Belichick no competition for O.J. when it comes to sports’ top miscreant

Isn’t it odd, “Rants & Raves” asks, how O.J. Simpson — a Heisman Trophy-winning running back in college and the 14th-leading rusher in NFL history — spent years outrunning defenses but now spends much of his time looking for good ones? …

• The smug look on the face of Simpson — or “Sumpson,” as KLAS-TV, Channel 8 had on a graphic during its early newscast Sunday — following his arrest for armed robbery, among other charges, said it all: The guy is a doofus who just doesn’t get it.

He either believes he’s above the law, or he’s certifiably nut-zoid. We’re going with A+B=Criminal in, stealing from our Channel 8 friends, a pre-“Sumpson” of guilt. …

• Simpson — who, according to a Channel 8 graphic on its 11 p.m. newscast, was taken to the CCSD (Clark County School District) instead of the Clark County Detention Center — could be in deep trouble. He faces as many as 108 years in prison, if convicted on all charges.

Or, come to think of it, teaching some of the miscreants in school these days would be a more fitting punishment. …

• Of course, the 60-year-old pseudo-celebrity, who escaped a double-homicide conviction in 1995 and has been scouring every golf course in the country for the “at-large” murderer of Nicole Simpson and Ronald Goldman, likely will get only a couple of years in the Nevada pokey, if that.

But it was funny how quickly an arrested “friend” fell down and rolled over — just like those linebackers who couldn’t tackle Simpson in his playing heyday. …

• Simpson actually considered a high-speed freeway getaway, but then someone mentioned to him that nothing moves fast on Interstate 15. …

• We can hear the Simpson trial catchphrase already: “If there were guns, he didn’t see none.” …

• You have to love the crazy world of professional sports. Just as Bill Belichick’s sideline video-spying antics pushed dogfighting ring-leader Michael Vick out of our public consciousness, Simpson has pushed Belichick aside.

But a note on Belichick, coach of the New England Patriots: He said Friday that he was not thinking about the $500,000 fine handed down by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell for violation of league rules but, rather, he had his “focus” — no pun intended, apparently — solely on Sunday night’s game against the San Diego Chargers.

Well, we guess so! Belichick’s boys jumped out to a staggering 24-0 halftime lead, en route to a 38-14 victory that turned the Chargers from Super Bowl contenders into Super Bowl pretenders — and likely had the publicly stoic Belichick smiling inside. …

• Belichick’s hefty fine could mean that he’ll have to start buying his hoodies at Wal-Mart instead of Target. …

• Prediction: At 0-2, and with both losses coming at home, St. Louis Rams coach Scott Linehan — a former UNLV assistant under Jim Strong in 1991 — will be the first to be pink-slipped this season.

St. Louis likely will be 0-4 when it happens, after projected road losses to Tampa Bay and Dallas over the next two weeks. …

• Maybe choky play is contagious, and the Rams simply picked up the collective gagging of their St. Louis baseball brethren, the Cardinals, who had lost 10 of 11 games through Sunday — including three of four in a crucial weekend series against the National League Central-leading Chicago Cubs? …

• While we’re not sure those up-and-down Cubs will make the playoffs, we’re pretty certain the New York Yankees will — either as the American League wild card or even as the AL East winner.

After all, the Yankees are within hot-breath distance of the first-place Boston Red Sox. …

• Which leads us to wonder: Where are all of those folks who not only had thrown Yankees manager Joe Torre under the bus for the team’s poor start this season but were burning rubber on his back?

Oh, that’s right. They’re staring at the ground and kicking gravel in the background of Yankee fandom, alongside those idiots who at the start of every season think New York third baseman Alex Rodriguez will be a bust. …

• A final Simpson note: He was in Las Vegas this weekend for the wedding of a friend.

While it’s a stretch for us to believe that Simpson actually has any friends, we have to wonder what the bride’s family thought about him being in attendance.

What’s more, was anyone concerned with him being around the cake knife?

Joe Hawk is the Review-Journal’s sports editor. His “Rants & Raves” column is published Tuesday. He can be reached at 387-2912 or jhawk@reviewjournal.com.