T.O v. J.C.

Terrell Owens, a NFL receiver who is never at a loss for words, recently made a comparison between his situation, and that of a Gallilean who had a following of 12 some 2005 or so years ago. Dan O'Neill of the St. Louis Post did a nice comparison:

1. Owens was born in Alexander City, Ala., which is 80 miles from Birmingham and pretty much in the middle of nowhere; Jesus was born in Bethlehem, the cradle of biblical history, 5 1/2 miles from Jerusalem and revered by at least three religions. Edge: Jesus.

2. Owens has the ability to turn a game around; according to biblical accounts, Jesus had the ability to turn water into wine and give sight to the blind. Edge: Jesus.

3. Owens made a remarkable recovery from a broken leg, needing only five weeks to bounce back and play in the Super Bowl; Jesus made a remarkable recovery from being nailed to a cross, needing only three days to rise from the dead and create what we now know as Easter. Edge: Jesus.

4. Owens has been known to do gimmicky celebrations in the end zone; Jesus was known to walk on water. Edge: Jesus.

5. Owens once aggravated a crowd in Dallas by sprinting to midfield after a touchdown to pose on the Cowboys logo. He also has been quoted saying things like, "The only people that really matter are the people that are in my inner circle." Jesus gave the Sermon on the Mount, considered by religious and moral thinkers such as Tolstoy and Gandhi to contain the central
tenets of Christian discipleship. Again, give the edge to Jesus.

Bottom line: Owens may or may not get more money, but he does not compare favorably with Jesus. Unless, of course, he was talking about Jesus Alou.