But you know what? Though nobody knows for sure what the almighty "committee" will come up with in a few hours, chances are good the Horned Frogs will be left out of the Final Four college football national championship playoff.
And that's not right. Sure, a lot of game action happened earlier and several teams tried to make their cases. Some were impressive. Some not so much.
Already considered a Top 2 team, Oregon avenged their only loss by throttling #7 Arizona 51-13. The Ducks are definitely in. But everybody likes ducks for various reasons. Some people feed them cracked corn at nature centers (me), while others sit out in the rain with shotguns and decoys trying to blast a couple for dinner. And hey, Daffy Duck ran around nude from the waist down for years on TV. Everybody loved Daffy. Alas, nobody's seen him around lately. Maybe the politically correct people finally caught up with him. Or a 12 gauge.
Alabama handled Missouri 42-13, so the Tide is in as well. One way or the other, you just knew Bama was going to be there at the end.
Florida State barely hung on to defeat Georgia Tech 37-35. Hardly a ringing endorsement. But consider: The Seminoles are reigning national champs. They started the season at #1, and still haven't lost a game -- 29 wins in a row. How they've managed to drop to #4 when the teams above them all have a loss on their record is a good question. But dropping them out of the playoff picture would be mind-boggling. Ain't gonna happen. The 'Noles are in.
So now it comes down to the fourth and final spot.
Ohio State made a huge statement by steamrolling a very good Wisconsin team 59-0 in the Big Ten conference championship game. Though now on their third quarterback, the Buckeyes have gotten better instead of worse. They're as good as anybody right now. But way back in Week 2, they got blistered by two touchdowns in their own house by an unranked Virgina Tech team. Isn't that supposed to matter? Evidently not. The early buzz has OSU, which was ranked #5 or 6 before the Wisconsin game, making a last second jump into the playoffs. That means they would have leap-frogged....
TCU. The Horned Frogs were a consensus Top 4 team going into their final regular season game. Yes, it was against lowly Iowa State, but a Big 12 conference opponent, and that's just how the schedule worked out. They walloped the Cyclones 55-3, twenty points over the point spread. The Frogs likely could have put up a couple more touchdowns had they not gone into "taking a knee" mode halfway through the fourth quarter. They showed a bit of mercy, and definitely a touch of class by doing so. Their only loss, in a pretty tough conference, was to Baylor, another Top 10 team, on the road, by 3 points.
But let's gets real. TCU was a doormat team for decades and there are those that still can't wrap their minds around them being a legitimate contender. In other words, they were (and are) looking for a way to leave them out.
And tomorrow, they likely will be. But how can a team that was ranked #3 win their last game by a conservative 52 points and drop two or more spots in the polls? Answer below.
We have heard repeatedly about strength of schedule and total bodies of work being determining factors. As another in a long line of one loss teams, TCU has a fairly complete resume. To boot, the Big 12 is no pansy conference. They feature four teams in the Top 25.
Answer to question. Two reasons. The "committee" and the TV folks. Put another way -- politics and money.
Consider the folks on the committee itself.
Four are athletic directors at various universities. OK, qualified.
A Vice Chancellor. Hmmm.
A former NCAA executive vice-president. Does he know football?
Tom Osborne. He definitely knows college football.
Archie Manning? Hey, if Peyton and Eli can keep making stupid commercials, might as well put the old man on a committee.
A former Commissioner of the Big East. Sounds too political. See Vice Chancellor above.
A former reporter. Why former?
A retired Air Force general? And what, pray tell, does HE know about college football?
Some dude named Tyrone that coached seven different football schools -- and was fired from them all.
And of course, the beloved Condoleezza Rice. We've long heard about how super-smart she is. So why is it she never could seem to get anything right when she was in the limelight of the political world?
This is quite the motley crew. But they all rose to their current positions because they were adept at "playing the game", which has nothing to do with football.
On the other hand is TV. If you were a network executive, who would you rather see in the playoffs? Ohio State or TCU? Which do you think would generate more mega-bucks in ad time? And don't think for a minute the committee isn't acutely aware of such things. According to the commercial, they might be in a sequestered room guarded by some doofus-looking cop, but they're hardly out of touch with other movers and shakers in the real world. In the end, big bucks always seem to have a way of winning out.
So yours truly fully expects TCU, though certainly deserving, to get eased out of the playoffs. Politics, pressure, and money will prevail.
The only upside to this is the head coaches. Three of them have to lose before it's all over. As a new guy, Mark Helfrich at Oregon seems like a nice enough sort since taking over from Chip Kelly. But Urban Meyer at OSU, Nick Saban at Bama, and Jimbo Fisher at FSU are all cocky, smug, holier-than-thou SOBs -- which shows in their players' body language and attitude as well -- that need to be taken down a peg. At least two of them will be in January.
I'm still rooting for ya, TCU, but I don't think you're going to make the cut.
And no, it's not fair. Even if you hadn't shown class by not running up the score anymore against Iowa State, and pounded them 80-3 or whatever, it likely wouldn't have made any difference. The fix was in. Ohio State putting a beatdown on Wisconsin just made it easier to justify what they wanted all along.
Sunday, December 7, 2014
Saturday, December 6, 2014
Amazing things about Green Bay and their fans
Yours truly has had the pleasure of visiting Green Bay just once, and that was several years ago. It was in the fall -- color change time -- and my ex and I were touring the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Beautiful country, but they can have all that snow in the winter. Brrr.
