Just had some random thoughts after thumbing through the sports section of today's newspapers and a few websites. Nothing really big going on in the sports world right now so I decided to tackle some of the back-page stories and give you my two cents.

At a recent practice session, first-year Marquette coach and one of the finalists for NCAA Coach of the Year, Buzz Williams, was seen dishing out dollops of some type of gel to all of his players during a brief break in the action. Before all of you conspiracy theorists start racking your brain wondering what type of illegal substance the Golden Eagles coach was providing his players with, you can call off the investigation, it was merely a pre-emptive measure to keep his team healthy.

Because Marquette has been hit with a rash of illnesses in each of the last two seasons heading into the NCAA Tournament, Williams decided he would do whatever he could to keep his team intact this year, so the coach administered some hand sanitizer to his players in an effort to keep the germs at bay. Talk about a rookie coach making a veteran move. My prediction is that if Marquette can manage to have a solid showing in the Big East tourney and then win a couple of games in the big dance, Williams claims the Coach of the Year honors. If that doesn't work out he should definitely get the award for running the cleanest program in the country.

Is it just me or does it seem like Ed Hightower is refereeing every college basketball game ever played? Perhaps there is more than one guy named Hightower in the zebra stripes patrolling the hardwood but it seems like every NCAA hoops game I watch (and that's about 10-12 per week) has Hightower blowing the whistle.

I read where Kurt Warner sent the Arizona Cardinals his proposed contract numbers and they included a "hometown discount" and a million-dollar reduction that would help them re-sign receiver Anquan Boldin. For every athlete that has ever held out for more, they should take note of Warner's actions. Here's a guy looking at the big picture and one who fully realizes he has enough green to last a lifetime and wants to keep the team that came up just short of winning the Super Bowl intact so they can try to make another run this season.