Crazy idea, you say? Maybe, but there's so many reasons this game is not only unnecessary, but could even prove problematic.
Let's start with the city. New Orleans. The land that hurricane Katrina devastated a few years back. They don't need the money. If you can believe no less an authority than an ex-President, some guy named Brownie already did a heck of a job down there. Besides, they'll have Michigan and Virginia Tech showing up the week before the so-called championship game anyway to play in the Sugar Bowl. Motels, hotels, cabbies, rent-a-car businesses, bars, restaurants, you name it, will likely at least double or triple their prices because, no pun intended, they'll be the only game in town. They'll have more money than Katrina had water from all the out-of-town fans. At that, they'll have to work round-the-clock cleaning up that mess because two more thundering herds with different colors are heading their way. Same beds (change the sheets please), same cars, same cajun-style chicken wings, etc. One game's enough.
More importantly, the game itself. A rematch between LSU and Alabama. From the start of the season, didn't it always seem like this was inevitable, as in preordained? The press said so. The talking heads said so. Everybody knows the SEC has the best teams, right? Yours truly isn't so sure about that, because how do we know, unless we see them matched up against other quality teams, from other conferences, at neutral sites, when both sides have a month to study the other one? We don't, and won't, at least this year.
There's a better way. Cancel the championship game and declare LSU the champions. After all, they're the only major college team to be undefeated. Every computer and every poll has them unanimously ranked #1. Too boot, they've already beaten #2 Alabama, AT Alabama. What else is there for them to prove?
To be sure, the game will happen, but that get could problematic, as well. There's a few different ways that could play out. Given those two teams, I seriously doubt anyone thinks a blowout, either way, is going to happen. If LSU wins, they're STILL #1. Yet if Alabama pulls a minor upset, they'll be crowned champs, but -- will they be deserving? They got beat by the same team in their own back yard the first time around. One might liken it to the classic Ali-Frazier fights. Frazier wins the first one. Ali wins the rematch. Only one way to decide who's the superior fighter. They had a third one to settle it.
Problem is, if Alabama wins a close game, there will be no "rubber match", or Thrilla in Manila, to really decide it.
Nick Saban will make speeches. Tuscaloosa will have a parade. Columnists, analysts, and talking heads will go berserk dissecting every game both teams played throughout the season.
And we still won't know which team is the best.
For that reason only, I hope LSU wins this thing. Simpler that way.
Simpler yet if it wasn't played at all.
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Monday, December 5, 2011
The Lions. From Dudley Doright to Snidely Whiplash
Remember when the Lions started off 5-0, were media darlings, and had the whole country's attention in a good way? It seemed everybody was rooting for them to finally, after decades of being a laughingstock, including countless jokes from late-night talk show hosts, jump back into the realm of at least respectability in the NFL, and perhaps even become a, gasp, contender. Poof. All gone.
Yours truly thinks it started when head coach Jim Schwartz, after suffering his first defeat -- at home, no less -- went after San Francisco 49er head coach Jim Harbaugh, to the point where he was chasing him around the field and security personnel had to restrain him from whatever mayhem he may have had on his mind. Never mind that head-to-head, Harbaugh would KO Schwartz in a matter of seconds, this was conduct unbecoming of a professional coach. Evidently Schwartz thought Harbaugh was somewhat over exuberant with his post-game handshake and maybe even clapped him on the back a little too hard before trying to exit the field.
Earth to Schwartz. It's the NFL. Guys are out there wreaking great bodily harm on each other. Broken bones, torn tendons and ligaments, and concussions happen all the time. Every play might be a player's last one. For that game, for the season, and sometimes forever. It's the nature of the game. And you want to chase the opposing coach around the field because of a handshake or a back pat you didn't like?
Thing is, he's the head coach, supposedly leading by example, and the players pick up on that sort of thing. There's little doubt the Lions players saw the same replays we did, over and over. And I think a very bad seed started to germinate.
The Atlanta Falcons came to town and beat them again. The seed starts to sprout. Since then, the Lions, and sadly, even some of the local media, somehow thought it was humorous to mock an opposing player (Tim Tebow) because of his deeply held religious beliefs. I can understand players trying to get into opponents' heads with trash-talking, but the media bringing up religion as some sort of joke? Not only was that unprofessional on their part, but downright low-class. Further, it watered the above seed.
Win some, lose more, and then the Thanksgiving day game against the Packers with the Ndahmukong Suh debacle. The seed has not only grown roots, the plant is shooting up quickly, and even beginning to flower.
A few weeks back, when the NFL, ever conscious of TV ratings, decided to move the Lions-Saints game to prime time instead of their usual afternoon time slot, they likely had no idea what the Lions would become in the meantime. Again on national TV, the gates finally gave way and the jail break was on. Personal fouls and unsportsmanlike conduct penalties abounded. Showing a total lack of discipline, much less professionalism, the Lions not only embarrassed themselves again but, in the process, have dragged that Detroit franchise, and even the city itself, right back into the sewer of punch lines that they had such a golden opportunity to finally climb out of.