At any rate, after spending a couple days in Copper Harbor, we were heading south, not knowing exactly what our next destination was. When travelling by car and already at the tip of the Keweenaw Peninsula, going south is pretty much the only option, unless one wants to sleep with the fishes and boatwrecks in Lake Superior.
Eventually, we saw a road sign that said "go this way to Green Bay", or something like that. A look and nods were exchanged, and the deal was done. In a couple more hours we were in Green Bay. Green Bay isn't exactly Chicago, LA, San Fran, or NYC when it comes to things going on. So of course we wanted to check out Lambeau Field, home of the Packers.
Two tourists wandering around the outside of the stadium with a camcorder. And here came a security guard on a scooter. Uh-oh, we're busted. But quite the opposite happened. After explaining, the guard told us to hop on his scooter and gave a guided tour all around the stadium, pointing out all kind of interesting stuff. He couldn't let us inside because the Packers were practicing at the time. This was when Brett Favre was still their QB. But he glanced at his watch and informed us practice would be breaking up shortly, and took us to the gate where the players would come out. He said they were really good about associating with fans, signing autographs, and the like. And sure enough, right on cue, out they came. Though we weren't much into autographs, many of the players were definitely willing to briefly chat before they headed out to their vehicles and drove away. All in all, a very cool day. I'll never forget the hospitality that security guard showed a couple dumb-ass tourists from Michigan. However, it wasn't until later that something dawned on me. Why were we the only two people greeting the players as they exited the stadium? Never have figured that out.
After all, no town is more football crazy per capita than Green Bay. Though far and away the NFLs smallest market, those people were, and remain absolutely bonkers over their Packers. And good for them. Who are these people? Let's look a little closer.
Green Bay has a population of roughly 105,000.
49% male, 51% female.
Somewhat surprisingly, the average age is around 34 years old.
Not so surprising is the average household income. Around $40,000.
Per capita, the average is $24,000. Lots of working couples in Green Bay.
Average value of a house or condo is around $140,000.
There's nothing particularly eye-opening about any of the above. It just sounds about average.
But when it comes to getting season tickets to the Packers is where things get crazy.
As mentioned above, though the smallest market, after recent additions, Lambeau Field has the third highest seating capacity in the NFL, barely trailing only those of the Redskins in Maryland and the NY Giants/Jets in New Jersey. All are above 80,000.
So if Lambeau can accommodate 80,000 and the whole town is only 105,000, one might think there's plenty of tickets to go around. One couldn't be more wrong.
The waiting list for season tickets at Lambeau Field has over 111,000 names on it. When Cheeser babies first pop out of the womb, their parents typically put them on the list. Why? Because the average waiting time to get season tickets is over 30 years. Incredible.
Recently, a Packers fan finally got his tickets. He'd been on the list for 37 years. That goes back to when Jimmy Carter was President. The Shah was still in charge in Iran. Larry Bird and Magic Johnson hadn't even played against each other in college yet. Before home computers, let alone laptops and iPads. Homes had rotary phones. There was no cable TV or dishes. If you were watching the boobtube, you had an antenna on your roof. Happy Days was the #1 rated TV show. How long ago does that seem?
And after 37 years, his tickets didn't exactly come cheap. He had to pay $4200 for the "right" to buy them. Then $2380 per season for two tickets to seven games. Or $170 bucks a pop for two seats in Row 41 of the endzone. Yes, NFL teams play eight "home" games, but the Packers always play one in Milwaukee. That's a whole different "get in line" deal.
Nevertheless, this raises an interesting question. If after waiting 37 years, this poor devil could only get seats in Row 41, then who are all those young folks in the front row catching players when they do the "Lambeau leap"?
Hmm. Maybe this explains why the average age in Green Bay is 34. They're getting rid of all the old folks so they can inherit their season tickets. Even the Packers front office has acknowledged that rightfully earning front row season tickets the old-fashioned way -- by gradually moving up over time -- would require someone to live to be over 950 years old. That's some seriously aged cheese.
You'll remember they called the movie Soylent Green. Not blue, red, yellow or purple. Green. And that came out just before the 37 year man first signed up for tickets. Heck, the name "Packers" itself originated with a canned meat company. Food for thought. Ahem.
Maybe I'll make it back to Green Bay someday -- or maybe not. But I'll always remember two things.
The security guard, bless his heart wherever he is, and Lambeau wasn't the only stop. Green Bay actually had a Harley dealership. If memory serves me correctly, I believe it was called McCoy's. So being a long time rider, I had to get a shirt. Haven't seen it in a while either, but it's gotta be in a drawer or closet around here somewhere with all the rest of them.
So enough with this nonsense. I now have a mission. Find the Green Bay shirt and wear it tomorrow.
They're not the only ones with a passion......
At any rate, after spending a couple days in Copper Harbor, we were heading south, not knowing exactly what our next destination was. When travelling by car and already at the tip of the Keweenaw Peninsula, going south is pretty much the only option, unless one wants to sleep with the fishes and boatwrecks in Lake Superior.
Eventually, we saw a road sign that said "go this way to Green Bay", or something like that. A look and nods were exchanged, and the deal was done. In a couple more hours we were in Green Bay. Green Bay isn't exactly Chicago, LA, San Fran, or NYC when it comes to things going on. So of course we wanted to check out Lambeau Field, home of the Packers.
