"Oh the weather outside is frightful...."
Frightful? No. Butt cold? Yes! So what does one do when the mercury does the nestea plunge? Stay inside and put pen to paper...or in this case, fingers to keyboard.
So what's happening? College football is done. Good game between the Tigers and Ducks. The SEC got it's 5th in a row (again I say...No Colt McCoy) Cam Newton can enjoy his Heisman and the National Championship!...well, until they take both away in about 5 years. Allegedly. I gotta give Gene Chizik and Auburn credit though....they played a good game and were not blinded by those really bright and funky socks.
Someone should tell Phil Knight and his boys at Nike to lay off the bong water during their brainstorming sessions. I admire the creativity but the purist in me is not digging the uniforms. My nephew, Frodo the Orange, told me..."you're not happy unless all teams have boring block numbers and no names on the back"...he said it like it was a bad thing.
Speaking of college.....apparently the University of Texas signed a contract with tha ESPN to form a Longhorn TV network
All Burnt Orange, all the time..its BEVO-TV!!
30 years, 200 million..well that should keep Bevo in food for awhile. Hey, if the four letter network is willing to pony up that kind of cash, I don't blame the Orangeblood hierarcy for taking it. Still, I am not crazy about a school having its own network. I also didn't like it when Notre Dame did its deal with NBC. (Sorry, Jeff) It, at least to me, kind of goes against the whole team concept. It's great that the lesser known sports will get some publicity but the kids in those sports at Baylor, Tech and A&M deserve the same shot. Ok, well maybe not A&M. The other side is that I am mostly about football anyway so I guess it won't affect me. Oh well, nature of the beast. Plus...its one more thing Horn haters can get pissed over, which works too.
Those of you in Lansing, no doubt have heard of the Mad Dog DeMarco morning radio show. Mad Dog is our local sports talk morning host and I contribute to the show with the occasional phone call. Dog lets me vent my conventional wisdom and drop a nugget o' knowledge or two. I have had the priveilge of meeting him and his producer Josh Lattime in person. Great guys and fun to be around. Dog, unlike many in his business, is genuinely gracious off the air, and he throws a wicked christmas party. He has dubbed me "Gunslinger"...being Texan and all. A nickname I like.
I mention his show because a recent topic was the NFL's Rooney Rule. This rule, named for Pittsburgh Steelers president and current Ambassador to Irelnd, Dan Rooney. The rule was established in 2003 and requires NFL teams to interview African American candidates for head coaching and senior football operations opportunities. A columnist for the Detroit Free Press, Drew Sharp, wrote a piece recently saying that while the rule served its purpose, it has outlived its usefulness. Sharp, an African-American, says in the article "The true measure of fairness is when diverse talent becomes an unconsciously accepted standard. This country's most influential sports entertainment entity has reached that touchstone."
I would agree.
Don't get me wrong. Racism is this country's most insisdious problem. We just celebrated a man who gave his life in the service of ending this form of hate. While I do not believe things are as bad as they once were, it would be foolish to say that racism no longer exists. The NFL was bad at perpetuating the "Good Ol' Boy network". The Rooney Rule opened the door for team owners and general managers to look beyond the usual suspects for job openings.
Minority candidates for head coaching and GM jobs were the exception, they are now part of the process. To me, that is what the rule was designed to do and it has been accomplished. If the rule is retired, pro football will not degenerate into some bubbas beer bash. Does color still play a part in hiring your team's next head coach? Absolutely. However, that color is not black or white...it's green. Owners cannot afford to even think about skin color. The NFL has evolved to a level where qualified assistants, regardless of color, will get a shot at a head coaching gig. Something else Drew Sharp mentioned, if the Steelers and/or Bears win this weekend, it will be the fifth Super Bowl in a row with a team who has a black head coach or GM. I can guarantee you that in the multi-billion dollar business that is the NFL, if a team finds a coach that will help them win they will snatch him no matter what he looks like.
I wasn't totally crazy about the rule to start with. I believe any person that has the qualifications for a job should be considered for that job but I don't like when a man is interviewed because he has to be and not because he is actually being considered for the job. The Rooney Rule was designed to not treat people differently because of race...by going through the sham of an interview when you have no intention of hiring that person..isn't that doing the same thing?
While I think the NFL has evolved past the need for this rule....college football has not. Of 120 Division 1-A schools, there are 13 minority head coaches. Unlike the NFL where all teams answer to one league, each college has to answer to its own administration. Boosters get involved, favors are no doubt traded, etc. I am not saying that schools have to hire minority candidates. Schools have the right to hire who they wish but I do believe that all qualified candidates should have the opportunity to make their case as to why they should be hired.
