Down in Charleston they're calling it the Bob Spoo Legacy Tour, and it got off to a good start last week as the Eastern Illinois University football team came from behind to beat arch-rival Illinois State in the 100th meeting between the two schools.

Spoo, the veteran coach of the Panthers, will retire after this, his 25th season leading the program. Eastern comes north this week to continue the tour, taking on Northwestern in a non-conference matchup in Evanston. It begins at 2:30 p.m. and will be carried on television on the Big Ten Network.

When the Panthers are on offense, check out No. 74 at right tackle. Oswego's Collin Seibert, who redshirted last season during his freshman year, is now a starter on the team's O-line. The 6-foot-4 Seibert, who also started at center on Oswego's Class 3A runnerup basketball team in 2009, is up to 268 pounds.

One of my favorite interviews from the last few years was a phone conversation I had with Cleveland Cavaliers' broadcaster Joe Tait for a profile piece I wrote on him. Wish it could have taken place, in person, before or after a Cavs' game.

Tait is retiring after this season. The Aurora native is revered throughout much of Ohio for his 30-plus years of broadcasting Cavs' games, as this blogger's entry proves. Heck, the West High grad even has his own bobblehead, check it out.

Which brings to mind another West High grad and broadcasting "legend," Neal Ormond. So what if his work has been done on a slightly smaller stage? If I were the president of the West High sports boosters, I'd look into the possibility of having an Ormond bobblehead made and sold as part of a fundraiser.

It probably wouldn't be cost-effective, but it could be part of a series of bobbleheads highlighting the East-West basketball rivalry. Just imagine the possibilities ... Gordie Kerkman, Ernie Kivisto, John McDougal and Scott Martens, just to name a few of the coaches. And then there are the players ... Bill Small, Tom Kivisto, Kenny Battle, Thomas Wyatt, Matt Hicks ... and on and on.

Apparently the league is saying, "Go west, young men, go west."

Strange, though, isn't it that the Big Ten Conference would have to wait until 24 hours before game time before deciding to change the rules -- for safety reasons -- for the Illinois vs. Northwestern college football game at Wrigley Field?

When both teams are on offense, they will move to the west end zone (along the third base line) because it's tight quarters on the other endzone with only a foot between the padded wall and the end of the endzone. Just curious, though. If one of the teams' defensive players returns an interception for a score in that east end zone, will they kick the extra point there or head to the west. Could be a factor, I suppose, if the wind is howling and "blowing out."

Are their football purists similar to those so-called baseball purists? Won't they have a field day if that wind is howling and has a significant impact on the respective coaches' game strategy?

It's just a suggestion, but with all the well-founded concern about concussions in the sport at all levels these days, maybe they should have just had the players don those Michelin man-like suits that they use in bars for sumo-like wrestling mathces. Better to be safe than sorry.

It's gonna be a circus at the shrine at Clark and Addison, so why not go the whole nine yards ? Give or take a foot or two.

Congratulations are in order.

Tim Johnson, a senior at Marmion Academy who qualified for the state meet last fall and was named Beacon News Golfer of the Year, has signed a national letter of intent to continue playing the sport next year at Loyola University in Chicago.

An official announcement will be held Monday at the school.

Walking the treadmill and watching ESPNews, I just learned that the Seattle fired Jim Mora Jr. today after one season leading the Seahawks. Understand the network's Chris 'Mort' Mortensen is reporting that Southern Cal coach Pete Carroll is the top choice to take the job and a deal is close to being done.

Then came the shocker.

John Clayton, discussing the story during his daily NFL report, said it was possible that Carroll wanted to prove himself after failing at two NFL stops (New England, NY Jets) before his amazing run of success at USC. Lost a lot of respect for Clayton. How could he discuss this story without even mentioning the cloud that hangs over the Trojan program with the never-ending (it would seem) NCAA investigation of alleged violations concerning former Trojan Reggie Bush (he just finished his, what, third NFL season?).

First thing I thought of when I heard the story was Michael Jordan's first retirement that was followed by whispers of him giving it up to avoid being suspended by David Stern for his involvement with gambling.

Still don't know if there was any truth to that or any of the questions surrounding SC, but I'd be willing to bet (not much mind you), that as soon as Carroll is good and gone, the NCAA investigation of Bush will soon be wrapped up.

Tommy Lasorda really said Manny Ramirez is the most popular Dodger since the team moved from Brooklyn?

That's what I heard, and immediately thought, "What a shame that senility has hit the former Dahhdger skipper (as Vin Scully would say) so hard."

Tommy was there when Fernando Valenzuela took Southern California by storm and became a national sensation. And what about (once upon a time) Mr. Squeaky Clean Steve Garvery, who helped the team win a World Series as I recall?

What's Manny done except help the team beat the Cubs in one lousy playoff series. Hell, that wouldn't even make the resume of any self-respecting major leaguer over the past, I don't know, 100 years or so, would it?

Sad days for LA LA Land.

So with the 50-game suspension of LA's Manny Ramirez, I guess "Mannywood" now becomes "Anywood."

Baseball fans have to be asking, who wouldn't? when it comes to the use of performance enhancers. Maybe Jose Canseco is right, maybe the number of users is 100 percent. But I still doubt it.

Manny being Manny was very big news. Yes, even Wow news. But did it really shake you to your core? Guess it's the cynic in me. Always thought wild and wacky Manny could be entertaining, but Thursday's news isn't any more surprising than any 90s headline that featured the word "Rodman."

For a long time, the likes of Ken Griffey Jr., Greg Maddux and Frank Thomas were thought to be squeaky clean and beyond reproach by most baseball fans. Listening to talk radio the last 24 hours, it's clear that may no longer be the case.

Can you come up with a list of five players that would really ... REALLY ... shock you if you were to learn they had been found guilty of violating MLB's policy like Manny?