Two tourists wandering around the outside of the stadium with a camcorder. And here came a security guard on a scooter. Uh-oh, we're busted. But quite the opposite happened. After explaining, the guard told us to hop on his scooter and gave a guided tour all around the stadium, pointing out all kind of interesting stuff. He couldn't let us inside because the Packers were practicing at the time. This was when Brett Favre was still their QB. But he glanced at his watch and informed us practice would be breaking up shortly, and took us to the gate where the players would come out. He said they were really good about associating with fans, signing autographs, and the like. And sure enough, right on cue, out they came. Though we weren't much into autographs, many of the players were definitely willing to briefly chat before they headed out to their vehicles and drove away. All in all, a very cool day. I'll never forget the hospitality that security guard showed a couple dumb-ass tourists from Michigan. However, it wasn't until later that something dawned on me. Why were we the only two people greeting the players as they exited the stadium? Never have figured that out.
After all, no town is more football crazy per capita than Green Bay. Though far and away the NFLs smallest market, those people were, and remain absolutely bonkers over their Packers. And good for them. Who are these people? Let's look a little closer.
Green Bay has a population of roughly 105,000.
49% male, 51% female.
Somewhat surprisingly, the average age is around 34 years old.
Not so surprising is the average household income. Around $40,000.
Per capita, the average is $24,000. Lots of working couples in Green Bay.
Average value of a house or condo is around $140,000.
There's nothing particularly eye-opening about any of the above. It just sounds about average.
But when it comes to getting season tickets to the Packers is where things get crazy.
As mentioned above, though the smallest market, after recent additions, Lambeau Field has the third highest seating capacity in the NFL, barely trailing only those of the Redskins in Maryland and the NY Giants/Jets in New Jersey. All are above 80,000.
So if Lambeau can accommodate 80,000 and the whole town is only 105,000, one might think there's plenty of tickets to go around. One couldn't be more wrong.
The waiting list for season tickets at Lambeau Field has over 111,000 names on it. When Cheeser babies first pop out of the womb, their parents typically put them on the list. Why? Because the average waiting time to get season tickets is over 30 years. Incredible.
Recently, a Packers fan finally got his tickets. He'd been on the list for 37 years. That goes back to when Jimmy Carter was President. The Shah was still in charge in Iran. Larry Bird and Magic Johnson hadn't even played against each other in college yet. Before home computers, let alone laptops and iPads. Homes had rotary phones. There was no cable TV or dishes. If you were watching the boobtube, you had an antenna on your roof. Happy Days was the #1 rated TV show. How long ago does that seem?
And after 37 years, his tickets didn't exactly come cheap. He had to pay $4200 for the "right" to buy them. Then $2380 per season for two tickets to seven games. Or $170 bucks a pop for two seats in Row 41 of the endzone. Yes, NFL teams play eight "home" games, but the Packers always play one in Milwaukee. That's a whole different "get in line" deal.
Nevertheless, this raises an interesting question. If after waiting 37 years, this poor devil could only get seats in Row 41, then who are all those young folks in the front row catching players when they do the "Lambeau leap"?
Hmm. Maybe this explains why the average age in Green Bay is 34. They're getting rid of all the old folks so they can inherit their season tickets. Even the Packers front office has acknowledged that rightfully earning front row season tickets the old-fashioned way -- by gradually moving up over time -- would require someone to live to be over 950 years old. That's some seriously aged cheese.
You'll remember they called the movie Soylent Green. Not blue, red, yellow or purple. Green. And that came out just before the 37 year man first signed up for tickets. Heck, the name "Packers" itself originated with a canned meat company. Food for thought. Ahem.
Maybe I'll make it back to Green Bay someday -- or maybe not. But I'll always remember two things.
The security guard, bless his heart wherever he is, and Lambeau wasn't the only stop. Green Bay actually had a Harley dealership. If memory serves me correctly, I believe it was called McCoy's. So being a long time rider, I had to get a shirt. Haven't seen it in a while either, but it's gotta be in a drawer or closet around here somewhere with all the rest of them.
So enough with this nonsense. I now have a mission. Find the Green Bay shirt and wear it tomorrow.
They're not the only ones with a passion......
Friday, December 5, 2014
Tiger Woods. The latest
Sound the trumpets, bring on the dancing girls, and stay glued to twitter feeds. His Highness Eldrick Tont Woods is back. Again. Fittingly enough, in the Hero World Challenge.
Tiger is sporting a new swing, new clubs, new trainer, supposedly new attitude, and has anybody seen Lindsey Vonn lately? Maybe he's a got a new one of those too.
After a somewhat brutal 2014 season that saw him tumble in the world rankings, Woods has finally emerged to ply his trade stalking the links once again. And what better place to come out of seclusion and show up at than the Hero World Challenge? For over 20 years Eldrick has been put on a pedestal by his throngs of admirers/fans/groupies, and most certainly the sports media. They could never get enough of this guy. The TV folks would show highlights of past performances by Tiger even during tournaments he wasn't playing in, while ignoring the live action.
Perhaps it was because Woods was a black man that was dominating a predominantly white man's sport. And he certainly did for about a decade. Once upon a time, there was little doubt that Tiger would surpass Jack Nicklaus' all-time record of "major" victories. He was winning seemingly everything. Oddsmakers would take him over the entire field in any given tournament.
But then came his personal problems and injuries. Tiger crashed, and he hasn't been nearly the same ever since. He last won a major in 2008 -- his 14th. When the spring of 2015 and the Masters tournament rolls around, it will have been seven years since Woods won anything of note. In order to catch Jack, he would have to be the first player in golfing history to win 4 majors after reaching the ripe old age of 39.
And that's not likely. In recent years, the question has been more whether Woods would make a cut and, if so, would he self-destruct on the weekend?