The talking-heads on TV are ripping them something awful for what they have become. Even ex-coach Mike Ditka, normally a "stay the course" kind of guy, has expressed his disapproval. The Lions are getting lit-up on the Internet, and who knows what the hundreds and thousands of printed publications yours truly never sees are saying about them? Though I have no knowledge of same, it wouldn't surprise me a bit if a Sports Illustrated writer has been quietly lurking about taking notice, and a feature article pops out in that mag next week.
Yet it's almost like the football gods want them to succeed. Obviously, Green Bay has won the division championship, but all the Lions' contenders for a wild-card berth keep losing as well. Technically, they're still in the hunt. Can they win the Super Bowl? Of course not. They're nowhere near that caliber just yet, but they've shown themselves on occasion to be a pretty good football team, potential-wise. Good things could happen in the future.
But first they need to get a handle on the discipline -- act like professionals -- thing. From the head coach on down. Right now they don't have it. Schwartz needs to do a reality check with himself, before he can get that message across to the players.
You thought Matt Millen being in charge was bad? Maybe he was, but at least we didn't expect much out of them. Martin Mayhew, his successor, is one "w" being changed to an "m" away from describing the current state of affairs.
At least under Millen, the Lions were laughed about for good-natured reasons. Nobody's laughing now. They've gone from loveable losers to being a national disgrace. Many people, with no former allegiance to the Lions, jumped on their bandwagon, when they started out hot this year. Maybe it was novelty, sympathy, or perhaps just rooting for perennial underdogs.
Not any more. Those same people want to see the Lions take a beating. The NFL honchos went out of their way to give the Lions national exposure they normally never would have received. Now those same honchos have the Honolulu blue and silver under a microscope.
And the Lions have no one but themselves to blame for this.
Schwartz should have left Harbaugh alone. Sometimes just one snowflake can trigger an avalanche.
Or in this case, when an original seed germinates, takes roots, and shoots up out of the ground at an amazing rate, even perhaps bearing flowers -- one should beware. That's not a plant. It's a weed. Left alone it will spread quickly, sap the nutrients from the real plants one is attempting to grow, and no matter how long one waits, it will never bear fruit.
Jim Schwartz is quickly approaching weed status. If he can't get a handle on his team, perhaps he needs to be yanked out.
Yours truly thinks it started when head coach Jim Schwartz, after suffering his first defeat -- at home, no less -- went after San Francisco 49er head coach Jim Harbaugh, to the point where he was chasing him around the field and security personnel had to restrain him from whatever mayhem he may have had on his mind. Never mind that head-to-head, Harbaugh would KO Schwartz in a matter of seconds, this was conduct unbecoming of a professional coach. Evidently Schwartz thought Harbaugh was somewhat over exuberant with his post-game handshake and maybe even clapped him on the back a little too hard before trying to exit the field.
Earth to Schwartz. It's the NFL. Guys are out there wreaking great bodily harm on each other. Broken bones, torn tendons and ligaments, and concussions happen all the time. Every play might be a player's last one. For that game, for the season, and sometimes forever. It's the nature of the game. And you want to chase the opposing coach around the field because of a handshake or a back pat you didn't like?
Thing is, he's the head coach, supposedly leading by example, and the players pick up on that sort of thing. There's little doubt the Lions players saw the same replays we did, over and over. And I think a very bad seed started to germinate.
The Atlanta Falcons came to town and beat them again. The seed starts to sprout. Since then, the Lions, and sadly, even some of the local media, somehow thought it was humorous to mock an opposing player (Tim Tebow) because of his deeply held religious beliefs. I can understand players trying to get into opponents' heads with trash-talking, but the media bringing up religion as some sort of joke? Not only was that unprofessional on their part, but downright low-class. Further, it watered the above seed.
Win some, lose more, and then the Thanksgiving day game against the Packers with the Ndahmukong Suh debacle. The seed has not only grown roots, the plant is shooting up quickly, and even beginning to flower.
A few weeks back, when the NFL, ever conscious of TV ratings, decided to move the Lions-Saints game to prime time instead of their usual afternoon time slot, they likely had no idea what the Lions would become in the meantime. Again on national TV, the gates finally gave way and the jail break was on. Personal fouls and unsportsmanlike conduct penalties abounded. Showing a total lack of discipline, much less professionalism, the Lions not only embarrassed themselves again but, in the process, have dragged that Detroit franchise, and even the city itself, right back into the sewer of punch lines that they had such a golden opportunity to finally climb out of.
