Coach P., who was fired Wednesday by new SU athletic director Daryl Gross, was paid handsomely to help generate revenue in the industry known Division I-A college football. There are plenty of numbers athletic programs use to measure success — graduation rate and winning percentage, for example — but no number in any business means more than the bottom line, the dollar.

Coach P.'s record A.D. (After Donovan) was 39-33. The 50,000 seat Carrier Dome was, on average, a quarter empty, and only a winning team, not a graduating one, is going to bring those people — and their money — back. ESPN doesn't base its TV schedule on graduation rate, only expected audience. People don't tune in to see .500 teams. Top-flight recruits don't want to play for .500 teams.

I will always have fond memories of the Coach P. era. He was promoted from linebackers coach to head coach in my sophomore season, and I was there for his first two 10-2 seasons, a thrilling period in which Marvin Graves, Chris Gedney, David Walker and Qadry Ismail led one of the nation's most dynamic offenses. With apologies to the St. Louis Rams, we had one helluva show on turf, too. Just ask Florida, Texas, Ohio State and Colorado, four of the upper-echelon teams we defeated in my sophomore and junior years.

In 1995, Pasqualoni was smart enough to start freshman Donovan McNabb, who would develop into the greatest quarterback in school history, winning three Big East Offensive Player of the Year awards while shining in convincing road victories at Miami and Michigan. Today, we can't expect to compete with any top-flight school. Today, we can't beat Temple, can't hang in for even a half against Georgia Tech and Purdue.

Coach P. was at SU for 14 years, and he earned the right to be there for 14 years. But I think the right business decision was to make a change before the 15th. I also hope the Syracuse community and alumni recognize that many of the football team's brightest moments came under this decent man's watch. He should forever be welcome on campus.

Other Sports Links:

• ESPN.com's Page 3 Year-in-Review — You're gonna love it. Ya know why? 'Cause I wrote it.

• The Bronx All-Stars — Buster Olney on how sick the Yankees are gonna look if they lock up Randy Johnson and Carlos Beltran.

• Old Paul Maguire Football Card and AFL Bio — You know I love this guy. I'm a tell ya what, I didn't know he "was involved in one of the most spectacular plays in Bills' history," when he crushed two Chargers on a punt return for a TD in the 1965 AFL title game. I wold love to watch, Watch, WATCH a replay of that.

• Packers Break U.S. Flag Code; Fly Old Glory at Half-Staff for White — The code specifies that the honor is reserved for principal figures of the U.S. government. So that would be Secretary of Defense, not Minister of Defense.

• NFL Playoff Scenarios — Better print this out and keep it with you Sunday, because there's no way you're gonna be able to follow Week 17 otherwise.

• Legendary Yankees Organist Eddie Layton Dies — This guy played Happy Birthday about a million times, yet the AP reports that the Yankees did not know Layton's age.

• The Road Not Taken — A Sports Illustrated (subscription required) feature on the most intriguing might-have-beens, such as Eagles coach Vince Lombardi, New York Met Roger Clemens, registered pharmacist Jack Nicklaus and ESPN: The Sports Illustrated cable network.