Opining on Hudson - the actress, not the river - and other matters

So if the Yankees win the World Series does A-Rod babe Kate Hudson get voted a winner’s share?
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The rumor-mill was working overtime yesterday as the NFL’s trade deadline approached. The hottest piece of misinformation had the Bills dealing T.O. to the New England Patriots. Imagine that scenario, if true. Two former bad boys, Randy Moss and Terrell Owens, trying to out-diva one another in Beantown.
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I’ve long opposed the use of replays in baseball, but after watching the farcical umpiring during this post-season, I’ve changed my mind. I can understand a blown call here and there, but not several in one game, which happened in last night’s American League Championship Series matchup between the Yankees and Angels. I just don’t get it. They increase the crews from four to six in the postseason and the umps chosen are allegedly the cream of the crop, and they still screw up obvious calls. Come on guys, it’s not like you have to be in shape and race up and down a field or a hardwood court or a sheet of ice.
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I heard a rumor that Don Mattingly might be considered for the Cleveland Indians managing job. I think that would be a very good match, and I think Donnie Baseball will do just fine as a manager. He was always a smart player and sitting next to Joe Torre the past several seasons has been a pretty good apprenticeship if you ask me.
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The “I Love New York and Maybe Jersey, Too’’ Award goes to the New Orleans Saints, who own victories this season over Buffalo, the Jets and Giants.
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A couple of readers suggested Minnesota Vikings offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell as the new head coach of the Bills. I’m all for it, if he brings Adrian Peterson and Brett Favre with him.
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I get the feeling that even if Manny Ramirez robbed a bank or shot someone, we’d still heard the lame, clichéd excuse that it was “just Manny being Manny.’’
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If Bills fans think they have it bad, they ought to take a walk in my son’s shoes and try rooting for the St. Louis Lambs. Talk about a test of loyalty. They are 0-6 this season, have lost 16 straight and 27 of their last 30. Chris started following them during their Super Bowl championship season 10 years ago, and it’s been all downhill since. Fortunately, for him, he’s been a lifelong Yankee fan, so this fall hasn’t been a total loss.
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Mike Shanahan officially turned down the Washington Redskins job – for now. No accomplished coach is going to take over a mess like the ‘Skins, Bills, Lions, Bucs or Rams in mid-season. So, Shanahan may revisit Daniel Snyder’s offer once the season ends. Or maybe he really doesn’t want to work for a meddlesome owner like Snyder, who has turned Washington into a football coach’s graveyard. There’s talk that Snyder will can current coach Jim Zorn and put former Bills defensive coordinator Jerry Gray in there on an interim basis.
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Here’s a positive historical Bills note: Buffalo’s .667 win percentage in overtime (18-9) is best in NFL history for teams with 10 or more OT appearances. And kicker Rian Lindell is now is 11-for-13 in game-deciding field goals after his 47-yarder vs. the Jets last week. Three of his winning kicks have come in overtime and five of his decisive boots have been from 42 yards or longer. Many of us in the media like to take shots at former Bills general manager Tom Donahoe, but his luring of Lindell from the Seattle Seahawks before the 2003 season was a brilliant move.
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PERSONAL MATTERS: Happy Birthday, a day late, to my boyhood sports hero, Mickey Mantle. The Mick would have been 78. And while we’re at it, Happy B-Day today to Mickey’s teammate, Whitey Ford, who turned 81, and my dear friend, Dr. Cindy Devore . . . Congratulations to another friend, Nan Hildebrandt, on her retirement as executive director of Geva Theater. Through the years Nan helped raise more than $20 million for Geva, one of Rochester’s true gems. And before coming to the theater, she did a marvelous job bolstering the coffers and reputation of the Rochester Philharmonic. Well done, Nan. Well done . . . Sadly, for the first time since Section III instititued the high school football playoffs in 1979, my alma mater, Rome Free Academy, failed to qualify for the postseason. That's a pretty remarkable run for the Black Knights - 30 consecutive years. Hey, what can I say? I'll always be true to my school and my little hometown . . . I’m happy to report that former newspaper colleague and longtime friend, Gene Duffey, is home following a long hospitalization for cardiac arrest. You can e-mail Gene at sythinman@aol.com. I know he’d love hearing from you .