then having to it again?

When you get to the top, you’re already at the top. But … the 

only way to stay on top is start over, zero, and do it again.

…. IT DIDN’T TAKE Indiana long – 1:24 to be exact – to score 

yesterday against 40 1/2-point underdog North Texas. LOU 

BEEBE JR., returned the kickoff 66 yards, caught from behind 

on the 20. Two running plays to the left netted five yards then, 

on 3d and 5, JOSH HOOVER, transfer QB from TCU, threw a 

perfect, low and away pass to NICK MARSH, Michigan State 

transfer who made an even-more-spectacular one-hand, diving 

catch for the touchdown … fooling the nearest official who 

thought the ball touched the ground. The delay needed to prove 

him wrong took longer than IU’s total possession.

A holding infraction Fox game analyst JOEL KLATT called 

“ticky tack” against center HAYDEN LYNCH nullified a 

touchdown run of 43 yards by Beebe but the sixth-ranked 

(preseason) Hoosiers still scored on their second possession,

 TURBO RICHARD running two yards with :13 left in the 

first period.

Hoover was recipient of a nasty face-mask penalty that left him 

bleeding profusely from the nose with about eight minutes to 

go in the first half. Nevertheless, he remained in the game to 

throw nine yards toCHARLIE BECKER who made – what 

else? – a spectacular touchdown catch … and was anointed by 

Fox 14-words-to-the-dozen playbyplay man GUS JACKSON

 as “the best receiver in the country.”

Midway, Indiana led 24-6, scoring on every possession 

including the last when NICO RADICIC booted a personal-

best 49 yarder … Hoover was 7 of 8 for 100 yards and two 

touchdowns. He finished 13 of 16, 231 and 4, (0 interceptions) 

as the Hoosiers won 52-16.

Believe it or not … West Texas is one of two FBS teams to 

return zero (0) starters from 2025. The Mean Green lost 18 

coaches and 19 players to Oklahoma State … and have 72 new 

players. (I’m not sure which number is more difficult to believe 

– 0 first-team players or 18 coaches … probably the latter. 

What the heck does a team do with a dozen and a half? That 

from somebody who remembers when the University of 

Richmond had a head coach, offensive and defensive line 

coaches, a few others including coach of quarterbacks ... and, 

somehow, they did pretty darn well.)

Until next time ...