Saturday, December 31, 2005

College Football is King part 2

Again let me repeat like the golden sun-tanned cheerleaders of UCLA, "Football Uber Alis."

Did you see today's games??? Yes, LSU v. Miami was a slaughter, but what about the other three games - each one a true come-from-behind Classic. ESPN Classic could just replay those three games tomorrow and rack up the ratings points. Yes siree, keep watching the games 'til the end otherwise you may in fact be shocked by the final score. The Virginia, UCLA, and Missouri games were all incredible and I'm sorry I didn't get to see all of the latter. Each one of the three teams were down by a significant amount with UCLA being down 22 points to Northwestern in the 1st quarter. Before I knew it, the Bruins not only made a game of it but actually took the lead. Thanks to two touchdown returns from on-side kicks, they racked up 50 points in the win. How about Virginia intercepting the ball with less than a minute to play to seal the victory? Or Missouri being down three touchdowns to Spurrier and South Carolina only to come back and win it in the fourth quarter?

The toughest thing to predict in the bowl games so far? What team wants it more. Case in point the Oklahoma v. Oregon game. I had picked Oregon to win, but after seeing the body language of the Oklahoma team just from tackling Oregon's kick returner I immediately thought "Uh-oh, can I change my pick?" Wish I would have been able to - the Sooners stuck it to the Ducks.

Speaking of Oregon, your uniforms are absolutely awful. They don't give trophies for the worst uniforms, but if they did you would definitely win the title. They announced during the game your wore nine different uniform combinations this year and will up it to twelve next year. As Dr. Phil would say, "What are you thinkin'?!" You're playing football, not putting on a fashion show.

I know several teams are upset to see Florida State playing in a BCS bowl game, but all I can say is this, they won their conference. If you are upset at your bowl selection, settle it on the field - win your conference, period. Since there are not any playoffs, every game of the season is potentially a dealbreaker. When the smoke clears make damn sure you're holding the conference title, otherwise yes, you will be playing in a lesser bowl.

Here's a great story from Bobby Bowden about the last time he faced JoePa (the 1990 Blockbuster Bowl), it's from a Warchant.com interview:
"I remember our horse running out on the field and Joe got mad about that. I know we had to get special permission to do it and we did. I don't know if Joe knew we got it or not, but he was mad. I thought he was going to go tackle the dadgum horse. I was about to tell him 'go high don't go low' on the horse. That was about the maddest I've ever seen Joe. I didn't anything to him though. I was afraid he'd slap me."
Now that is classic Bobby.
Two legends, one game, this ought to be fun.

Friday, December 30, 2005

College Football is King

Deep in the midst of bowl season one overwhelming thought pervades: Football Uber Alis!

Yes, football reigns supreme. For those of you whose cable boxes are seemingly frozen on ESPN right now, is this nirvana or what? Aside from a couple blowouts, the first half of the bowl season has been incredbily entertaining. There's been high scoring shoot-outs, huge hits, amazing plays, and all around football that's flat-out fun to watch. Games like Arizona State v. Rutgers, Nebraska v. Michigan, Oklahoma v. Oregon are the reason football is the number one sport in America. Sorry baseball, you took a backseat with the advent of television. In terms of the regular season, you and your professional basketball brethren breed about as much excitement as watching a pot of coffee brew, i.e., the enjoyment doesn't begin until it's over. Your regular season is the duldrums. I'm personally yawning right now just ruminating over the bore of it. For me, and I would viciously argue for most of America, sports would fall into the following ranks:

#1 College Football. College Football is King. What other sport could fill up stadiums like Michigan's, Tennessee's, Penn State's, and Ohio State's? All hold over 100,000 fans.

#2 Professional Football. Just look at the television revenue alone (sorry NHL) to see the NFL's grasp on America.

#3 College Basketball. Think "March Madness."

#4 - 10. Everything else. Insert your own personal preference.

Having said all that, I only hope the majority of the remaining bowl games can hold up their end of the entertainment bargain. By the time the ever-hyped, and dare I say over-hyped, Southern Cal v. Texas game comes around, anything short of a last-second-play-to-win-it-or-lose-it type scenario will be a letdown.

Speaking of Southern Cal, has ESPN jumped the gun on their "best of all time" status or what? How about you wait until after their bowl game before you start putting them head-to-head with the greatest teams in history. Accorinding to my bowl schedule, the Trojans still have one game left to play, and last time I checked, Texas wasn't all that shabby of a team. Not only is it a premature fan-poll on your website, but the debate is carried out by your analysts on your national broadcasts. Again, all of this is before they've even played for the national title. Have you paused for a moment to consider how absolutely assinine you will look if Southern Cal loses? Will you then carry out the same debate for the Longhorns? After all, if your second "best team of all time" not only doesn't win the national title, but winds up being ranked third or fourth, what would that say about the two or three teams ranked ahead of them? What would that say about you for your worthless proclamation? Now I am not saying Texas is going to win, but how about you at least wait until after the Rose Bowl before you say the '05 Trojans (who barely escaped Notre Dame - and I'm still not sure Leinart's last second touchdown shouldn't have deserved a flag thanks to the extra "help" from Reggie Bush) would line and defeat every other team ever assembled from college football history with the lone exception of the '01 Hurricanes. Let's remember the '94 Nittany Lions, the '95 Cornhuskers, and the '99 Seminoles all won their last game.