Now...on to the games on the field. The NFL playoffs are in the Conference Championship round. Pittsburgh hosts the New York Jets in the AFC while Green Bay travels to Chicago in the NFC. The Jets ran their mouths big time last week about their opponent, the New England Patriots, and I thought Tom Brady, Bill Belichek and the boys were going to blow NY out of the sky but I give it to Rex the Wonder Coach and his team...they went into Foxboro and punched the Pats in the mouth. However, I do believe the flight ends this week in the Steel city. I think Pittsburgh beats NY and I think Cheesehead nation sees their team knock off their longtime rival. These two have played each other for the last 89 years but oddly enough, they have only played once previously in the post season. December 14, 1941 saw a 33-14 Bears win..although i'm sure minds at the time were on other events.
It is winter and that squeaking you hear is the sound of basketball in the air. At the halfway point in the NBA season, the team with the best record is not the defending champion Lakers, the traveling sideshow that is LeBron and the Heat, nor the Magic, Celtics or (thank God) Mavericks. Yup...you guessed it..say it with me...
the San Antonio Spurs. After 41 games, San Antonio was 35-6, the best start in franchise history. Yep, while the media and the rest of the world has been salivating over stories of Kobe and Lamar, Carmelo being traded or not and the Miami Soundbyte machine, the Spurs have retooled and compiled the best record so far.
"Wait...the Spurs?!?! But..but..they're too old..and,and..boring...and..and..."
and the best team in the league, kids.
****UPDATE*****San Antonio is now 36-6 as of tonight's win over Toronto. Good win, eh?
How is SA doing it? Offense.
Whoa.
The team that hung its hat on defense for over a decade is sacrificing a touch of that Popovichian defense for added offense and it has worked brilliantly. Something else that has added to the Spurs success is the infusion of young talent. Guess who is not the oldest team in the NBA anymore? Young guns like DeJuan Blair, Gary Neal and the ever-improving George Hill have refreshed the Big 3 to a point where Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker are playing at all-star levels. The other major component is Tim Duncan. However TD's impact has been different. His stats are down all across the board. Points, rebounds, blocks..all career lows...as is what is proving to be the most important stat.
Minutes played.
For his career, Duncan has averaged 36 minutes per game. This season, 29. Is he slipping, no. He is still Tim freaking Duncan and can go off when he has to but the great thing is that he doesn't have to. Duncan is doing at the end of his career what David Robinson did at the end of his. He is taking a lesser role in order to let the younger players star. Worked out pretty good for Dave and the way things are going...it could for Tim as well. Don't be fooled though, come playoff time Duncan will be there. Rested and ready. Woe be to he who dismisses this when the lights are brightest and the stakes are highest.
Campers, that is it for now, got a Super Bowl coming up, that should be fun...more later but right now this is all on my mind...well that and an approaching birthday. How old will I be? Hmm....Terence Newman, Tom Seaver and Phil Zevenbergen.
You figure it out.
Peace.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
My plan to fix College Football
Merry New Year!!
"That's "happy." In this country we say "Happy New Year." Trading Places...gotta love the classics.
Lot of things have happened since we last talked. The Spurs have soared, the Cowboys...not so much..though some fresh blood had them finishing strong. We also had the 2010-11 College Football season...well, we are still in it technically. That is what happens when you have 35 freaking bowl games. Yes..35. There are only 120 teams in Division I...yes DIVISION I...don't give me that FBS or FCS crap...lipstick, pig...you understand. 120 teams and 70 get to go the postseason as long as you have 6 wins...unless you are poor Temple..8-4 and they stay home but 13 6-6 teams went including such football factories as Middle Tennessee, FIU and UTEP. Bill Cosby is probably still choking on his pudding pop. Mediocrity, thy name is the NCAA.
The argument we hear every year about this time is for or against a Division I football playoff. Uncle Mikey is in favor of such a plan and if he were in charge it would happen...hmm....what would that be like? (cue wavy picture and dream sequence music)
I am now in charge of College Football. Automatic wins for Texas over the Aggies and Sooners every year!! OK...not really. Hey..this year they needed all the help they could get! However I would wield an iron hand. Some of you are not going to like it but what fun would it be if we all got along.
First thing I am doing is moving the headquarters...Indiana...really? The new headquarters will be 13131 San Pedro Drive, San Antonio Texas.
