By Tim Clark / / Column, Tim's Two Cents
Turkeys

Traditions seem to pop up this time of year like helpings of stuffing on my Thanksgiving dinner plate. Family arguments, eating too much, long naps, bad jokes during the Macy’s Parade, and Terry Bradshaw being inappropriate.

All of those take a backseat to my favorite tradition.

Two Cent Turkeys.

For the past six years, I have named sports figures from all around the sports world who have annoyed me Two Cent Turkeys. Each year I have new turkeys to go with repeat offenders.

I am easily annoyed, so there is never a shortage of recipients. With that in mind, here are the 2025 Two Cent Turkeys.

🦃 Bob Nutting 🦃

Ah, the only person to make this list each year. Mr. Nutting took poor ownership to new heights in 2025. Not only did Nutting continue his reign of not spending a dime on his team, but he continued to employ Ben Cherington as his GM, and made it clear he didn’t even care about his team. Sell the team billboards were put up, banners with the same sentiment were flown over PNC Park, chants of the same were heard at most home games, a fan fell from the stands, a stadium employee whipped a fan with a belt, Fan bricks were thrown in a dump, and a Clemente sign was covered up with an ad. Oh, it was a banner year for good ol’ Bobby. As always, he never flinched. Bob Nutting is easily the head turkey in Pittsburgh. Gobble, gobble Bob.

🦃 Art Rooney II and Mike Tomlin 🦃

The Steelers used to be synonymous with success. Lately, not so much. The last Steelers playoff game victory was nearly nine years ago. They have only won the division 4 times in 14 years. They are regularly one of the most boring teams in the league.

Rooney continues to allow head coach Mike Tomlin to be employed. Rarely does anyone hear from Rooney. He speaks at the end of each season, often insinuating he is happy with the fact the Steelers are in the playoff hunt each year. For most of the season he seems as though he is asleep at the wheel. Tomlin has no accountability. No owner should find 9-8 and an embarrassing playoff loss acceptable, and certainly not a Rooney. That is NOT the standard.

That brings me to Tomlin. He has been the Steelers head coach for 19 years. That is a long time, made to feel even longer by the lack of playoff success that has extended the better part of a decade and a half. Much of that time, Tomlin had a Hall of Fame quarterback at his disposal. In an offensive era, Tomlin is the only coach in the NFL to spend all of the budget on defense. He runs a junior varsity(to steal his phrase) offense that isn’t remotely entertaining to watch. His time in Pittsburgh should end. The catch phrases were much funnier when they were winning. Now they just make me want to puke. The standard is nowhere near the standard.

Wake up Art and say bye bye to Mikey T. Oh, and gobble, gobble boys.

🦃 Lincoln Riley 🦃

USC took a baby step forward this year. But it is year four for a coach the school broke the bank to hire away from Oklahoma. He has the top rated recruiting class for 2026 right now. I have been saying all year that next year Riley goes on the clock. Either the results improve to a level commensurate with USC standards or you pay the price and fire him. And next year’s schedule is brutally difficult.

None of that is why Riley earned a Two Cent Turkey. Riley makes the list because, as a Trojans fanatic, I am sick of him not holding players accountable. The lack of discipline this team shows regularly tells me there is no accountability. I am sick of watching him with his little play sheet on the sideline. I don’t want my head coach calling plays. For Riley, it is clearly the only thing that matters. He never, and I mean never, emphasizes special teams. The team had 5 disastrous special teams breakdowns versus Oregon if you need proof. During media gatherings after practices he often wears his visor backwards. Someone needs to tell him he is running an elite college football program, not playing a quick 18 with his frat buddies.

The most annoying thing about Riley is his answers after losses. They are always just a play or two away. He claimed the Oregon game was two heavyweights going toe to toe. No Lincoln, it was one possible heavyweight and a slightly above average team. And slightly above average, unfortunately, is a baby step for USC. Lincoln, my friend, gobble gobble.

🦃James Franklin 🦃

Franklin lands here not so much because he got fired but how he went about his business leading up to the end of his Penn State tenure. Franklin was the ultimate used car salesman, which I saw through immediately as an outsider to PSU fandom. It became nauseating at times. The thing I found most turkey-like from Franklin was his constant need to be childish. From getting into multiple shouting matches with fans to stunts he pulled in media sessions, it wasn’t the look I would want from my head coach. Franklin was the perfect hire at Virginia Tech, but that isn’t enough to avoid this list. Gobble gobble , James, which will serve you well at your next stop.

🦃 Pat Kraft 🦃

“We came here to win national championships” said while wearing that gaudy ring from the volleyball team. No kidding, Pat. What AD, especially at a school like Penn State, isn’t looking to win championships. Rather than saying they decided to go in a different direction when firing Franklin, Kraft backed himself into a corner by saying we want someone that can get us a championship. Well, the guy you just fired —and he needed to go— was a play away from the championship game. Now, the “home run” hires are largely off the board. Nobody Kraft hires will come with an obvious championship pedigree. Kraft seems like a blowhard who likes to be seen and heard. Choosing words should be easier for someone in that position. Gobble gobble, Patrick.

