FanHouse Florida International

Florida International has not played a game yet under new coach Isiah Thomas, but the program is acting like it is already a player in college basketball. They are threatening to pull out of the 2K Sports Classic Tournament, which benefits the Coaches vs. Cancer charity, because they are no longer slated to be the road patsy for Ohio State. Instead they are getting sent to Chapel Hill to face North Carolina.

The Golden Panthers had agreed to play in the preseason tournament even before Isiah Thomas was hired as the head coach. It had been presumed that they would go to Columbus to play the Buckeyes. Ohio State had indicated on its Web site that FIU would be the opponent. FIU and Thomas referenced starting the season there.

He should own Chicago, Indiana, Detroit and New York by now. Instead, Isiah Thomas has the uncanny knack for making the most of himself and then throwing it all away, smiling all the way.

I thought the story ended in October, when Thomas, who grew from the ghettos in Chicago thanks to help from a mother who supposedly used a shotgun to keep gang members away from her baby, to all the highest heights. And then it ended with him on the floor, unconscious, having taken an overdose of sleeping pills.

But of course it didn't end there.

More Coverage: Thomas Will Give Back First Year's Salary

---

---

This is almost too good to be true. Isiah Thomas appears poised to take the head coaching job of Florida International. This, despite no experience in coaching or recruiting in college basketball.

For those unsure of where FIU is, it is right in Miami. A place where a few New Yorkers have been known to migrate. If this happens, you have to imagine there will be a contingent of Knicks fans that will attend FIU games now just to chant "Fire Isiah!" and worse for old times sake.

The most evocative picture to come out of the Miami brawl -- other than Ned, of course -- was Miami safety Anthony Reddick using his helmet as an improvised bludgeoning weapon against a prone Florida International player. It was a nasty escalation of an incident that was already approaching trident-throwing levels. And lo, the universal sum thingy of all your actions is wroth:

University of Miami safety Anthony Reddick underwent reconstructive surgery on his left knee Monday to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament. He likely will miss the 2007 football season.

To be fair, Reddick has been contrite in the aftermath of the helmet-swinging incident:

''One sad thing is he cannot come back and show the real Anthony after the FIU brawl,'' Smith said. 'He's a very shy kid. The FIU game was not typical of him. I had talked to him that night and he cried hysterically about what he did. `Why did I do that?' he asked. Anthony Reddick is not a thug. He was a guy searching for answers.''

Reddick will petition the NCAA for a sixth year of eligibility and should get it, as he already missed the entire 2005 season when he tore his other ACL in the opener against Florida State. Karma can probably move on to someone else who deserves punishment from the universal sum thingy of all actions, like Gary Danielson or something.

I don't think people are listening to my bandwagon plea. I think Maryland fans are already giving up on the Terps. I wasn't at the game, but the Diamondback's Steve Whyno was and he did a good job of running a live journal. He mentions that the fans wondered in late, left before half time, although the Terps only had a touchdown lead, and the fans booed the team multiple times after an interception and a three and outs.

The fan's angst is understandable. Everyone, including myself, was expecting the Terps to roll into Byrd Stadium today and release their frustration from West Virginia all over Florida International. Instead, the game went to the very last play, when Maryland's Christian Varner intercepted what could have been a game winning pass from the Golden Panthers.

14-7 at halftime isn't a big deal. Many times these games open up in the second half. Instead, Maryland was shut down -- shut down -- in the second half of the game. There was some offensive line mix ups, with guard Stephen Heyer leaving for some of the first half and Donnie Woods leaving for most of the second. But these excuses shouldn't matter. The Terps need to go out and put it on teams like these. I don't care what Ralph Friedgen says about this team having really talented players. Big universities always say that about the smaller schools before they crush them. Maybe the Fridge was just making excuses early because he knew the trouble his team has. An ESPN360 announcer mentioned that the Golden Panthers had one of the best defenses in the country. That may very well be true, and I hope it is, but Maryland needs to show they can function on both ends of the ball.

One of the bright spots was Josh Allen, who scored a touchdown on a screen pass and hauled in a nice 21 yard catch. Hopefully, he's getting closer and closer to where he was. He was excellent at his prime.

The defense did their job well. To hold any opponent to 10 points is good. They gave the offense and chance to win, although they gave up a huge touchdown play. Big plays should not be tolerated like that. They also made it too close at the end than they should have. Otherwise, they did well.

I understand fans frustartions. For the first four weeks, we get weak games against AA teams and one humiliation dealt out by West Virginia. Now we have a bye week before we even get into ACC play. This is been one of the most boring first five weeks in college football. Hopefully, the Terps will use that week off to start fixing some things. If not, it's going to be a long season that's not going to get any more entertaining.