Another Powerhouse in Florida Football

Florida International played the first football game in the school’s history the other night and beat Division I-AA power St. Peter’s of New Jersey, 27-3, in front of a crowd of 17,000.

“Still undefeated,” one spectator’s T-shirt read.

A charming scene, the Miami Herald noted.

While it lasts.

FIU might seek major college status within the next four years, and the university president, Modesto “Mitch” Maidique, has a yearning for glory.

“We are the 14th-largest university in the country. One of the powerhouses of American universities.... “ Maidique told the Herald. “Going head to head [in football] with major public universities ... that is our world.”

Yes, maybe someday FIU players will bring the school all the notoriety players at nearby Miami have brought theirs.

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Trivia time: Tyrone Willingham makes his debut as Notre Dame’s coach today. Who was the last coach of the Irish to lose his first game? And the last to win?

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Spare us: Does anyone else feel used after baseball owners and the players’ union sucked up so much ink just to reach a deal at the 11th hour?

The whole process was tiresome.

It was all those signs--you know the ones, “Strike and we’re out”--that wore on Ray Ratto of the San Francisco Chronicle.

“The signs became a nightly feature of every sports broadcast (‘And here’s a fan holding up a sign telling everyone what he thinks about a potential work stoppage.’), as well as a staple of every morning front sports page. (‘And here’s a fan holding up a sign telling everyone what he thinks about a potential work stoppage.’)”

Put ‘em away till the next collective bargaining agreement is about to expire.

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What he meant was ... : Mike Ditka remains a big believer in Ricky Williams, but he got tangled up in his own words as he expressed support for the mildly eccentric Miami running back, who has struggled with social anxiety.

“I do a lot of work with kids with Down syndrome,” Ditka told the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel. “I have no problem talking with people who are at a 3-or 4-year-old level. I know what they’re saying comes from the heart. I think Ricky is a lot like that. He speaks from his heart.”

Hmm. Not too sure where Ditka speaks from.

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“Cool” vs. cool: From Suzanne Lenglen’s leg-baring outfits to Anne White’s long white body suit to Serena Williams’ short black cat suit, going untraditional is a time-honored tradition in tennis.

But as Andre Agassi tells Bud Collins in the Boston Globe, it’s important to keep function in mind.

“Well, in retrospect, the jean shorts were probably too heavy, too hot,” Agassi said. “But tennis was considered such an elite game that I wanted to show you could set your own style.”

Yes, but if it doesn’t feel good, don’t wear it.

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Trivia answer: Lou Holtz. The Irish lost to Michigan at home, 24-23, in 1986.

Bob Davie won his first game in 1997, a 17-13 victory over George O’Leary’s Georgia Tech team.

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And finally: Baseball might have lost something even by reaching a deal.

The early leader in an America Online poll about reaction to a strike being averted: “Don’t care; NFL is around the corner.”