Late Night Quick Hits
Well friends, it's 1:30am, the baby is finally asleep and I am not. So, I thought I would do a little bit of a mid-week, late-night banter from the wide world of sports. Here are a few quick (and a few not-so-quick) hits from the top stories in the sports world this week. And as always, keep those comments coming.
SORRY CHARLIE
So it seems that second-year Notre Dame head coach still hasn't figured out that College Football's BCS system is less than stellar. Coach Weiss spoke to reporters this week and expressed how baffled he was that his Irish would drop in all of the polls after a lack-luster performance, and last-minute comeback, against UCLA this past weekend. First off Chuck, welcome (again) to the college game where our system of picking the top teams is, well, ridiculous. How have you not figured this out yet? Now let's look at the teams that jumped Notre Dame in the polls and see if Chuck has an argument.
Let's start with the Coach's poll, the admitted shadiest of them all, but one that yet continues to contribute to the national title contenders. So the coach's dropped Notre Dame two spots to #10 - the teams that jumped them were Tennessee and Florida.
Texas jumped Notre Dame in the BCS poll after narrowly escaping a very feisty Nebraska team with a last-second field goal.
And finally, Clemson jumped ahead of Notre Dame in the AP poll after drubbing Georgia Tech 31-7. The same Georgia Tech team, mind you, that Notre Dame snuck by in the season opener (14-10).
So, with that, let's see if and/or where the Irish are getting screwed. Without conjuring up the realities that come with the Coach's poll (I mean, does anyone believe that the national coaches sit and analyze games and teams to come up with these rankings???), the consensus seems to be that Tenn and Florida are better teams than the Irish. Now, normally I would be a bit upset in general if a bye-week team (Florida) jumped a team that played and won their game. BUT, in this instance, the fact is that Tennessee and Florida are both better teams than Notre Dame. Yes, Tennessee needed the same type of last-minute heroics, at home, against Alabama. But let's remember, Tenn and Alabama is a pretty heated rivalry in the SEC. There is no history between UCLA and Notre Dame. Tenn was favored, but not by near as the margin that Notre Dame was. And again, Florida is, without question, a better team than ND.
Now on to the BCS poll where Texas jumped Notre Dame. This one is simple - Texas went on the road, in a hostile environment, and beat a top 20 team. Notre Dame played at home against far inferior competition (or so it would seem). It's not as if Texas hopped 3 spots ahead of Notre Dame either. They were close in polling points and the win against better competition on the road deserves more points than Notre Dame's magic escape act.
And finally, the AP poll. This one is even easier. Clemson absolutely dominated Georgia Tech last week. Moreover, this is a far better Georgia Tech team than the one that ND escaped in the first week of the year. And, if Notre Dame and Clemson played tomorrow on a neutral field, does anyone believe that Notre Dame would win? Clemson would man-handle the Irish - that's not biased, that's a fact. Clemson is playing some unbelievable football right now and Notre Dame isn't.
"Maybe I'm just stupid. Tell me how that works." This is what Coach Weiss had to say at the press conference. It's called the BCS and if you don't like it (which you shouldn't), go talk to your AD and school President. They have the power to affect change. Yes, we know it sucks, we've been paying attention to it much longer than you have. I suggest that you get used to it - although you feel screwed now, I assure you that if your beloved Irish make it to a BCS game, you will in turn be screwing a more deserved team (most likely).
DID YOU KNOW?
That Clemson's "Thunder and Lightning" running backs - CJ Spiller and Charles Davis - include a freshman and a sophomore? Imagine what this offense will look like next year. As I've said before, we may be seeing a turning of the tide in the ACC.
WORLD SERIES UPDATE
First off, is there a harder sport in the world to try and predict? Maybe it's because I never really have followed baseball that closely, but man, what an unpredictable game. I know for a fact that I wasn't the only one who thought that the Tigers would stroll through this series, especially after what they did to the American League teams. Now it looks as if the Tigers may have their backs against the wall just a bit. And what's with all of the Rodriguez's not showing up in the playoffs. Pudge is an abysmal 1-21 in his last 21 at bats.
And I won't even get into the whole pine tar debacle of '06, but I will say this. Major League Baseball has far bigger fish to fry than whether or not Kenny Rogers had pine tar on his palm. And one more thing baseball officials, if you have rules in the rule book that you aren't going to enforce with any consistency, you might want to think about removing them from the books. Or, you could actually try and enforce them for the good of the game. Just a thought.