When Tiger was a young gun, he was definitely feared by veteran players on tour. Now Woods is just another old guy and the current young guns (that have popped up from around the globe and will most likely continue to do so in the future) know they can not only stare him down -- but beat him. Times have changed. Turns out the new kids on the block have every bit as much game and poise under pressure as Woods once had.
Time will tell (and 2015 will be especially telling) whether Woods still has some of the old magic left in him and can return to being a force in the world of professional golf at its highest levels. Besides the young guns that keep on coming, he's battling Father Time as well at this stage of his career.
Nevertheless, Tiger's first foray back onto the world stage, after months of preparation, was a resounding thud. In the opening round of the Hero Challenge, he hit a drive into a neighboring back yard, duffer-chumped 4 chip shots, didn't putt well, shot a 77, and wound up dead last out of a field of 18. A full eleven strokes behind the leader -- after ONE round.
Maybe Eldrick eventually gets his game back together, and maybe he doesn't. And perhaps it's unfair to judge him after only one round. But this initial performance was hardly that of a hero. More like an over-the-hill has-been showing up for a paycheck.
But never fear, the media, internet, and TV folks were all over it. Evidently, even Tiger stinking it up -- again -- remains fascinating in their world. Amazing.
How bad does this guy have to get before the hero worship stops?
Tiger is sporting a new swing, new clubs, new trainer, supposedly new attitude, and has anybody seen Lindsey Vonn lately? Maybe he's a got a new one of those too.
After a somewhat brutal 2014 season that saw him tumble in the world rankings, Woods has finally emerged to ply his trade stalking the links once again. And what better place to come out of seclusion and show up at than the Hero World Challenge? For over 20 years Eldrick has been put on a pedestal by his throngs of admirers/fans/groupies, and most certainly the sports media. They could never get enough of this guy. The TV folks would show highlights of past performances by Tiger even during tournaments he wasn't playing in, while ignoring the live action.
Perhaps it was because Woods was a black man that was dominating a predominantly white man's sport. And he certainly did for about a decade. Once upon a time, there was little doubt that Tiger would surpass Jack Nicklaus' all-time record of "major" victories. He was winning seemingly everything. Oddsmakers would take him over the entire field in any given tournament.
But then came his personal problems and injuries. Tiger crashed, and he hasn't been nearly the same ever since. He last won a major in 2008 -- his 14th. When the spring of 2015 and the Masters tournament rolls around, it will have been seven years since Woods won anything of note. In order to catch Jack, he would have to be the first player in golfing history to win 4 majors after reaching the ripe old age of 39.
And that's not likely. In recent years, the question has been more whether Woods would make a cut and, if so, would he self-destruct on the weekend?
When Tiger was a young gun, he was definitely feared by veteran players on tour. Now Woods is just another old guy and the current young guns (that have popped up from around the globe and will most likely continue to do so in the future) know they can not only stare him down -- but beat him. Times have changed. Turns out the new kids on the block have every bit as much game and poise under pressure as Woods once had.
Time will tell (and 2015 will be especially telling) whether Woods still has some of the old magic left in him and can return to being a force in the world of professional golf at its highest levels. Besides the young guns that keep on coming, he's battling Father Time as well at this stage of his career.
Nevertheless, Tiger's first foray back onto the world stage, after months of preparation, was a resounding thud. In the opening round of the Hero Challenge, he hit a drive into a neighboring back yard, duffer-chumped 4 chip shots, didn't putt well, shot a 77, and wound up dead last out of a field of 18. A full eleven strokes behind the leader -- after ONE round.
Maybe Eldrick eventually gets his game back together, and maybe he doesn't. And perhaps it's unfair to judge him after only one round. But this initial performance was hardly that of a hero. More like an over-the-hill has-been showing up for a paycheck.
But never fear, the media, internet, and TV folks were all over it. Evidently, even Tiger stinking it up -- again -- remains fascinating in their world. Amazing.
How bad does this guy have to get before the hero worship stops?
Thursday, December 4, 2014
The sorry state of the Detroit Pistons
The Philadelphia 76ers were, and are terrible. No more evidence was needed than their starting off the season 0-17. For a while, it looked like they might never win a game this year. But then they caught a break. A game with the Minnesota Timberwolves, bottom feeders themselves. Besides losing superstar Kevin Love to free agency last year, they were without three of their starters due to injury. Finally, mercifully, the Sixers won a game. Still, if they continue their 1-17 ways (and there's little to suggest they won't), they're definitely on a pace to set the all-time season record for futility in the NBA.
In a full 82 game season, that dubious honor is still held by -- the Philadelphia 76ers. Back in 1973 they bumbled their way to a 9-73 record. Their current version is going to have to pick it up some to avoid all-time notoriety. Yes, franchises in many sports go up, go down, and back up/down again over the years. Such is the nature of the business with free agency, draft picks, trades, etc. Few, like the San Antonio Spurs/New England Patriots, remain elite for long stretches of time. Conversely, there aren't many teams like the Detroit Lions/Chicago Cubs which haven't been seriously competitive in decades. Sooner or later, the vast majority of teams get their "shot". They might not win it (the Minnesota Vikings and Buffalo Bills both had 4 Super Bowl appearances -- all losses), but at least they got to the Big Dance. Hall of Famer Dan Marino never won a Super Bowl. The Detroit Lions never came close to even getting there. Several "expansion" teams have won the World Series since the Cubbies made their last appearance in 1945, the year WWII ended. They lost.
But I'm getting a little off track here. Back to the title of this post. While the 76ers are indeed terrible, the Detroit Pistons aren't far behind when it comes to stinking it up. They currently sport a 3-15 record and have lost their last 10 in a row.
