Things I think I think

Apologies to Peter King for stealing his column headline, but it seemed like the best label for a blog that is all about catching up on the sports happenings I've been neglecting lately.

1. Brett Favre's last-second heroics vs. San Francisco: Enjoy them while they last

OK, so that was a lot of fun. It seems like it's been a long time since any magic happened in the Vikings' favor in the last few seconds of a game. We all remember times when it's gone the other way (Gary Anderson's missed field goal, the Cardinals' last-ditch, playing-for-nothing, Viking-playoff-eliminating touchdown pass).

Watching Favre complete that pass (with a serious assist from Greg Lewis, who hasn't gotten enough credit for making a tough catch and getting his feet down) and improbably snatch victory from the jaws of defeat was pure purple euphoria. But, at the risk of raining on the parade, I have to wonder how much more he can do that. He's about to turn 40 and the Vikings have protected him about as well as David Letterman has protected his reputation this year. Favre is a tough guy, so no doubt he'll keep trotting out there unless he's got a bone sticking through the skin. But those hits will add up, and it seems likely he'll wear down in the second half of the season like he did last year.

2. 2016 Summer Olympics going to Rio: It's about time, but I wish they'd waited 4 more years.

Mixed feelings on this one. First off, I think it's great that South America is hosting for the first time. Millions of people who have never had a chance to see the Games up close and personal may now get to. Rio will be a great backdrop too — it's by far the most beautiful city I've been to. And I have several Brazilian friends who I know are justifiably excited about it (though not as excited as they are about hosting the World Cup in 2014). I'm happy for them.

But Chicago probably would have been my best shot to see an Olympics in person — it's only about 8 hours from St. Cloud by car with plenty of train and plane options from Minneapolis, as well. And I have friends who live there and a brother who lives an hour away, so lodging would have been no problem. So I guess I'll just to have to console myself with the thought that international superstars like Usain Bolt, Michael Phelps and Shawn Johnson probably won't be competing any more in 2016. Maybe it will be a boring Olympics with no historic performances, right?

In any case, I appreciate the President trying to bring the Olympics to the U.S. like Tony Blair did for London (2012). Chicago had the infrastructure to make money off it and it would have been fun for us Midwestern sports fans.

3. Jayhawks behaving badly: Get it together, guys

A group of basketball players from my alma mater, KU, got into a brawl recently with a group of football players on campus in front of a few hundred of their fellow students. Campus police are investigating. On the one hand, not that big a deal — in four years of college I saw plenty of fights fueled by ego and testosterone. Typical male macho idiocy, for the most part.

On the other hand, I think these guys need to punished more than your average Joe College (Idiot). They're receiving scholarship money not only to play sports, but also to be visible, high-profile ambassadors for the university. They need to understand that, as important as they think they are, representing KU athletically is a privilege, not a right. Along with that privilege comes responsibility, meaning they should be held to a higher standard of conduct than the average student. Bottom line: every player in the upcoming police report, football and basketball, should be suspended at least one game.

Oh, and special message for Tyshawn Taylor, the point guard who dislocated his thumb punching somebody: maintaining your street cred is not as important to your financial future as maintaining your limbs. Think about it.

4. Eric Decker: the most underrated player in college football

OK, so I know the Gophers lost to the Badgers... again. But I always love watching Eric Decker play wide receiver. Everybody and their sister knows that when the Gophers throw it's probably going to him, but he still finds a way to get open and anything that hits his hands seems to stay there.

He had 8 catches 140 yards 1 touchdown today. He's had at least eight catches in all five games this season and at least 110 receiving yards in four out of five. If he doesn't get some Heisman buzz soon, I might start writing letters to Lee Corso.

5. St. Cloud Diocese puts moratorium on communal cup: Uhhh, duh.

This has nothing to do with sports, but I feel the need to comment on it. Why did the Catholic Church have to wait for swine flu to start re-thinking the wisdom of having hundreds of people drink out of the same cup? Bacterial meningitis can spread that way too, and, in case you hadn't heard, that can be pretty nasty too.