WORLD'S LARGEST OUTDOOR JUICE BOX PARTY
Just doesn't have the same ring to it, does it? As you may have heard, officials from both Florida and Georgia are petitioning (yet again) to have the name "The World's Largest Cocktail Party" removed from this annual rivalry because it conjures up images of binge drinking and associated behaviors. Additionally, 2 Florida students have died in the past 2 years - both due to alcohol-related incidents. To their credit, both institutions recognize college binge drinking as a much larger issue that goes way beyond the naming of a rivalry game. So the question is, why do this? Look, I'm all for any part of a solution that curbs (hell, eliminates) alcohol related deaths among college students - there's no doubt it's an issue in this country. But, what does this do, really? Is this a PR stunt? I don't think so. Is it the schools' way of saying they're doing something? Possibly, but I hope not because they're not really doing anything. The point here is if you're going to take action on an issue as important and as visible as this, why not take action that's going to have an impact. What is that you may ask? I don't know, but I know this - changing the nickname of a rivalry that's been in place for 50 years is not part of the solution. It certainly doesn't contribute to the problem, but it most certainly does not and will not contribute to any solution. At the risk of politicizing this topic (which is always something I always try and avoid like the plague), this is something our Government would do to address a problem - and we all know how that usually works out don't we?
THIS WEEK'S MATCHUPS
Here's a quick glance of the weekend games I'll be looking at this week - check back here before the weekend for the latest:
Florida vs. Georgia - I guess there'll be no drinking at this year's event.
Tenn at S. Carolina - Intriguing if only for the coaching matchup - Spurrier has always had Fulmer's number, but this time???
Oklahoma at Missouri - Mizzou REALLY needs this win to keep their Big 12 North hopes alive - OU really needs a positive win
Texas at Texas Tech - Big win against OU, Bigger comeback win at Nebraska followed by a trip to Lubbock against a struggling Texas Tech team - can you say TRAP GAME for the Horns????
Texas A&M at Baylor - Maybe the hardest game of the weekend to call - there is no outcome of this game that would shock me.
AND FINALLY...
If you have some down time this evening check out the Clemson at Virginia Tech game tonight (Thursday). VaTech is definitely having a down year this year while Clemson is flying high - but don't count out the Hokies just yet, especially playing in Blacksburg. This would be a huge emotional win for them. Don't see it happening, but it's not completely out of the cards.
Good night all, check back before the weekend for the breakdown and predictions for the big games this weekend.
SORRY CHARLIE
So it seems that second-year Notre Dame head coach still hasn't figured out that College Football's BCS system is less than stellar. Coach Weiss spoke to reporters this week and expressed how baffled he was that his Irish would drop in all of the polls after a lack-luster performance, and last-minute comeback, against UCLA this past weekend. First off Chuck, welcome (again) to the college game where our system of picking the top teams is, well, ridiculous. How have you not figured this out yet? Now let's look at the teams that jumped Notre Dame in the polls and see if Chuck has an argument.
Let's start with the Coach's poll, the admitted shadiest of them all, but one that yet continues to contribute to the national title contenders. So the coach's dropped Notre Dame two spots to #10 - the teams that jumped them were Tennessee and Florida.
Texas jumped Notre Dame in the BCS poll after narrowly escaping a very feisty Nebraska team with a last-second field goal.
And finally, Clemson jumped ahead of Notre Dame in the AP poll after drubbing Georgia Tech 31-7. The same Georgia Tech team, mind you, that Notre Dame snuck by in the season opener (14-10).
So, with that, let's see if and/or where the Irish are getting screwed. Without conjuring up the realities that come with the Coach's poll (I mean, does anyone believe that the national coaches sit and analyze games and teams to come up with these rankings???), the consensus seems to be that Tenn and Florida are better teams than the Irish. Now, normally I would be a bit upset in general if a bye-week team (Florida) jumped a team that played and won their game. BUT, in this instance, the fact is that Tennessee and Florida are both better teams than Notre Dame. Yes, Tennessee needed the same type of last-minute heroics, at home, against Alabama. But let's remember, Tenn and Alabama is a pretty heated rivalry in the SEC. There is no history between UCLA and Notre Dame. Tenn was favored, but not by near as the margin that Notre Dame was. And again, Florida is, without question, a better team than ND.
Now on to the BCS poll where Texas jumped Notre Dame. This one is simple - Texas went on the road, in a hostile environment, and beat a top 20 team. Notre Dame played at home against far inferior competition (or so it would seem). It's not as if Texas hopped 3 spots ahead of Notre Dame either. They were close in polling points and the win against better competition on the road deserves more points than Notre Dame's magic escape act.