Not long ago, many were calling for ex-president of basketball operations Joe Dumars' head. They got it. He gone. After the death of long-time Pistons' owner and innovator Bill Davidson, the masses clamored for his inheriting widow to sell the team to someone who would take a genuine interest in the club and return them to their glory days. They got that too. Enter Tom Gores a few years back. He's sunk millions into sprucing up Davidson's original Palace. The coaching carousel had become one joke after another. Enter Stan Van Gundy, who was not only named head coach, but also president. He hired a couple guys that are evidently dual General Managers. So if Van Gundy the coach reports to the GMs, and the GMs report to the president (Van Gundy) -- then who's in charge of what? This isn't getting any better, and somewhere Joe Dumars is likely chuckling.
Nevertheless, as fate would have it, the Pistons will host the 76ers on Saturday, Dec. 6. These are two REALLY bad teams. The plankton of the NBA. Bragging rights are hardly at stake, but between two such sorry-ass also rans, somebody's gotta win. The other will slink off after absorbing yet another loss.
Does it even matter?
What's truly shameful, and a slap in the face to fans, is between the 30 combined players the Pistons and 76ers have under contract -- they will receive over 90 MILLION dollars in salaries this year. This, for a bunch of guys that are a collective 4-32 at something they're supposed to be world class at?
Something is REALLY wrong with this picture.
In a full 82 game season, that dubious honor is still held by -- the Philadelphia 76ers. Back in 1973 they bumbled their way to a 9-73 record. Their current version is going to have to pick it up some to avoid all-time notoriety. Yes, franchises in many sports go up, go down, and back up/down again over the years. Such is the nature of the business with free agency, draft picks, trades, etc. Few, like the San Antonio Spurs/New England Patriots, remain elite for long stretches of time. Conversely, there aren't many teams like the Detroit Lions/Chicago Cubs which haven't been seriously competitive in decades. Sooner or later, the vast majority of teams get their "shot". They might not win it (the Minnesota Vikings and Buffalo Bills both had 4 Super Bowl appearances -- all losses), but at least they got to the Big Dance. Hall of Famer Dan Marino never won a Super Bowl. The Detroit Lions never came close to even getting there. Several "expansion" teams have won the World Series since the Cubbies made their last appearance in 1945, the year WWII ended. They lost.
But I'm getting a little off track here. Back to the title of this post. While the 76ers are indeed terrible, the Detroit Pistons aren't far behind when it comes to stinking it up. They currently sport a 3-15 record and have lost their last 10 in a row.
Not long ago, many were calling for ex-president of basketball operations Joe Dumars' head. They got it. He gone. After the death of long-time Pistons' owner and innovator Bill Davidson, the masses clamored for his inheriting widow to sell the team to someone who would take a genuine interest in the club and return them to their glory days. They got that too. Enter Tom Gores a few years back. He's sunk millions into sprucing up Davidson's original Palace. The coaching carousel had become one joke after another. Enter Stan Van Gundy, who was not only named head coach, but also president. He hired a couple guys that are evidently dual General Managers. So if Van Gundy the coach reports to the GMs, and the GMs report to the president (Van Gundy) -- then who's in charge of what? This isn't getting any better, and somewhere Joe Dumars is likely chuckling.
Nevertheless, as fate would have it, the Pistons will host the 76ers on Saturday, Dec. 6. These are two REALLY bad teams. The plankton of the NBA. Bragging rights are hardly at stake, but between two such sorry-ass also rans, somebody's gotta win. The other will slink off after absorbing yet another loss.
Does it even matter?
What's truly shameful, and a slap in the face to fans, is between the 30 combined players the Pistons and 76ers have under contract -- they will receive over 90 MILLION dollars in salaries this year. This, for a bunch of guys that are a collective 4-32 at something they're supposed to be world class at?
Something is REALLY wrong with this picture.
Wednesday, December 3, 2014
Pearl Harbor day and college football
In the next few days the Final Four will be decided in the world of big-time college football. Currently, Alabama, Florida State, Oregon, and TCU are generally considered the top four -- with Baylor and Ohio State lurking not far behind. Even Arizona has an outside shot. Michigan State, by virtue of not even advancing to their conference championship game, can fuhgetaboutit.
Yet the upcoming games present some interesting possibilities. What if.....
Bama got knocked off by Missouri? Could happen. The Tide has played their share of nail-biters this year and are hardly unbeatable. While mostly flying under the radar, the Tigers are 10-2 and no slouches.
Florida State fell to Georgia Tech? Could happen. Though the only remaining unbeaten team, the 'Noles haven't exactly impressed lately, barely squeaking out wins. And the Yellow Jackets are ranked somewhere around #10. This game is no gimme.
Oregon gets beat by #7 Arizona in the Pac 12 conference championship game? The Ducks' only loss this year was to the very same Wildcats -- in Oregon. Now they're going to play a rematch at a neutral site in California. Anything can happen.
TCU is a virtual lock, considering they host lowly Iowa State and are favored by over 30 points.
#6 Baylor hosts #9 Kansas State, with identical 7-1 Big 12 conference records. No gimme there either.
Ohio State has to take on the brutes of Wisconsin in Indianapolis, with a third string quarterback starting his first game for the Buckeyes. The Cheesers are a 4 point favorite. Sounds about right.
So in a Rod Serling-esque world, what would happen if Bama, Fla St., Oregon, Ohio St., and Baylor all lost? Not likely, but think what kind of pandemonium that would throw the almighty selection committee into, while trying to sort out the Final Four.
