Front page to sports page

Color Him Resigned
So Tom Ridge is resigning as director of Homeland Security. My first thought - which is an easy shot - was that this man's legacy will be a color-coded terror alert system and imploring people to protect themselves with duct tape and plastic sheets. But hey, I know that's unfair and reductive. It looked like Ridge wasn't doing a good job because he had an IMPOSSIBLE job. Would anyone in the same position have succeeded on any level? Watch or read the news - homeland security isn't anywhere close to expectations. Airports don't have enough staff and screening equipment. Sea ports and border crossings are still too leaky. It's kind of horrifying to think about. I'd resign too.

The Firing Irish
And the University of Notre Dame shoved its head football coach, Tyrone Willingham, off the bus. Why is that significant? Out of 117 colleges that have major football programs, only two of them now have black head coaches. Willingham was the first black coach for any of Notre Dame's athletic programs. Despite its recent run of mediocrity, Notre Dame's football team still has a tremendously high profile and is among the most famous in the country. A black coach holding the head coaching position there was a big deal. Willingham's overall record wasn't great (21 wins, 5 losses), but is three years on the job enough time to rebuild a football program? (Most coaches would say no, but of course they'll say that.) What stinks about the whole thing is that Willingham is a good coach and will very likely be snatched up quickly by another school.