Down to business. You have those folks out there who are against a playoff. Let me tell you something campers, every excuse you have, I can counter with why it's weak and I will prove it to you now. The three biggest anti-playoff excuses are as follows:
The schools will lose money.
The players will have too much time away from class.
We will lose the tradition of the bowls.
Crap, crap and...hmm...oh yeah, crap!
"The Schools will lose money"
Are you kidding? The TV network execs would sell their children for the right to a D-1 playoff. The most recent March Madness package garnered the NCAA right at 1 Billion dollars...say it with me kiddos....One Bill-ion Dollars. ESPN/ABC, CBS and Fox would double that easily.
"The players will have too much time away from class"
Right, because the BCS conferences care so much about academics. The majority of the post-season is played during semester break. Besides, how would that differ than the regular season? Also...the other Divisions seem to be able to make it work, including D-3 which has no athletic scholarships. Yes, real students playing football and getting an education..who knew?
"We will lose the tradition of the bowls."
Ah yes....the tradition of such classic as the Beef O'Brady's St. Petersburg Bowl.
You incorporate the bowl system in to the playoff..with some tweaking.
Also, don't hand me this junk about "the current season makes every week a playoff game" Hmmm...somehow, Michigan State v. Northern Colorado or Alabama v.Georgia State doesn't scream postseason drama. But enough of me shooting holes in the opposition....let's get to the plan.
Currently there are 120 D-1 schools...that number will increase to 123 in the next 2 years. That is the number we are sticking with. No expansion for awhile. In fact I would even consider contracting a few schools down to 1-AA (Eastern Michigan and most of the Sun Belt...I'm looking at you) but for now, we will keep it with 123.
Next...you independents...pick a conference or go to 1-AA. BYU plans to go Indie in 2012...nope, back to the Mountain West. Army and Navy...because of your tradition..I will not demote you...have fun in the Big East. Speaking of which...TCU...you are going to the Big 12...I want geographic normalcy. Also, Big 12...find a 12th (TCU is your 11th) or I am re-naming you the Southwest Conference. In fact...I will do that...trade Oklahoma State to Conference USA...add TCU, SMU and Houston..done.
This leaves me with Notre Dame. Big East or Big 10, your choice. That shadow you see is the Shillelagh of Damocles over your Golden Dome if you piss me off. You jackwagons have had this "our poop don't stink" attitude for way too long. Rockne's dead and the Gipper ain't walkin through that door anytime soon. You think SMU's Death Penalty was bad...step one buckled shoe out of line and find out. Your soul belongs to Touchdown Jesus but your ass belongs to me.
Speaking of the Big 10....change the name or become the third division of the MAC. Mathematical normalcy will be achieved as well. Oh and "Legends and Leaders"? More like Dumb and Dumber...East and West...or, North and South...it ain't hard boys.
Back to the playoff system. It is really easy. There are currently 11 conferences. Each conference champion gets an automatic bid and there will be 5 at large bids for a 16 team bracket. Seeding will be as it is for March Madness. You play the first rounds before and opposite the NFL playoff games and the championship game is played in the time between the NFL Conference championship games and Super Bowl. It might take a few viewers away from the Pro Bowl but who would notice?
One other minor annoying bleat by the anti-playoff folks is "our kids will be playing too many games" Yeah...no. You have some schools playing 13 or 14 games anyway. I would eliminate conference championship games which would take one game away. Our little darlings can handle the extra time, they're young...they can take it.
Here is where you incorporate the bowls. You have 15 games in the playoff. You use your upper tier bowls for those playoff sites. You lessen the bowl payouts, which saves money, and the schools will still make money as they advance. Here is how I would break it down:
First Round sites:
Aloha (formerly Hawaii), Bluebonnet (formerly Texas)Holiday, Independence, Liberty, Peach (formerly Chik-fil-A), Sun Bowl, Tangerine (formerly Champs)
Quarterfinals:
Alamo, Cotton, Fiesta, Gator
Semi-finals:
Orange, Sugar
Final:
Rose
The title game was easy...the granddaddy deserves it. Perhaps you were wondering what was up with all the "formerly"'s. Corporate whoring...er, uh, I mean, sponsorship is a necessary evil but there needs to be restraint. No bowl will be known by just the sponsor name. It can be in the name but the bowl name must be there. For example...Chik-fil-A Peach Bowl=good....Chik-fil-A Bowl=bad. I also went back to some of the original names (Aloha, Bluebonnet, Tangerine). For the non-playoff bowls, you have to include a flower, fruit, city or state name. I will let the Humanitarian Bowl slide only because I dig the Smurf Turf. Bring back some of the classics, like the Cherry Bowl, Raisin Bowl or Salad Bowl!!! Or one of the all-time greats...the Bacardi Bowl. Imagine the stuff in that goodie bag!
