I Blame The Coaches

I don't see why Von Wafer needs to be dragged into this. Dude hasn't even been on the team for two days and he's already being summoned upon to smoke tom out of his little grass shack.

Uh oh... inadvertent subliminal message there... think I feel a case of the munchies coming on...

As far as the blaming the coaches banter, It is all in a jocular tone; however, it is not without its point.  A lot of times when things go wrong, there is usually a diary or two (and a couple threads elsewhere) where people criticize the coaches, and while there are definitely good comments/questions/wondering there is, in my view, an excess of criticism at times, and and too much of a reactionary tone, i.e., going from a reasonable discussion of strategy into a sort of expectation for there to always be a right answer to every problem, and not reaching that answer is Nate's fault, to the point of occasionally questioning whether Nate should be replaced.  Tom's diary is a satire of the more excessive criticisms that have come up.
I don't know if you caught it, but he questions Medina and Townsend on the basis of their being musicians, which is clearly joke, playing off of their last names.  It is not so much sarcasm as silliness, playing off of the foibles of the Blazersedge community (and really, any fan community).

 We clap not because we are easily amused, but because, as I see it, we can have some good natured ribbing concerning ourselves and our team (doesn't hurt that Tom does a good job of it).  As far as any political influences, I would say Tom reminds me of the Daily Show (Republican party, not so much), especially with the wordplay, references, and deadpan extension of existing attitudes or logic into absurdist fare.  You're welcome.

As far as tone, if you read Tom enough, you get a pretty clear sense of when he is serious and when he is not.  His tone tends to be pretty definite, at least as far as I have noticed.

As far as spotlight, I just think it is more Tom's personality to be this jocular about things, and is something he enjoys doing.  I find it a good reminder that this site is great because of how conversational it is, and I feel confident in saying that this is not an act but just an online extension of how talking with Tom would be.  The best part of all of this is that if you are really bothered by him, you don't have to read him.

As far as OJ, I'll say this: the man has been joked about since the trial started.  The case and the man have been milked for years worth of late night jokes (and still are).  That is not to say you can't be upset about it, but rather, it is standard fare for a lot of comedians, and Tom is not doing anything out of the ordinary, so such criticisms would need to more broadly aimed at pop-culture in general for its attitude toward OJ, and not squarely at Tom.

Hope this cleared some things up, or at least gives a different perspective than any you have perceived to be had 'round these parts.