Football Physics

Plus: Watching from Boone to Chelsea, Howard's Out, and Tiki TV
If you've ever wondered what role inertia, photons, atoms and Newton's laws of physics play in the game of football, here is your chance to learn straight from a professor. Dr. Tim Gay, a physics professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, has put together an excellent Web site explaining those very items along with some other interesting lessons into how physics plays out of the gridiron. The videos are a bit dated – Eric Crouch was still the Huskers' quarterback and makes guest appearances in some of the clips – but the information is terrific. In one of the 60-second lectures, Gay explains how helmet padding absorbs impact and protects players' heads. He does this by outfitting a melon with a Huskers helmet and the dropping the helmet to the ground from a ladder. Not to ruin the ending for you, but the melon stays intact. There are a few other football physics sites on the Web, but this one has video. And since we guys are so into the visual thing, Dr. Gay's Web site is much better. …We have some great football games coming up this weekend starting tonight with Appalachian State University playing for its first football national title against Northern Iowa. The NCAA division I-AA title game can be seen on ESPN2 beginning at 8 p.m. Also, this weekend offers the Bucs at New England and Chiefs at Giants on Saturday. On Sunday we have San Diego at the undefeated Colts, Pittsburgh at Minnesota, Cowboys at Redskins and Atlanta in cold Chicago for the Sunday night game on ESPN. Oh, and let's not forget the super-early Arsenal at Chelsea matchup at 7:45 a.m. Eastern. …By now we've all heard the comments NAACP Philadelphia chapter president J. Whyatt Mondesire wrote about Donavan McNabb. Sounds like just another disgruntled Philly fan to me. And tell me this: What does Mondesire have against soup? Anyway, this makes me wonder what Mondesire would write if Dante Culpepper played for the Eagles. …People always complain about other people using cell phones in public. I really don't mind that much because it's sometimes interesting to hear what people have to say. For example today I passed by a lady in Wal-Mart talking on her cell phone about her Christmas shopping. "Don't you tell anyone, but I only paid $4 and 90-some cents for Sarah's present," she said. I'm going shopping tomorrow, and I hope to hear more gems like that all day long. …I'm addicted to Starbuck's Frappuccino. You know, the one's in the nine-ounce glass bottles that you buy in convenience stores. The only problem, however, is I need to be near a restroom within 15 minutes of downing one of those babies. On the label should read: "To save time, pour Frappuccino directly into toilet." …Howard Stern ended his run on the commercial airwaves Friday morning. He'll get Sirius (What a dumb play on words!) Jan. 9, when he takes his gig to Satellite radio. …New York Giants iron man running back and Roanoke, Va., native Tiki Barber has a busy schedule in addition to practicing and playing for Big Blue. On Tuesdays Barber makes a weekly appearance on the "Fox and Friends" morning news show, hangs in the "Barber Shop," a weekly radio show he does with his brother Ronde, and regularly makes numerous other media appearances throughout the week. …That's it for this week. I'm going Christmas shopping.

So long and good night and good luck!