With 15 bowl games and 16 teams taken for the playoff...that leaves 20 bowls, 40 teams. If we keep the current NCAA eligibility rules where you have to be 6-6 to qualify and we remove the 16 teams who qualified for the playoff....that would still leave us with 52 teams. I would raise the requirement to 7-5 and only go to 6-6 if there were not enough 7-5 teams to fill out the spots. If we did that....we would have 39 teams eligible and would only need to bring one 6-6 team up. That way you don't reward mediocrity and the quality of games would improve. You still keep the bowls intact and you reward those teams who have a good season. The bowls are important. If you are 7-5 or 8-4 and haven't been in a while, its good for your school, your players, your alumni and your fans. Everyone gets a week at the bowl site to enjoy the swag, impress your recruits and bask in the national spotlight, if only briefly.
It is really sad that D-1 college football is the only level of any sport who's champion is not decided on the field. This is not rocket science. We are taught from day one that if we win our games, we get to compete for a championship. How many years do we have 1 or 2 or more teams get screwed out of that chance. This year it was TCU, last year it was TCU and Boise. You pick a year, you can find a team who got hosed. The current BCS system expires in 2014. I hope that in the real world, the NCAA can find a way to work this out. However, when you have dimwitted and greedy conference commissioners possessing all the power, I won't hold my breath.
That is my plan to fix college football...and it's just crazy enough to work.
Merry New Year.
"That's "happy." In this country we say "Happy New Year." Trading Places...gotta love the classics.
Lot of things have happened since we last talked. The Spurs have soared, the Cowboys...not so much..though some fresh blood had them finishing strong. We also had the 2010-11 College Football season...well, we are still in it technically. That is what happens when you have 35 freaking bowl games. Yes..35. There are only 120 teams in Division I...yes DIVISION I...don't give me that FBS or FCS crap...lipstick, pig...you understand. 120 teams and 70 get to go the postseason as long as you have 6 wins...unless you are poor Temple..8-4 and they stay home but 13 6-6 teams went including such football factories as Middle Tennessee, FIU and UTEP. Bill Cosby is probably still choking on his pudding pop. Mediocrity, thy name is the NCAA.
The argument we hear every year about this time is for or against a Division I football playoff. Uncle Mikey is in favor of such a plan and if he were in charge it would happen...hmm....what would that be like? (cue wavy picture and dream sequence music)
I am now in charge of College Football. Automatic wins for Texas over the Aggies and Sooners every year!! OK...not really. Hey..this year they needed all the help they could get! However I would wield an iron hand. Some of you are not going to like it but what fun would it be if we all got along.
First thing I am doing is moving the headquarters...Indiana...really? The new headquarters will be 13131 San Pedro Drive, San Antonio Texas.
Down to business. You have those folks out there who are against a playoff. Let me tell you something campers, every excuse you have, I can counter with why it's weak and I will prove it to you now. The three biggest anti-playoff excuses are as follows:
The schools will lose money.
The players will have too much time away from class.
We will lose the tradition of the bowls.
Crap, crap and...hmm...oh yeah, crap!
"The Schools will lose money"
Are you kidding? The TV network execs would sell their children for the right to a D-1 playoff. The most recent March Madness package garnered the NCAA right at 1 Billion dollars...say it with me kiddos....One Bill-ion Dollars. ESPN/ABC, CBS and Fox would double that easily.
"The players will have too much time away from class"
Right, because the BCS conferences care so much about academics. The majority of the post-season is played during semester break. Besides, how would that differ than the regular season? Also...the other Divisions seem to be able to make it work, including D-3 which has no athletic scholarships. Yes, real students playing football and getting an education..who knew?
"We will lose the tradition of the bowls."
Ah yes....the tradition of such classic as the Beef O'Brady's St. Petersburg Bowl.
You incorporate the bowl system in to the playoff..with some tweaking.
Also, don't hand me this junk about "the current season makes every week a playoff game" Hmmm...somehow, Michigan State v. Northern Colorado or Alabama v.Georgia State doesn't scream postseason drama. But enough of me shooting holes in the opposition....let's get to the plan.
Currently there are 120 D-1 schools...that number will increase to 123 in the next 2 years. That is the number we are sticking with. No expansion for awhile. In fact I would even consider contracting a few schools down to 1-AA (Eastern Michigan and most of the Sun Belt...I'm looking at you) but for now, we will keep it with 123.