The talking-heads on TV are ripping them something awful for what they have become. Even ex-coach Mike Ditka, normally a "stay the course" kind of guy, has expressed his disapproval. The Lions are getting lit-up on the Internet, and who knows what the hundreds and thousands of printed publications yours truly never sees are saying about them? Though I have no knowledge of same, it wouldn't surprise me a bit if a Sports Illustrated writer has been quietly lurking about taking notice, and a feature article pops out in that mag next week.
Yet it's almost like the football gods want them to succeed. Obviously, Green Bay has won the division championship, but all the Lions' contenders for a wild-card berth keep losing as well. Technically, they're still in the hunt. Can they win the Super Bowl? Of course not. They're nowhere near that caliber just yet, but they've shown themselves on occasion to be a pretty good football team, potential-wise. Good things could happen in the future.
But first they need to get a handle on the discipline -- act like professionals -- thing. From the head coach on down. Right now they don't have it. Schwartz needs to do a reality check with himself, before he can get that message across to the players.
You thought Matt Millen being in charge was bad? Maybe he was, but at least we didn't expect much out of them. Martin Mayhew, his successor, is one "w" being changed to an "m" away from describing the current state of affairs.
At least under Millen, the Lions were laughed about for good-natured reasons. Nobody's laughing now. They've gone from loveable losers to being a national disgrace. Many people, with no former allegiance to the Lions, jumped on their bandwagon, when they started out hot this year. Maybe it was novelty, sympathy, or perhaps just rooting for perennial underdogs.
Not any more. Those same people want to see the Lions take a beating. The NFL honchos went out of their way to give the Lions national exposure they normally never would have received. Now those same honchos have the Honolulu blue and silver under a microscope.
And the Lions have no one but themselves to blame for this.
Schwartz should have left Harbaugh alone. Sometimes just one snowflake can trigger an avalanche.
Or in this case, when an original seed germinates, takes roots, and shoots up out of the ground at an amazing rate, even perhaps bearing flowers -- one should beware. That's not a plant. It's a weed. Left alone it will spread quickly, sap the nutrients from the real plants one is attempting to grow, and no matter how long one waits, it will never bear fruit.
Jim Schwartz is quickly approaching weed status. If he can't get a handle on his team, perhaps he needs to be yanked out.
Sunday, December 4, 2011
The Detroit Lions. Tweet
Just what are the Lions these days anyway? A professional football team or a reform school with a headmaster that appears quite willing to let the incorrigible kids run the joint? Let's take an objective look...
It's no secret (and even some of the players have publicly admitted) that a good deal of their roster consists of "cast-offs" from other teams. In other words, they weren't wanted elsewhere for one reason or another.
The guys that were high draft picks? Calvin Johnson is the best thing that happened to them in a very long time.
Matthew Stafford? At least he's stayed healthy this year. That's a start. Regarding potential -- it's just that. Potential. Contrary to what many Lions' fans (and local scribes) want so desperately to believe -- he's not quite Elway, Favre, Brees, Brady, Montana, Young, or pick a Manning, just yet. Sometimes Stafford shows flashes of brilliance. Other times, he has this bad habit of completing a lot of passes to the guys in the wrong colored uniforms. Time will tell how all this works out.
Nick Fairley? He can't stay healthy either. Louis Delmas is hurt, and only people in the Detroit area think this guy is some sort of fantastic safety. There's a lot of teams he couldn't start for, and probably a few others where he might not even MAKE the team.
An interesting stat.... Jeff Backus, the starting left offensive tackle for Detroit, is in the record books. Of all the players in the entire history of the NFL that have played at least 150 games, Backus has the distinction of owning the lowest winning percentage of ALL TIME. It's even below Brandon Inge's batting average after a "bad" year. That's low. Didn't look it up, but Dominic Raiola can't be far behind in the chase for ultimate futility.
Back to the reform school angle. Even without Ndamukong Suh, currently regarded as the dirtiest player in the NFL by a wide margin (a recent players' poll had him winning by a 4 to 1 margin over his nearest runner-up thug -- a landslide), the Lions showed their true colors once again in New Orleans against the Saints. Remember, that game had been switched from it's original afternoon slot to be the Sunday night showcase game of the NFL. That meant hundreds of millions of people were tuned in.
And what did the Lions do? What they're becoming notorious for. A total lack of discipline, much less professionalism. The incorrigible kids took over again.
Consider:
Nate Burleson, a wide receiver cast-off from another team, pushed off against a defender to make a catch. Sorry. Tweet. That's offensive interference. 10 yard penalty. OK, it happens. A while later he does the exact same thing. Tweet. Another 10 yard penalty. You'd think he'd learn, or at least a coach would take him aside and tell him this isn't working. Oh no. Fast forward. He does it a third time. Tweet. Another 10.
Not so special teams player Stefan Logan, who stands all of 5 foot 6, and weighs in at 180, got frustrated. Did he act like a professional? No. After all his much larger teammates are gathered around him, he flipped the ball into the face of a defender. Sorry. Tweet. That's unsportsmanlike conduct. 15 yard penalty.
