RICKAROO - The New Mexico Sports Place

  There are elements of this blog that may tend to portray me in a less-than-flattering light, but that’s OK (I think). I’ve decided that, nevertheless, it’s a story worth telling. Years ago when I was a teenager — OK, many years ago — my family and I were visiting my father’s relatives in rural west Tennessee. Somehow, Sidney Poitier came up as a topic of conversation.   “He’s not a (n-word)” one male relative (not my father) opined. “Why, he’s as black as ...” said the other (also not my father). “But he’s not a (n-word),” responded the first.  Translation: The only thing worse than a black man is an uppity black man, one who speaks English better than we do. Now, did I challenge this blatant racism and use of a vile epithet, coming from members of my own extended family? No. I was a teenager taught to respect my elders, was a guest on their turf, and held genuine affection for both men. That said, their bigotry, and my tolerance of it, was as wrong then as now. My late mother,

  Yes, folks, that was former La Cueva star Connor O’Toole who was ejected for targeting while playing on the Utah kickoff coverage team in the Rose Bowl.  It, also was O’Toole, however, who threw a key block — it looked to me like THE key block — the play before. The Albuquerque freshman’s block sprung returner extraordinaire Britain Covey for a 100-yard touchdown return against Ohio State. The Buckeyes won a highly entertaining game, 48-45.  On the targeting call, O’Toole indeed led with the crown of his helmet in assisting on the tackle of the Ohio State kick returner. The referee actually didn’t say O’Toole was disqualified, and I thought, not totally sure of the rule, that he might be allowed to stay in the game because the contact was not helmet-to-helmet. But, no, he did not return. After the targeting call, the broadcasters noted that O’Toole, a wide receiver, had caught just one pass for 5 yards during the season. They did not note that, as a contributor on special teams, he’d