Next...you independents...pick a conference or go to 1-AA. BYU plans to go Indie in 2012...nope, back to the Mountain West. Army and Navy...because of your tradition..I will not demote you...have fun in the Big East. Speaking of which...TCU...you are going to the Big 12...I want geographic normalcy. Also, Big 12...find a 12th (TCU is your 11th) or I am re-naming you the Southwest Conference. In fact...I will do that...trade Oklahoma State to Conference USA...add TCU, SMU and Houston..done.
This leaves me with Notre Dame. Big East or Big 10, your choice. That shadow you see is the Shillelagh of Damocles over your Golden Dome if you piss me off. You jackwagons have had this "our poop don't stink" attitude for way too long. Rockne's dead and the Gipper ain't walkin through that door anytime soon. You think SMU's Death Penalty was bad...step one buckled shoe out of line and find out. Your soul belongs to Touchdown Jesus but your ass belongs to me.
Speaking of the Big 10....change the name or become the third division of the MAC. Mathematical normalcy will be achieved as well. Oh and "Legends and Leaders"? More like Dumb and Dumber...East and West...or, North and South...it ain't hard boys.
Back to the playoff system. It is really easy. There are currently 11 conferences. Each conference champion gets an automatic bid and there will be 5 at large bids for a 16 team bracket. Seeding will be as it is for March Madness. You play the first rounds before and opposite the NFL playoff games and the championship game is played in the time between the NFL Conference championship games and Super Bowl. It might take a few viewers away from the Pro Bowl but who would notice?
One other minor annoying bleat by the anti-playoff folks is "our kids will be playing too many games" Yeah...no. You have some schools playing 13 or 14 games anyway. I would eliminate conference championship games which would take one game away. Our little darlings can handle the extra time, they're young...they can take it.
Here is where you incorporate the bowls. You have 15 games in the playoff. You use your upper tier bowls for those playoff sites. You lessen the bowl payouts, which saves money, and the schools will still make money as they advance. Here is how I would break it down:
First Round sites:
Aloha (formerly Hawaii), Bluebonnet (formerly Texas)Holiday, Independence, Liberty, Peach (formerly Chik-fil-A), Sun Bowl, Tangerine (formerly Champs)
Quarterfinals:
Alamo, Cotton, Fiesta, Gator
Semi-finals:
Orange, Sugar
Final:
Rose
The title game was easy...the granddaddy deserves it. Perhaps you were wondering what was up with all the "formerly"'s. Corporate whoring...er, uh, I mean, sponsorship is a necessary evil but there needs to be restraint. No bowl will be known by just the sponsor name. It can be in the name but the bowl name must be there. For example...Chik-fil-A Peach Bowl=good....Chik-fil-A Bowl=bad. I also went back to some of the original names (Aloha, Bluebonnet, Tangerine). For the non-playoff bowls, you have to include a flower, fruit, city or state name. I will let the Humanitarian Bowl slide only because I dig the Smurf Turf. Bring back some of the classics, like the Cherry Bowl, Raisin Bowl or Salad Bowl!!! Or one of the all-time greats...the Bacardi Bowl. Imagine the stuff in that goodie bag!
With 15 bowl games and 16 teams taken for the playoff...that leaves 20 bowls, 40 teams. If we keep the current NCAA eligibility rules where you have to be 6-6 to qualify and we remove the 16 teams who qualified for the playoff....that would still leave us with 52 teams. I would raise the requirement to 7-5 and only go to 6-6 if there were not enough 7-5 teams to fill out the spots. If we did that....we would have 39 teams eligible and would only need to bring one 6-6 team up. That way you don't reward mediocrity and the quality of games would improve. You still keep the bowls intact and you reward those teams who have a good season. The bowls are important. If you are 7-5 or 8-4 and haven't been in a while, its good for your school, your players, your alumni and your fans. Everyone gets a week at the bowl site to enjoy the swag, impress your recruits and bask in the national spotlight, if only briefly.
It is really sad that D-1 college football is the only level of any sport who's champion is not decided on the field. This is not rocket science. We are taught from day one that if we win our games, we get to compete for a championship. How many years do we have 1 or 2 or more teams get screwed out of that chance. This year it was TCU, last year it was TCU and Boise. You pick a year, you can find a team who got hosed. The current BCS system expires in 2014. I hope that in the real world, the NCAA can find a way to work this out. However, when you have dimwitted and greedy conference commissioners possessing all the power, I won't hold my breath.
That is my plan to fix college football...and it's just crazy enough to work.
Merry New Year.
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