🦃 Penn State fans 🦃

I would like to state some facts for my Nittany Lions brethren. Joe Paterno is dead and gone. Joe Paterno did immense good for the university, from the library endowment to all the promotion he did for the school. Joe Paterno was a legendary coach who should be remembered fondly. Paterno made an egregious error in judgement in a situation that drastically stained Penn State. All of those facts can be true. The Paterno diehards must let go. They feel like they are the only ones that understand the culture at Penn State. Many are now demanding interim head coach Terry Smith —who played for Paterno— be hired as full time head coach. Smith has certainly accounted for himself well. The team is now playing like everyone thought they would all season. Smith deserves much credit.

Hiring Smith would be a mistake. You can remember the past, but you can’t bring the past back. Move on. James Franklin had no ties to Paterno and gave the school some really good seasons. Hiring the best person is all that matters.  So, quit worrying about what James Franklin may or may not do at Virginia Tech. Leave the past in the past. Quit trying to resurrect the Paterno era. It is nauseating listening to this constant line of thinking. Gobble gobble you Nits.

🦃 Playoff Committee 🦃

Men in suits are likely to screw things up. I don’t trust them to be impartial and get the right teams selected and seeded correctly. In addition, there is no set of absolute rules for selection. That, alone, makes this a shaky process. Now add the suits and you have the potential for a mess. Gobble gobble, suits.

🦃 Terry Rozier 🦃

Rozier has made over 12 million dollars in his basketball career. Yet, for a meager $10,000, Rozier was willing to risk his career by throwing bets. He and his buddies would put money on prop bets involving Rozier. Then Rozier would see to it that he and his friends won the bet by either faking an injury or playing poorly. Now instead of enjoying all that money, Rozier could go to prison. I bet it wasn’t worth it. Gobble gobble, Terrance.

🦃 Bill Belichick 🦃

Belichick is certainly not on this list because he has a 24 year old girlfriend. He makes the cut because he is embarrassing himself. His girlfriend controls his entire life and is clearly a gold digger. It got to the point where last week his daughter-in-law unleashed a profanity laced tirade on her. At the same time, he is proving he is not a college coach. That is opening up the speculation that the only time he won was with Tom Brady. It is true, which means one thing. Gobble gobble, Billy boy.

🦃 Tom Izzo 🦃

I am right. You are wrong. That is basically Izzo’s mantra. His old school ways is the holier than thou approach that is what is right with the college basketball world. What Izzo truly is, is a giant crybaby hypocrite. Other teams playing by the rules are still chumps to him if he doesn’t like the rules. Izzo constantly rails on college hoops with, “What are we doing?” I’ll tell you what we are doing. Gobble gobble, Coach Izzo.

🦃 Steven A Smith & Pat McAfee 🦃

This is maybe the most obvious choice I have ever made for this list. ESPN, in general, has become a cesspool. These two guys lead the way.

One —McAfee— is a frat boy wannabe who thinks he is still chugging beers with the boys in college. He pushes his agendas via some of his guests, and he is over the top obnoxious. It got him into trouble once this year when he reported on an important sports story of a college girl and a married man. He seems to be running the entire network.

If McAfee doesn’t run the network, Smith does. I am not sure whether it is his self aggrandizing always right attitude, his yelling at his audience, or his unhinged takes such as “brothers don’t want to play at Ole Miss.” In case he wasn’t annoying enough already, Smith has suddenly become a political expert. I’m a democrat. I’m a republican. I’m a democrat. I’m a republican. You are an idiot.

Hey, Pat. What’s that comin’ down the tracks? A two headed turkey for you two hacks. Gobble gobble, morons.

🦃 Kirk Herbstreit 🦃

Hey. Kirk Herbstreit has a dog.

Hey. Kirk Herbstreit wants to be best friends with Pat McAfee.

Hey. Gobble gobble, Kirk.

🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃

Let’s face it, Thanksgiving is the perfect time to recognize those that annoy us. Sports provide us with many possibilities and we won’t all agree. To quote Tom Izzo, “I am right and the rest of you are wrong.”

Happy Thanksgiving and gobble gobble!

Tweet of the Week

I started posting this in my Thanksgiving column a couple years ago. So, sticking with the tradition theme here is one of the all time classic TV scenes.

 


The Weekly Shiny Penny

Terry Smith has done everything right since getting the Penn State interim job. He is a good man, and here is a really cool example of just how good.

 


A Penny For My Final Thought…

The Steelers aren’t just bad, they are embarrassing.

George Pickens is being described by some as the best receiver in the NFL. A year ago he was throwing his helmet and having a tantrum because the Steelers incompetent offensive coordinator —the third in a row— couldn’t design plays to accentuate his talents.

In Seattle DK Metcalf was a star. Since coming to Pittsburgh Metcalf is busy catching three yard slants and running go routes every other play.

Here is a little evidence of the wide receiver killers coaching the Steelers.

 

Oh, and here is a stunning statistic.

 


For those saying I was wrong about Mason Rudolph, I give you this graphic.

 


I still maintain Rudolph is better than 41 year old Aaron Rodgers. If those are the play calls it doesn’t matter if Tom Brady, Mason Rudolph, or I quarterback, it isn’t going to go well.

I just don’t have the energy for this. There are scads of video and statistical evidence out there showing just how poorly coached this team is. For now, I will leave you with James Harrison showing —is that the right word for it?— his displeasure with the Steelers. He speaks for us all.

 

On to the turkey and stuffing, with extra cranberry sauce please.

Just my two cents…