If Condoleezza Rice, a member of the committee, thought those mythical weapons of mass destruction were hard to find in Iraq, then good luck trying to sort out this mess if all the above comes to pass.
And that's why yours truly hopes it does. Wouldn't it be fun to see some "shock and awe" dropped on the college football world in the last couple days before Condy and her minions go behind closed doors and try to determine the NEW Final Four? They'll have less than 24 hours to come up with a plan and announce their final decision to the public.
Fittingly enough, this will happen on Sunday, Dec 7. Pearl Harbor day. If the top four seeds all win, then their job becomes a non-job. Things will have taken care of themselves, and the committee was a colossal waste of time and money.
But here's hoping a few Tora Tora Tora bombs fall early in certain games -- just to make them earn their money making hard decisions in a hurry. Besides, it would be infinitely more interesting to the public. Talking sports heads trying to analyze all the possibilities would get so worked up they might spontaneously combust on the air. And how much fun would that be to watch? I've long thought guys like Tony Kornheiser, Mike Wilbon, and Tony Reali going up in flames would somehow be beneficial to mankind.
Improbable as it all may be, one can hope.
In the meantime, I'm still all in with TCU.
I doubt even Rod Serling ever imagined Horned Frogs ruling the college football world.
Yet the upcoming games present some interesting possibilities. What if.....
Bama got knocked off by Missouri? Could happen. The Tide has played their share of nail-biters this year and are hardly unbeatable. While mostly flying under the radar, the Tigers are 10-2 and no slouches.
Florida State fell to Georgia Tech? Could happen. Though the only remaining unbeaten team, the 'Noles haven't exactly impressed lately, barely squeaking out wins. And the Yellow Jackets are ranked somewhere around #10. This game is no gimme.
Oregon gets beat by #7 Arizona in the Pac 12 conference championship game? The Ducks' only loss this year was to the very same Wildcats -- in Oregon. Now they're going to play a rematch at a neutral site in California. Anything can happen.
TCU is a virtual lock, considering they host lowly Iowa State and are favored by over 30 points.
#6 Baylor hosts #9 Kansas State, with identical 7-1 Big 12 conference records. No gimme there either.
Ohio State has to take on the brutes of Wisconsin in Indianapolis, with a third string quarterback starting his first game for the Buckeyes. The Cheesers are a 4 point favorite. Sounds about right.
So in a Rod Serling-esque world, what would happen if Bama, Fla St., Oregon, Ohio St., and Baylor all lost? Not likely, but think what kind of pandemonium that would throw the almighty selection committee into, while trying to sort out the Final Four.
If Condoleezza Rice, a member of the committee, thought those mythical weapons of mass destruction were hard to find in Iraq, then good luck trying to sort out this mess if all the above comes to pass.
And that's why yours truly hopes it does. Wouldn't it be fun to see some "shock and awe" dropped on the college football world in the last couple days before Condy and her minions go behind closed doors and try to determine the NEW Final Four? They'll have less than 24 hours to come up with a plan and announce their final decision to the public.
Fittingly enough, this will happen on Sunday, Dec 7. Pearl Harbor day. If the top four seeds all win, then their job becomes a non-job. Things will have taken care of themselves, and the committee was a colossal waste of time and money.
But here's hoping a few Tora Tora Tora bombs fall early in certain games -- just to make them earn their money making hard decisions in a hurry. Besides, it would be infinitely more interesting to the public. Talking sports heads trying to analyze all the possibilities would get so worked up they might spontaneously combust on the air. And how much fun would that be to watch? I've long thought guys like Tony Kornheiser, Mike Wilbon, and Tony Reali going up in flames would somehow be beneficial to mankind.
Improbable as it all may be, one can hope.
In the meantime, I'm still all in with TCU.
I doubt even Rod Serling ever imagined Horned Frogs ruling the college football world.
Tuesday, December 2, 2014
Michigan, Nebraska, and Florida. Calling all head coaches
It's interesting that before conference championship games are played, much less the bowls, three very high profile universities are looking for a new head football coach. So assuming any new coach will be paid in the 5 million per year range with at least a 5 year contract at all of the above -- which is the best job? Let's look at each.
Michigan. Though often referred to as a "storied" program, their history suggests otherwise. Yes they've won more games than anybody else, because they've been playing football longer than anybody else, save the Ivies. Good grief, everything west of the Rockies was pretty much still wilderness when UM started playing football. No doubt, Brady Hoke had to go. Even his initial success was tainted, because it was done with former coach Rich Rodriguez's recruits. (And don't look now, but after RichRod's tenure at Michigan was labeled "disastrous", he lately has turned Arizona into a Top 10 program, while the Wolverines continue to flounder). As Hoke phased in his own, the results got worse and worse. However, the Michigan job has its upsides. A huge fan base of rabid Maize and Blue students, alumni, boosters with deep pockets, and a few million others that continue to root for UM for various reasons. Plus there's the name factor when it comes to recruiting blue-chip prep stars. Though Ohio State, Wisconsin, Michigan State, and even, gasp, Minnesota have passed Michigan in football competitiveness, Notre Dame's off their schedule and the Big "10" is potentially fertile ground for a new head coach at Michigan. Brady Hoke's not exactly a tough act to follow.