Titus Young, a back-up receiver, punched a guy in the face. Tweet. Unsportsmanlike again. Another 15. Young's a rookie. Normally rookies keep a low profile while learning from their coaches and the veteran players. Is this what they've taught him? If so, this guy's in need of a serious attitude adjustment. This is the NFL, not South Central LA.
Tight end Brandon Pettigrew seems to be a mystery. Once in a while, he'll make a brilliant catch. Then there's other times when his Hands of Stone would have made Roberto Duran envious. And what did he do after a call he didn't like? The ultimate no-no in sports. Push an official. Tweet. Unsportsmanlike conduct again. Another 15 yards, and he likely should have been immediately ejected from the game. When the NFL bosses in New York review that, it's also likely that Pettigrew's next game check will have a major deduction included.
Who's in charge of this whole menagerie? Head coach Jim Schwartz, of course. As warden, he doesn't seem to care what his inmates do. In fact, by not being proactive and instilling some discipline, it could be argued he actually encourages such behavior.
Schwartz may indeed possess a brilliant football mind, but let's look at facts. This is his first head coaching job and his record currently stands at 15-29 -- a .340 percentage. For a major league hitter, that would be outstanding. The same power-play goal percentage in the NHL would probably set a record. That number shooting 3s on a basketball court wouldn't be too shabby either.
But a .340 winning percentage as an NFL head coach, while overseeing a team that appears to resort to being back in the 'hood when things don't go well? And collectively, they're swaggering?
Sorry. Tweet. That's conduct unbecoming of professionals.
No such rule, you say?
Well, there oughta be.
It's no secret (and even some of the players have publicly admitted) that a good deal of their roster consists of "cast-offs" from other teams. In other words, they weren't wanted elsewhere for one reason or another.
The guys that were high draft picks? Calvin Johnson is the best thing that happened to them in a very long time.
Matthew Stafford? At least he's stayed healthy this year. That's a start. Regarding potential -- it's just that. Potential. Contrary to what many Lions' fans (and local scribes) want so desperately to believe -- he's not quite Elway, Favre, Brees, Brady, Montana, Young, or pick a Manning, just yet. Sometimes Stafford shows flashes of brilliance. Other times, he has this bad habit of completing a lot of passes to the guys in the wrong colored uniforms. Time will tell how all this works out.
Nick Fairley? He can't stay healthy either. Louis Delmas is hurt, and only people in the Detroit area think this guy is some sort of fantastic safety. There's a lot of teams he couldn't start for, and probably a few others where he might not even MAKE the team.
An interesting stat.... Jeff Backus, the starting left offensive tackle for Detroit, is in the record books. Of all the players in the entire history of the NFL that have played at least 150 games, Backus has the distinction of owning the lowest winning percentage of ALL TIME. It's even below Brandon Inge's batting average after a "bad" year. That's low. Didn't look it up, but Dominic Raiola can't be far behind in the chase for ultimate futility.
Back to the reform school angle. Even without Ndamukong Suh, currently regarded as the dirtiest player in the NFL by a wide margin (a recent players' poll had him winning by a 4 to 1 margin over his nearest runner-up thug -- a landslide), the Lions showed their true colors once again in New Orleans against the Saints. Remember, that game had been switched from it's original afternoon slot to be the Sunday night showcase game of the NFL. That meant hundreds of millions of people were tuned in.
And what did the Lions do? What they're becoming notorious for. A total lack of discipline, much less professionalism. The incorrigible kids took over again.
Consider:
Nate Burleson, a wide receiver cast-off from another team, pushed off against a defender to make a catch. Sorry. Tweet. That's offensive interference. 10 yard penalty. OK, it happens. A while later he does the exact same thing. Tweet. Another 10 yard penalty. You'd think he'd learn, or at least a coach would take him aside and tell him this isn't working. Oh no. Fast forward. He does it a third time. Tweet. Another 10.
Not so special teams player Stefan Logan, who stands all of 5 foot 6, and weighs in at 180, got frustrated. Did he act like a professional? No. After all his much larger teammates are gathered around him, he flipped the ball into the face of a defender. Sorry. Tweet. That's unsportsmanlike conduct. 15 yard penalty.
Titus Young, a back-up receiver, punched a guy in the face. Tweet. Unsportsmanlike again. Another 15. Young's a rookie. Normally rookies keep a low profile while learning from their coaches and the veteran players. Is this what they've taught him? If so, this guy's in need of a serious attitude adjustment. This is the NFL, not South Central LA.
Tight end Brandon Pettigrew seems to be a mystery. Once in a while, he'll make a brilliant catch. Then there's other times when his Hands of Stone would have made Roberto Duran envious. And what did he do after a call he didn't like? The ultimate no-no in sports. Push an official. Tweet. Unsportsmanlike conduct again. Another 15 yards, and he likely should have been immediately ejected from the game. When the NFL bosses in New York review that, it's also likely that Pettigrew's next game check will have a major deduction included.