And finally, the AP poll. This one is even easier. Clemson absolutely dominated Georgia Tech last week. Moreover, this is a far better Georgia Tech team than the one that ND escaped in the first week of the year. And, if Notre Dame and Clemson played tomorrow on a neutral field, does anyone believe that Notre Dame would win? Clemson would man-handle the Irish - that's not biased, that's a fact. Clemson is playing some unbelievable football right now and Notre Dame isn't.
"Maybe I'm just stupid. Tell me how that works." This is what Coach Weiss had to say at the press conference. It's called the BCS and if you don't like it (which you shouldn't), go talk to your AD and school President. They have the power to affect change. Yes, we know it sucks, we've been paying attention to it much longer than you have. I suggest that you get used to it - although you feel screwed now, I assure you that if your beloved Irish make it to a BCS game, you will in turn be screwing a more deserved team (most likely).
DID YOU KNOW?
That Clemson's "Thunder and Lightning" running backs - CJ Spiller and Charles Davis - include a freshman and a sophomore? Imagine what this offense will look like next year. As I've said before, we may be seeing a turning of the tide in the ACC.
WORLD SERIES UPDATE
First off, is there a harder sport in the world to try and predict? Maybe it's because I never really have followed baseball that closely, but man, what an unpredictable game. I know for a fact that I wasn't the only one who thought that the Tigers would stroll through this series, especially after what they did to the American League teams. Now it looks as if the Tigers may have their backs against the wall just a bit. And what's with all of the Rodriguez's not showing up in the playoffs. Pudge is an abysmal 1-21 in his last 21 at bats.
And I won't even get into the whole pine tar debacle of '06, but I will say this. Major League Baseball has far bigger fish to fry than whether or not Kenny Rogers had pine tar on his palm. And one more thing baseball officials, if you have rules in the rule book that you aren't going to enforce with any consistency, you might want to think about removing them from the books. Or, you could actually try and enforce them for the good of the game. Just a thought.
WORLD'S LARGEST OUTDOOR JUICE BOX PARTY
Just doesn't have the same ring to it, does it? As you may have heard, officials from both Florida and Georgia are petitioning (yet again) to have the name "The World's Largest Cocktail Party" removed from this annual rivalry because it conjures up images of binge drinking and associated behaviors. Additionally, 2 Florida students have died in the past 2 years - both due to alcohol-related incidents. To their credit, both institutions recognize college binge drinking as a much larger issue that goes way beyond the naming of a rivalry game. So the question is, why do this? Look, I'm all for any part of a solution that curbs (hell, eliminates) alcohol related deaths among college students - there's no doubt it's an issue in this country. But, what does this do, really? Is this a PR stunt? I don't think so. Is it the schools' way of saying they're doing something? Possibly, but I hope not because they're not really doing anything. The point here is if you're going to take action on an issue as important and as visible as this, why not take action that's going to have an impact. What is that you may ask? I don't know, but I know this - changing the nickname of a rivalry that's been in place for 50 years is not part of the solution. It certainly doesn't contribute to the problem, but it most certainly does not and will not contribute to any solution. At the risk of politicizing this topic (which is always something I always try and avoid like the plague), this is something our Government would do to address a problem - and we all know how that usually works out don't we?
THIS WEEK'S MATCHUPS
Here's a quick glance of the weekend games I'll be looking at this week - check back here before the weekend for the latest:
Florida vs. Georgia - I guess there'll be no drinking at this year's event.
Tenn at S. Carolina - Intriguing if only for the coaching matchup - Spurrier has always had Fulmer's number, but this time???
Oklahoma at Missouri - Mizzou REALLY needs this win to keep their Big 12 North hopes alive - OU really needs a positive win
Texas at Texas Tech - Big win against OU, Bigger comeback win at Nebraska followed by a trip to Lubbock against a struggling Texas Tech team - can you say TRAP GAME for the Horns????
Texas A&M at Baylor - Maybe the hardest game of the weekend to call - there is no outcome of this game that would shock me.
AND FINALLY...
If you have some down time this evening check out the Clemson at Virginia Tech game tonight (Thursday). VaTech is definitely having a down year this year while Clemson is flying high - but don't count out the Hokies just yet, especially playing in Blacksburg. This would be a huge emotional win for them. Don't see it happening, but it's not completely out of the cards.
Good night all, check back before the weekend for the breakdown and predictions for the big games this weekend.
posted by The Bearden Wonder at 2:32 AM
1 Comments:
I will confirm the Shaft sighting...I kept thinking to myself, is that really their coach? He also didn't have a headset, clipboard or anything else a coach might have...he seemed to be dictating to a personal assistant who was holding all that stuff for him. Unbelievable.
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