Nebraska is completely different. There has never been a tougher act to follow than the legendaryTom Osborne. Frank Solich, Bill Callahan, and the recently fired Bo Pelini found that out the hard way. All had respectable records during their tenures at Nebraska, but Osborne set the bar so high (three national championships) that just being good isn't good enough. Consider the state of Nebraska itself. They have no professional teams in the NBA, NHL, NFL, or major league baseball. Perhaps by default, Cornhusker football is a REALLY big deal. The pressure to win, and win big, is enormous. So besides the money, why would a coach want to go there? Other than football, it's not like Lincoln is party-town USA with a million different things to do. And the burbs? Their top 5 moneymakers are corn, soybeans, hay, sorghum, and wheat. Marijuana came in at number 9 edging out oats. People are smoking more dope than eating Cheerios these days in Nebraska? Wow. Times are changing indeed. Throw in those pesky tornadoes, and the Nebraska job has its downsides.
Florida handled things a bit differently. A couple weeks back they informed head coach Will Muschamp that he would not be returning in 2015, though allowed to stay on for the rest of this season. Let's not forget that not long ago, the Gators were a big deal themselves, winning two national championships in three years. Some guy named Tebow was the quarterback. And when it comes to climate during football season, Gainesville has it all over Lincoln or Ann Arbor. Look at it this way. Where would you rather coach? Where the worst that can happen is maybe 40 degrees with a little rain, or someplace that might be 10 degrees, with a wind-chill factor of 20 below in a blizzard? But unlike Nebraska, which seemingly has no competition within its own state, and even Michigan which only has one other big time college football school, Florida has a ton of competition. Florida State is the current reigning champ and will likely go to the Final Four again this year. They could repeat. But one way or the other, this is likely the last year for quarterback Jameis Winston. Without him, the 'Noles will likely fall back into the pack. One never knows when the 'Canes of Miami might rise again. And even Central Florida has become a semi-power. Competition is tough in Florida. But great prep athletes seem to grow on trees like oranges and grapefruits in the sunshine state. Ripe for the picking. Given the right coach, Florida could easily zoom to prominence on the national stage again in a year or three.
So if you were the hot prospect coach of the day, and had all three schools to pick from, which would you choose?
Michigan. Though often referred to as a "storied" program, their history suggests otherwise. Yes they've won more games than anybody else, because they've been playing football longer than anybody else, save the Ivies. Good grief, everything west of the Rockies was pretty much still wilderness when UM started playing football. No doubt, Brady Hoke had to go. Even his initial success was tainted, because it was done with former coach Rich Rodriguez's recruits. (And don't look now, but after RichRod's tenure at Michigan was labeled "disastrous", he lately has turned Arizona into a Top 10 program, while the Wolverines continue to flounder). As Hoke phased in his own, the results got worse and worse. However, the Michigan job has its upsides. A huge fan base of rabid Maize and Blue students, alumni, boosters with deep pockets, and a few million others that continue to root for UM for various reasons. Plus there's the name factor when it comes to recruiting blue-chip prep stars. Though Ohio State, Wisconsin, Michigan State, and even, gasp, Minnesota have passed Michigan in football competitiveness, Notre Dame's off their schedule and the Big "10" is potentially fertile ground for a new head coach at Michigan. Brady Hoke's not exactly a tough act to follow.
Nebraska is completely different. There has never been a tougher act to follow than the legendaryTom Osborne. Frank Solich, Bill Callahan, and the recently fired Bo Pelini found that out the hard way. All had respectable records during their tenures at Nebraska, but Osborne set the bar so high (three national championships) that just being good isn't good enough. Consider the state of Nebraska itself. They have no professional teams in the NBA, NHL, NFL, or major league baseball. Perhaps by default, Cornhusker football is a REALLY big deal. The pressure to win, and win big, is enormous. So besides the money, why would a coach want to go there? Other than football, it's not like Lincoln is party-town USA with a million different things to do. And the burbs? Their top 5 moneymakers are corn, soybeans, hay, sorghum, and wheat. Marijuana came in at number 9 edging out oats. People are smoking more dope than eating Cheerios these days in Nebraska? Wow. Times are changing indeed. Throw in those pesky tornadoes, and the Nebraska job has its downsides.
Florida handled things a bit differently. A couple weeks back they informed head coach Will Muschamp that he would not be returning in 2015, though allowed to stay on for the rest of this season. Let's not forget that not long ago, the Gators were a big deal themselves, winning two national championships in three years. Some guy named Tebow was the quarterback. And when it comes to climate during football season, Gainesville has it all over Lincoln or Ann Arbor. Look at it this way. Where would you rather coach? Where the worst that can happen is maybe 40 degrees with a little rain, or someplace that might be 10 degrees, with a wind-chill factor of 20 below in a blizzard? But unlike Nebraska, which seemingly has no competition within its own state, and even Michigan which only has one other big time college football school, Florida has a ton of competition. Florida State is the current reigning champ and will likely go to the Final Four again this year. They could repeat. But one way or the other, this is likely the last year for quarterback Jameis Winston. Without him, the 'Noles will likely fall back into the pack. One never knows when the 'Canes of Miami might rise again. And even Central Florida has become a semi-power. Competition is tough in Florida. But great prep athletes seem to grow on trees like oranges and grapefruits in the sunshine state. Ripe for the picking. Given the right coach, Florida could easily zoom to prominence on the national stage again in a year or three.
So if you were the hot prospect coach of the day, and had all three schools to pick from, which would you choose?
Monday, December 1, 2014
Monday Night Football. The rise and ridiculous
Without a doubt, the NFL remains the gorilla in the room when it comes to the four major American team sports. Hockey continues to rule in Canada, and NASCAR certainly has millions of hard-core fans. Internationally, soccer (futbol) by and large reigns supreme. Americans aren't much into soccer, at least at the higher levels, and a few billion other folks around the globe couldn't care less about American style football. It is what it is, and to each their own. Fair enough.
