Owens certainly knows how to create a stir

Got my first taste of T.O. mania last night at St. John Fisher College, and I must admit it was a sight to see - and hear.

The instant Terrell Owens emerged from the locker room (surprise, surprise - he was the last Bills player to make his way onto the field), a cereal-box waving, liquored-up group of college-aged students began chanting his name.

One of them held up a sign reading: THE PANDEMONIUM THEOREM - T.E. + T.O. = TD. (Intepretation, Trent Edwards to you-know-who equals six points.)

Owens grinned and soaked it all in as he sauntered across the turf oh, so slowly.

He made a point of doing his stretching not far from his adoring fans, which included three bare-chested teenage boys, who had painted the letters "T'' "O'' "U'' on their respective torsos.

One of the leather lungs, obviously auditioning for time on Owen's reality show, bellowed that he had eaten his T.O. cereal for breakfast, lunch and dinner and added that "they were delicious!''

I couldn't help but notice the narcissistic synergy between star athlete and the vocal cheering session. I don't know who was seeking more attention - the player or the fans.

Cynicism aside, I can honestly say that in 10 years of journeying to Bills training camp at Fisher I've never seen a player create a buzz quite like this. Even Doug Flutie, the original cereal inspirer, didn't evoke a response this crazy. (It should, though, be pointed out, that nothing equals the hysteria surrounding Jim Kelly's arrival at Fredonia back in the summer of 1986.)

Of course, we'll see how long this mutual narcissism society lasts. Bills fans must hope that pandemonium theorem is valid.

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New York Daily News pro football columnist and former SU classmate Gary Myers doesn't think much of the Bills-Owens connection. In his Sunday column he wrote:

"T.O. will be absolutely miserable in Buffalo despite the chicken wings at the Anchor Bar. Here's why Owens is in Buffalo: Nobody else wanted him. Can't wait to see him standing by himself on the sidelines at The Ralph in mid-November with the Bills hopelessly out of the playoffs and icicles forming on Owens' nose as the wind whips at 40 mph. It's not going to be pretty.''

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So, I ask you: Is Brett "Flip-Flop'' Favre retired for good, or just for today?

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I think the Michael Vick-New England Patriots connection makes sense because Bill Belichick doesn't cater to stars (except, of course, his meal ticket, Tom Brady). He'd demand that Vick be on the straight and narrow, and he'd have no problem showing him the door if he's not.

And Belichick, always the innovator, undoubtedly would find creative ways to utilize Vick's unique football skills.

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It's hard to fathom how Chicago White Sox pitcher Mark Buehrle could follow up a perfect game with six more perfect innings last night. For him to retire a major-league record 45 batters in a row is mind-boggling.

But Buehrle wasn't able to celebrate his achievement because the Minnesota Twins wound ruining his bid for an unprecedented second straight perfect game and saddling him with a loss.

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A huge "thank you'' to my hometown of Rome (New York, not Italy) for inducting me into its sports hall of fame last weekend. They included us in their "Honor America Days'' parade on Saturday (they had more bands and floats than the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade) and they staged a plaque-hanging ceremony at their museum on Sunday and a banquet later in the day.

Rome boasts the only municipal sports museum in the state, and it's very impressive. I highly recommend it for any sports or museum buffs out there. It's located on the west side of the city, next door to the Erie Canal Village, which you also should check out. (Rome was where construction of America's most famous canal began back in 1817.)

As I said in my acceptance speech, "I may have left Rome long ago, but the values of Rome never left me.'' I'll always have a special place in my heart for my hometown.