Who's in charge of this whole menagerie? Head coach Jim Schwartz, of course. As warden, he doesn't seem to care what his inmates do. In fact, by not being proactive and instilling some discipline, it could be argued he actually encourages such behavior.
Schwartz may indeed possess a brilliant football mind, but let's look at facts. This is his first head coaching job and his record currently stands at 15-29 -- a .340 percentage. For a major league hitter, that would be outstanding. The same power-play goal percentage in the NHL would probably set a record. That number shooting 3s on a basketball court wouldn't be too shabby either.
But a .340 winning percentage as an NFL head coach, while overseeing a team that appears to resort to being back in the 'hood when things don't go well? And collectively, they're swaggering?
Sorry. Tweet. That's conduct unbecoming of professionals.
No such rule, you say?
Well, there oughta be.
MSU/Wisconsin and other quick shots
At home, Michigan State beat Wisconsin a few weeks back on a miracle "Hail Mary" play as time ran out. Ironically, the same sort of thing played a large part in MSU falling to UW in the Big 10 -12, whatever, championship game, held in Indianapolis.
Yet towards the end, it looked like MSU had dialed up another miracle. On 4th down and 3 yards to go, leading by 3 points, Wisconsin had to punt the ball. The Spartan punt returner scampered all the way down to the UW 3 yard line. It appeared the Spartans were going to pull another rabbit out of the hat after all, but no. One of their guys had made contact with the punter after he'd kicked the ball. Tweet, flag, 5-yard penalty, first down for Wisconsin, run out the clock, and game over. This sort of bone-headed play falls squarely on the coaching staff. After a whole year, you'd think they'd have taught their players a couple simple rules, given this sort of situation. Do NOT jump offside. And unless you're 100% sure you can block the punt, don't even breathe on that kicker, let alone touch him. They did, they lost, and in the end, it cost them the Rose Bowl. Dumb, dumb, dumb. Speaking of dumb -- after the game was over -- confetti was released, and it was colored -- maize and blue. Who came up with that brilliant idea?
UCLA got whacked by Oregon. No surprise there. In the Pac 10-12, whatever, conference championship game, UCLA represented the South, while Oregon represented the North. But wait a minute. Sanctions or not, Southern Cal had just previously blistered UCLA to the tune of 50-0. What comes after routs, beatdowns and slaughters? If UCLA was the best the southern version of that conference had to offer, it makes one wonder -- just how bad were the rest of the teams? On top of that, they had a head coach (Rick Neuheisel) that had already been fired. Maybe it's ironic again that a lame duck, or maybe a dead duck, was playing the Ducks. What's that? RichRod just signed on at Arizona for a billion dollars and help is on the way? Not sure, but it could be that sound I hear way off in the distance is people in Ann Arbor chuckling.
What could be better than Okla State beating Okla 44-10? Beating them 1000 to nothing. In years past, the Sooners had no qualms about running up the score when they were clearly a dominant team facing an inferior opponent. It's about time they got a dose of their own medicine.
Same with Texas. Glad to see Baylor shut them up. And what is it with Texas anyway? They always seem to have guys named Mack, or Tex, or Colt, or Case, or Troy, running things. Macho stuff. There could be some high school phenom named Jody that broke every prep record there ever was, and I'll guarantee you Texas wouldn't be interested in recruiting him.
The previously unbeaten Boise State like Houston Cougars (strength of schedule) got hammered in their own backyard by Southern Missouri in the Conference USA championship game. Evidently, had Houston won, they would have went to a BCS bowl and generated some $13 million dollars to be split amongst the other conference teams. Some sideline female TV reporter, complete with microphone, cameraperson, and enough makeup to make Joan Rivers blush, couldn't wait to ask the question of the victorious S. Mizzou head coach after the game......
Do you realize you just cost the conference $13 million by winning this game?
Which make yours truly wonder--- who hires these people? Jerry Springer?
The BCS championship game next time. LSU for sure, and probably Alabama in a rematch. But there's another way of going about this that just might make more sense......
Yet towards the end, it looked like MSU had dialed up another miracle. On 4th down and 3 yards to go, leading by 3 points, Wisconsin had to punt the ball. The Spartan punt returner scampered all the way down to the UW 3 yard line. It appeared the Spartans were going to pull another rabbit out of the hat after all, but no. One of their guys had made contact with the punter after he'd kicked the ball. Tweet, flag, 5-yard penalty, first down for Wisconsin, run out the clock, and game over. This sort of bone-headed play falls squarely on the coaching staff. After a whole year, you'd think they'd have taught their players a couple simple rules, given this sort of situation. Do NOT jump offside. And unless you're 100% sure you can block the punt, don't even breathe on that kicker, let alone touch him. They did, they lost, and in the end, it cost them the Rose Bowl. Dumb, dumb, dumb. Speaking of dumb -- after the game was over -- confetti was released, and it was colored -- maize and blue. Who came up with that brilliant idea?