There was a time when all NFL games were played on Sunday. And pretty much started at the same time. One o'clock. Nobody cared about central or mountain time zones (and they still don't), games were either played at one o'clock eastern or one o'clock pacific time. Then Commissioner Pete Rozelle had experimented with Saturday night games, but it proved to be a ratings loser. People were out and about on Saturday nights doing other things. He also tried Friday nights, but that ran him and his league smack-dab into competition with high school football. Players, moms, dads, prep coaches and school principles cried foul. How dare the NFL infringe on their age-old tradition of Friday night lights? Wisely, Rozelle backed off. Though the NFL was, and continues to be a big deal, there's a whole lot more prep fans out there across the country, then and now, than follow the pros. This is hardly a surprise when one considers that even since the NFL has "expanded" to 32 teams, they only have a presence in 20 states. So 30 states don't have an NFL team at all, but they sure have high school football. Though they would watch on TV, or maybe not, an NFL game on Sunday between two teams from other states -- who were they supposed to root for?
Undaunted, Rozelle pressed on to expand the exposure of his product. Maybe Monday night would work. In it's formative days (google "when did Monday night football start") all the major networks were hesitant to set aside three hours of prime time to air a football game. CBS gave it a once a year shot in 1966-67, then NBC followed up with once a year in 1968-69. ABC was reluctant, but Rozelle strong-armed them into a contract. In 1970, with the triumvirate of Frank Gifford, Howard Cosell, and Dandy Don Meredith manning the mikes and calling the action -- Monday night football took off like Xerox stock had a few years earlier. MNF was here to stay. Though the party has been over and the lights have long since been turned out on the original annnouncers, over the years, there have been many memorable Monday night games featuring compelling contests. Though it's gone from ABC to ESPN, which are both now owned by Disney -- go figure -- MNF is hardly the Mickey Mouse show it had it's beginnings in.
After 45 years, one would think the Mouseketeer execs would have fine-tuned their product to present only the best on Monday nights. Surely the imagineers would have foreseen a potential gang me with a spoon game, and insisted on a more interesting alternative.
Enter the Jets/Dolphins game last night. Miami has risen above expectations and is actually mediocre this year. But the Jets were expected to be terrible -- and are.
If it's true that big-time TV money calls the shots -- then how in the hell did the public get stuck watching a Dolphins/Jets game on MNF?
Even when the schedules came out many months ago, is was easily forseen that games such as New Orleans/Pittsburgh, Denver/KC, and especially New England/Green Bay would be infinitely more interesting to watch. So why did they all get tucked into the usual Sunday schedule while a yawner like the Miami/NYJ game was front and center in prime time a day later?
And THIS was the game beamed world-wide to folks on other continents.
Hmmm. No wonder they continue to prefer soccer.......
There was a time when all NFL games were played on Sunday. And pretty much started at the same time. One o'clock. Nobody cared about central or mountain time zones (and they still don't), games were either played at one o'clock eastern or one o'clock pacific time. Then Commissioner Pete Rozelle had experimented with Saturday night games, but it proved to be a ratings loser. People were out and about on Saturday nights doing other things. He also tried Friday nights, but that ran him and his league smack-dab into competition with high school football. Players, moms, dads, prep coaches and school principles cried foul. How dare the NFL infringe on their age-old tradition of Friday night lights? Wisely, Rozelle backed off. Though the NFL was, and continues to be a big deal, there's a whole lot more prep fans out there across the country, then and now, than follow the pros. This is hardly a surprise when one considers that even since the NFL has "expanded" to 32 teams, they only have a presence in 20 states. So 30 states don't have an NFL team at all, but they sure have high school football. Though they would watch on TV, or maybe not, an NFL game on Sunday between two teams from other states -- who were they supposed to root for?
Undaunted, Rozelle pressed on to expand the exposure of his product. Maybe Monday night would work. In it's formative days (google "when did Monday night football start") all the major networks were hesitant to set aside three hours of prime time to air a football game. CBS gave it a once a year shot in 1966-67, then NBC followed up with once a year in 1968-69. ABC was reluctant, but Rozelle strong-armed them into a contract. In 1970, with the triumvirate of Frank Gifford, Howard Cosell, and Dandy Don Meredith manning the mikes and calling the action -- Monday night football took off like Xerox stock had a few years earlier. MNF was here to stay. Though the party has been over and the lights have long since been turned out on the original annnouncers, over the years, there have been many memorable Monday night games featuring compelling contests. Though it's gone from ABC to ESPN, which are both now owned by Disney -- go figure -- MNF is hardly the Mickey Mouse show it had it's beginnings in.
After 45 years, one would think the Mouseketeer execs would have fine-tuned their product to present only the best on Monday nights. Surely the imagineers would have foreseen a potential gang me with a spoon game, and insisted on a more interesting alternative.
Enter the Jets/Dolphins game last night. Miami has risen above expectations and is actually mediocre this year. But the Jets were expected to be terrible -- and are.
If it's true that big-time TV money calls the shots -- then how in the hell did the public get stuck watching a Dolphins/Jets game on MNF?
Even when the schedules came out many months ago, is was easily forseen that games such as New Orleans/Pittsburgh, Denver/KC, and especially New England/Green Bay would be infinitely more interesting to watch. So why did they all get tucked into the usual Sunday schedule while a yawner like the Miami/NYJ game was front and center in prime time a day later?
And THIS was the game beamed world-wide to folks on other continents.
Hmmm. No wonder they continue to prefer soccer.......
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