How great was it to listen to Keith Jackson last night during the Nebraska v. Michigan game? For those of us on the East Coast it is such a rare treat. Here's an idea, ESPN (and parent company Walt Disney) please please please throw lavish amounts of money at Mr. Jackson and convince him to announce your Monday Night Football games next year. What a wonderful start to each week that would be!

Saturday, December 17, 2005

Behold, a new Post!

"Hear Ye! Hear Ye!" sayeth the Town Crier.
Another semester has come and gone and now a two-week respite is here. Time for feasting and merriment by one and all. Whether dark and caffeinated, or another beverage of barley and hops, just be sure to make it strong & pleasing to taste. No servings of weak watered down swill please.
My Siberian Husky coffee mug is full...Let us think of Shakespeare, "Cry havoc and let loose the dogs of war!"

Florida State: Congratulations and Wow! After the string of losses I had serious doubts about playing Va. Tech. The only glimmer of hope sprung from Miami's manhandling of them. Like the Canes I thought the Noles possessed enough team speed to possibly confound Va. Tech. I also hoped Mickey Andrews' defense would pull out the gameplan from the '99 championship game - the first Vick-led Hokies were crushed by a smothering defense that never gave Vick enough time to settle into the game. With that plan in mind, the coaches could invite every member of the '99 team to join them on the sidelines - like a conjuring of old glory for all the young guys to see.
And who would've guessed? The Seminoles scalped 'em! Next stop Miami and a date with JoePa! I'm still not convinced of Jeff Bowden's playcalling but that's for a later dispatch. For now, I'm throwing the prediction out there...
Once again the speed of Florida State will carry them to victory. Fire up the warchant. It's time for Penn State to meet Chief Osceola and the Seminole hoard. It'll be close, but once again Saint Bobby will be hoisting an Orange Bowl trophy above his head!

Carolina Panthers: You controlled your own destiny in the NFC South. Now it'll take some help to win the division. I have complete faith in John Fox. He and Hurney, the General Manager, know how to build a team. But the players better make sure they take care of business on the field - a trip back to Chicago or a showdown with the Seahawks may be in store for them come Playoff time.

Indianapolis Colts: Here's to hoping for perfection. Whether you like the Colts or not, how can you not like watching them play? Peyton's antics at the line are quite amusing and his skill at reading the defense are incredible. If his receivers are in single coverage he finds them, if they're doubled up he audibles off to James. The offensive linemen function like steamrollers and the defense is just as scary - watch out for Freeney's spin move. One more note on the Colts, even if you don't like them, you've got to admire their owner Jim Irsay. He owns the original copy of Jack Kerouac's On the Road and allows it to
travel around for fans to see. How cool of a cat is he?

New York Giants: I thought they gave up too much to get Eli - guess that's why I'm not a GM. Eli's poise is well beyond his years. He is like a mirror image of his days at Ole Miss - not too many quarterbacks you can say that about. To clarify, watch a clip of a highly successful college qb then watch a clip of that same qb in the pros. Most of them don't make it. They can't adjust to the speed of the game. 1st round qb draft picks alone will justify my point. Eli is special and was well worth the trade.

Detroit: Are you kidding me? When will Matt Millen be held accountable for his actions? Mariucci coached 'em, but Millen put 'em all together. I can still recall hearing
Peter King on The Dan Patrick Show questioning how you could choose Charles Rogers over Andre Johnson before the 2003 NFL draft. Johnson was built like a pro coming out of Miami, Rogers was built more like a toothpick. That's just one example of a bad decision over Millen's long, unsuccessful tenure. The Lions are in shambles and it's time the GM took the blame. Here's a word he should add to his vocabulary: resignation.

New England: Uh-oh. Look who is starting to hit their stride at just the right time? I would not want to face them in the playoffs. To quote
Ric Flair, "Woooooooo! To be the man, you gotta beat the man." And New England is still the Man.

Seattle: The Seahawks may claim the NFC crown. Holmgren and company are not only winning at home, they're taking care of business on the road. With home field advantage locked up for the playoffs, Shaun Alexander may run them to the Super Bowl. But before we get there, how about the present we all get to share on December 25th? Indianapolis is coming to town. Assuming they're still undefeated, it'll be a game for all football fans to enjoy.

Coffee: Speaking of Seattle, it's time for a quick coffee break....Ahhh, like I said, make it strong - no swill here. My wife and I did end up having to replace the previously mentioned Capresso maker with a new one. Its clone now adorns our kitchen counter. Highly recommend it!
When homemade java's not available, I've really started to enjoy
Dunkin' Donuts coffee. There's a drive thru on the way to my kids' daycare. Between the convenience and the taste, dare I say, it's better than Starbucks? Maybe if one of them would come out with the "buy nine and the tenth one's free" card, it would push them past the other. Of course neither is better than Port City Java, but I digress.

Hamlet: Saw the
Laurence Olivier version of Shakespeare's classic the other night and loved it. While a few famous scenes were cut from the play - most notably Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, I thought it was remarkably well done. The camera angles and movement were superb and really added a great deal of insight. The film may have aged for the modern viewer, but the intentions, emotions, and brooding of Hamlet are still clear and even lucid during key scenes such as seeing the ghost of Hamlet's father, and his "get thee to a nunnery" exchange with Ophelia.
What can I say, I liked it. I'm an English Teacher after all.