UCLA got whacked by Oregon. No surprise there. In the Pac 10-12, whatever, conference championship game, UCLA represented the South, while Oregon represented the North. But wait a minute. Sanctions or not, Southern Cal had just previously blistered UCLA to the tune of 50-0. What comes after routs, beatdowns and slaughters? If UCLA was the best the southern version of that conference had to offer, it makes one wonder -- just how bad were the rest of the teams? On top of that, they had a head coach (Rick Neuheisel) that had already been fired. Maybe it's ironic again that a lame duck, or maybe a dead duck, was playing the Ducks. What's that? RichRod just signed on at Arizona for a billion dollars and help is on the way? Not sure, but it could be that sound I hear way off in the distance is people in Ann Arbor chuckling.
What could be better than Okla State beating Okla 44-10? Beating them 1000 to nothing. In years past, the Sooners had no qualms about running up the score when they were clearly a dominant team facing an inferior opponent. It's about time they got a dose of their own medicine.
Same with Texas. Glad to see Baylor shut them up. And what is it with Texas anyway? They always seem to have guys named Mack, or Tex, or Colt, or Case, or Troy, running things. Macho stuff. There could be some high school phenom named Jody that broke every prep record there ever was, and I'll guarantee you Texas wouldn't be interested in recruiting him.
The previously unbeaten Boise State like Houston Cougars (strength of schedule) got hammered in their own backyard by Southern Missouri in the Conference USA championship game. Evidently, had Houston won, they would have went to a BCS bowl and generated some $13 million dollars to be split amongst the other conference teams. Some sideline female TV reporter, complete with microphone, cameraperson, and enough makeup to make Joan Rivers blush, couldn't wait to ask the question of the victorious S. Mizzou head coach after the game......
Do you realize you just cost the conference $13 million by winning this game?
Which make yours truly wonder--- who hires these people? Jerry Springer?
The BCS championship game next time. LSU for sure, and probably Alabama in a rematch. But there's another way of going about this that just might make more sense......
Saturday, December 3, 2011
Jim Boeheim apologizes. Bad move
Unlike the Penn State affair, Syracuse head basketball coach Jim Boeheim isn't even on the radar as far as any possible wrongdoing. If reports are accurate, JB had no knowledge of any alleged, repeat ALLEGED sexual misconduct by his former assistant Bernie Fine.
No, it seems JB's crime against humanity was sticking up for a friend. Now I don't know about you, but if a friend of mine committed an atrocious crime, say, rape, murder, or heaven forbid, child molesting, upon being convicted of same, I would want and expect that person to be severely punished for his/her actions.
But would they still be my friend? Of course. That wouldn't go away. A true friend won't pretend he/she never knew you, much less "throw you under the bus", just because it's politically, socially, or economically expedient to do so, especially under the hot glare the media can shine on occasion. He/she may have done something awful, but they're still my friend, dammit. According to Boeheim, Fine was a friend of his for 50 years. That's a long time.
In my opinion, it's also where Boeheim made a tactical error. Now he's apologizing for whatever he said while initially sticking up for his friend. He's so sorry for any remarks that may have offended anyone. That's not only lame, but a bad move.
Boeheim's been coaching Syracuse for what -- 36 years? Not that it should matter, but it's likely he has many millions in the bank somewhere, so possible financial hardship certainly doesn't enter in. And unless Coach K of Duke steps down anytime soon, also unlikely, Boeheim will never catch his record for all-time wins, Coach Pat of the Lady Vols notwithstanding. In other words, his job shouldn't be a major concern.
The bad move is wimping out and apologizing in the first place when he didn't do anything more wrong than stand by a friend in time of need. These days, with the media being the proverbial pack of wolves, taking a step back just makes matters worse. They sense weakness, even more wolves show up smelling blood, and begin to circle for the kill.
Better to take one's chances holding their ground and staring the original wolves down. Maybe it works and maybe it doesn't, but the alternative is being chased through the woods and eventually having one's carcass picked clean, because they don't care. After all, it's just their nature as wolves.
Even if one does something terrible, it should be decided in a court of law after all the evidence has been presented, and the jury has rendered it verdict. Not amongst the mentality of a pack of hungry wolves.
And a true friend? They would have stood by you in the woods, with all those teeth and eyes (microphones and cameras) staring at you, let alone a court of law.
In the end, Jimbo wimped out after 50 years.
That's not orange. That's yellow.
No, it seems JB's crime against humanity was sticking up for a friend. Now I don't know about you, but if a friend of mine committed an atrocious crime, say, rape, murder, or heaven forbid, child molesting, upon being convicted of same, I would want and expect that person to be severely punished for his/her actions.
But would they still be my friend? Of course. That wouldn't go away. A true friend won't pretend he/she never knew you, much less "throw you under the bus", just because it's politically, socially, or economically expedient to do so, especially under the hot glare the media can shine on occasion. He/she may have done something awful, but they're still my friend, dammit. According to Boeheim, Fine was a friend of his for 50 years. That's a long time.
In my opinion, it's also where Boeheim made a tactical error. Now he's apologizing for whatever he said while initially sticking up for his friend. He's so sorry for any remarks that may have offended anyone. That's not only lame, but a bad move.
Boeheim's been coaching Syracuse for what -- 36 years? Not that it should matter, but it's likely he has many millions in the bank somewhere, so possible financial hardship certainly doesn't enter in. And unless Coach K of Duke steps down anytime soon, also unlikely, Boeheim will never catch his record for all-time wins, Coach Pat of the Lady Vols notwithstanding. In other words, his job shouldn't be a major concern.
The bad move is wimping out and apologizing in the first place when he didn't do anything more wrong than stand by a friend in time of need. These days, with the media being the proverbial pack of wolves, taking a step back just makes matters worse. They sense weakness, even more wolves show up smelling blood, and begin to circle for the kill.
Better to take one's chances holding their ground and staring the original wolves down. Maybe it works and maybe it doesn't, but the alternative is being chased through the woods and eventually having one's carcass picked clean, because they don't care. After all, it's just their nature as wolves.
Even if one does something terrible, it should be decided in a court of law after all the evidence has been presented, and the jury has rendered it verdict. Not amongst the mentality of a pack of hungry wolves.
And a true friend? They would have stood by you in the woods, with all those teeth and eyes (microphones and cameras) staring at you, let alone a court of law.
In the end, Jimbo wimped out after 50 years.
That's not orange. That's yellow.
Friday, December 2, 2011
The Saints come marching in
Jokes were made by Detroit Lions' followers about Tim Tebow, the QB of the Denver Broncos, and a deeply religious man, about how Christians fared against the lions, obviously referring to the events that unfolded during the days of the Roman empire in the Colosseum. "Sometimes the Christians win, but so far -- not yet". Yuk yuk yuk. Indeed, the Lions trounced the Broncos.
Now those same Lions will face the New Orleans Saints on their own hallowed ground. Near as I can tell, for those same people that pushed the above religious angle -- a Christian has to do something pretty special during the course of their life to become a saint. Normally, after much consideration, that honor is only bestowed on people that have been dead for a long time.
Thing is, these Saints are very much alive. They certainly slew Eli and the Giants last Monday night. Suh or no Suh, the NY Giants have every bit, if not more, as much talent and ferociousness on their defensive line as the Lions. They may as well have been lambs. The Giants also have a pretty decent defensive secondary. Drew Brees lit them up for 360+ yards and 49 points. The Lions' secondary has never been considered a strength, and what marginal talent they had has been depleted by injuries. They got so desperate, they had a back-up wide receiver playing cornerback in the latter stages of the Green Bay Thanksgiving game.
Let's face it. Blessed with a relatively easy schedule, with the exception of the Chicago Bears Monday night game at Ford Field, the Lions have defeated the weaker teams and been bounced by the good ones -- notably at home. Yet, from head coach Jim Schwartz on down, they have "swagger", people say.
Yours truly thinks when head coach Sean Payton, Brees, and the rest of the Saints get done with the Lions, it will be more like "stagger". Brees is already on a pace to break Dan Marino's all-time record for passing yards in a single season, and I wouldn't be a bit surprised if he puts up 400+ against Detroit. How are they going to stop it?
And maybe, just maybe, after a couple milennia, it's time for the Christians, especially those canonized, to exact a large measure of revenge on the lions for the abuses suffered long ago. It started in the Colosseum, and will finally go full circle to the Superdome.
A group of lions is called a "pride". Yet whoever heard of lions whining to zebras? This bunch does. Can't see much pride in that.
This might get very ugly for the Lions, at least on the scoreboard.
Christians win. Big time.
Now those same Lions will face the New Orleans Saints on their own hallowed ground. Near as I can tell, for those same people that pushed the above religious angle -- a Christian has to do something pretty special during the course of their life to become a saint. Normally, after much consideration, that honor is only bestowed on people that have been dead for a long time.
Thing is, these Saints are very much alive. They certainly slew Eli and the Giants last Monday night. Suh or no Suh, the NY Giants have every bit, if not more, as much talent and ferociousness on their defensive line as the Lions. They may as well have been lambs. The Giants also have a pretty decent defensive secondary. Drew Brees lit them up for 360+ yards and 49 points. The Lions' secondary has never been considered a strength, and what marginal talent they had has been depleted by injuries. They got so desperate, they had a back-up wide receiver playing cornerback in the latter stages of the Green Bay Thanksgiving game.
Let's face it. Blessed with a relatively easy schedule, with the exception of the Chicago Bears Monday night game at Ford Field, the Lions have defeated the weaker teams and been bounced by the good ones -- notably at home. Yet, from head coach Jim Schwartz on down, they have "swagger", people say.
Yours truly thinks when head coach Sean Payton, Brees, and the rest of the Saints get done with the Lions, it will be more like "stagger". Brees is already on a pace to break Dan Marino's all-time record for passing yards in a single season, and I wouldn't be a bit surprised if he puts up 400+ against Detroit. How are they going to stop it?
And maybe, just maybe, after a couple milennia, it's time for the Christians, especially those canonized, to exact a large measure of revenge on the lions for the abuses suffered long ago. It started in the Colosseum, and will finally go full circle to the Superdome.
A group of lions is called a "pride". Yet whoever heard of lions whining to zebras? This bunch does. Can't see much pride in that.
This might get very ugly for the Lions, at least on the scoreboard.
Christians win. Big time.
Thursday, December 1, 2011
The King is back
Humbly bow and submit, you pitiful little heathens. Thou shalt obey, praise, suck up, kiss-ass, and donate money to the cause. His Royal Highness is back.
No, it's not an Edward, George, James, or Henry from England. Not a Louis from France nor a Ferdinand from Spain -- or was that Portugal? Russia? Peter was called "the great" and the Nicholases were tsars, but I never heard of a "king".
Michael Jackson? Nope. Pretty sure he won't be coming back.
The King -- Elvis? Nah, he left the building on a one way trip a long time ago.
Not even the mighty King Kong himself, Fay Wray in one hand and a Kardashian in the other, scaling the Empire State building one more time would cause this kind of stir.
Has the biblically predicted "Second Coming" occurred?
Close. Tiger Woods has decided to play a golf tournament. Never mind that he's not in the top 50 golfers in the world anymore, and the tourney hasn't even started yet -- the hype has begun. Call the press conferences, give the talking heads an extra dose of amphetamines, and pass the offering plates -- or at least go buy something he endorses. Pass out the campaign buttons and bumper stickers. Put signs in your front yard, distribute a billion fliers, set up the robo-call network, and let the chain letters (if you don't forward this to at least 10 people, you will suffer eternal damnation) begin.
The KING is back. Millions will be delirious with joy, drop to their knees for prayers of thanks, and begin worshipping anew.
Me? I'm thinking Anti Christ. Good looking, well spoken, and while seemingly doing whatever he wants, much of which would get "normal" people in serious trouble, the mere mention of his name makes his popularity soar, even though the only thing he was ever good at was hitting a golf ball -- and he's not even good at THAT anymore. Yet, there's something about this guy that draws adoring fans like an electromagnet draws iron.
Beats me what it is, but I want no part of it. Never did, from his beginning, to when he was winning everything, to now.
Worship if you will, but this not royalty, by any means.
Perhaps a court jester -- but certainly no King.
No, it's not an Edward, George, James, or Henry from England. Not a Louis from France nor a Ferdinand from Spain -- or was that Portugal? Russia? Peter was called "the great" and the Nicholases were tsars, but I never heard of a "king".
Michael Jackson? Nope. Pretty sure he won't be coming back.
The King -- Elvis? Nah, he left the building on a one way trip a long time ago.
Not even the mighty King Kong himself, Fay Wray in one hand and a Kardashian in the other, scaling the Empire State building one more time would cause this kind of stir.
Has the biblically predicted "Second Coming" occurred?
Close. Tiger Woods has decided to play a golf tournament. Never mind that he's not in the top 50 golfers in the world anymore, and the tourney hasn't even started yet -- the hype has begun. Call the press conferences, give the talking heads an extra dose of amphetamines, and pass the offering plates -- or at least go buy something he endorses. Pass out the campaign buttons and bumper stickers. Put signs in your front yard, distribute a billion fliers, set up the robo-call network, and let the chain letters (if you don't forward this to at least 10 people, you will suffer eternal damnation) begin.
The KING is back. Millions will be delirious with joy, drop to their knees for prayers of thanks, and begin worshipping anew.
Me? I'm thinking Anti Christ. Good looking, well spoken, and while seemingly doing whatever he wants, much of which would get "normal" people in serious trouble, the mere mention of his name makes his popularity soar, even though the only thing he was ever good at was hitting a golf ball -- and he's not even good at THAT anymore. Yet, there's something about this guy that draws adoring fans like an electromagnet draws iron.
Beats me what it is, but I want no part of it. Never did, from his beginning, to when he was winning everything, to now.
Worship if you will, but this not royalty, by any means.
Perhaps a court jester -- but certainly no King.
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