LT out of SD

The Sand Diego Chargers released LaDainian Tomlinson on Wednesday after nine years with the team. Injuries and age (he's 30) have caught up with Tomlinson, though LT seems to think Norv Turner's pass-heavy offense explains some of his recent troubles. Despite that, he's still one of the best who's ever played: 12,490 rushing yds (8th all-time), 138 rushing TDs (2nd), and 153 total TDs (3rd). Tomlinson has rushed for 1,000 or more yards in 8 of his nine seasons, he also rushed for 1,815 yds in 2006 when he had 9 consecutive games of 100 or more yards. Also, I can't find the stats, but I suspect Tomlinson and thrown more TDs than any modern RB.

This makes me feel old. LT is the first superstar I can recall knowing about in college and following in the pros through their decline. For most of the past decade he's been a fantasy force (leading my team to the 1st championship in league history) and arguably the best RB in the NFL. It's strange to think that he won't be a candidate for the #1 fantasy draft pick next year, if he's even in the top 10.

Go for the Gold.

Now that the US Men's Hockey Team is playing for the gold after beating Finland 6-1 (Would you believe I actually know someone who is in Finland right now?), I might actually watch my first Olympic action of the year. The puck drops at 3:15 PM ET time on Sunday.

$1 Million

That's how much a "Very Fine" copy of "Action Comics #1" sold for this week. The comic originally cost ten cents. "Action Comics #1" features the first appearance of Superman and is considered to be the first superhero comic book in history. According to Wikipedia, there's less than ten "Very Good" (readable, not ripped apart) or better copies known to exist, so it is basically the "holy grail" of comic collecting, the single most famous comic book in existence. Or, if you're a baseball card collector, it's the equivalent of a Honus Wagner card, except that the general public might understand the appeal. Well, to the extent that anyone can understand why a person would pay $1 million for and old pamphlet printed on low quality paper. In case you're wondering, the next 885 issues aren't worth quite so much. All of that was mostly an excuse to post a picture of the cover.

Major and Minor

While it does bring a smile to my face that Michigan has been found guilty by the NCAA of exceeding "countable practice-time limits", I don't have much to say about it. But this quote, from athletic director Dave Brandon, did catch my eye:

I'm not sure I understand the difference between major and minor. We need to overlay what the NCAA is telling us with what the internal investigation is telling us. We have to find where the mistakes were made, how were they made and was there any intent.

I know NCAA rules are pretty ridiculous, but isn't the difference between major and minor violations the kind of a thing an AD should know? Maybe there's something in context that makes that sound better, but it sticks out as presented in the story.

?

A few questions to those following baseball more closely than I am in the wake of the Tigers signing Johnny Damon:

1. The Tigers paid plenty, is Damon worth it? Even I know that the Tiger offense was awful last season, will Damon make enough of a difference to be worth the money? Or worth it when you factor in the fact that he's also not with the White Sox?

2. Would it be confusing to have played for both the Red Sox and the White Sox?

3. Is Damon going to grow his beard back?

4. Can Jim Leyland really cut down on the swearing?

Cheese Shop

Darko & Cardinal

There's an interesting article at Yahoo! Sports blong "Ball Don't Lie" about former Pistons Darko Milicic and Brian Cardinal, brought about by the fact that they were traded for each other today. Short version: Larry Brown screwed up Darko, Cardinal is better than stats would suggest.

Banned

Life must be pretty boring for a suburban squirrel. Food is plentiful and there are few natural predators. So what's a thrill-seeking bushy-tailed rodent to do? Maybe start riding rollercoasters? (Via Best of the Web @ WSJ)

Starlight

Now This I Like

Okay, I went on a bit of a rampage when MSU was intending to change the Spartan logo. That wasn't the only change being discussed as the Board of Trustees replace the current green (on the left) with a new shade (on the right).


And you know what? I'm cool with it. I mentioned when writing about the logo that I would be fine with them standardizing the green, making it more like the shade of the football helmets, which is pretty similar to the new green. Practically every piece of Spartan gear that I own is approximately the new shade anyway, so I can't see it being a big deal. See? I can (Guza voice) be reasonable.

Mismatch

Obama today, via the Washington Examiner:

The real problem has to do with the fact that there is just a mismatch between the amount of money coming in and the amount of money going out. And that is going to require some big, tough choices that, so far, the political system has been unable to deal with.

I think everyone can agree on that. The problem is whether to fix the "coming in" or the "going out."

Quote of the Day

"Liberalism is always one more tutorial away from sunshine and lollipops for everyone."

-Jonah Goldberg, Planned Summit Is Just an Infomercial in Disguise

Texas?

According to a story in the Detroit News, there is a report that the Big Ten has had "preliminary exchanges" with Texas concerning expansion.

Really?

No way does Texas join the Big Ten. First, there's the obvious geographical issues. Texas is deep in Big 12 country. Second, there's no way the Big 12 would let the (arguably) highest profile team leave the conference. Third, does the Big Ten really want to add a team that will come in and dominate the conference? Penn State was a good team when they joined the conference, but they've still only won two titles. How long would it take Texas to beat that? Three seasons.

No way does this happen.

Scientist Salarian

More Mass Effect humor:

Victory for MSU

MSU Athletic Director Mark Hollis released a statement today with this key passage:

Our identity and branding process is nearing completion and is on schedule for a complete rollout in April. The elements and applications of the brand design will be unveiled collectively at that time. After careful consideration, we will use the current Spartan logo design, first used in the late 1970s, to build our visual brand identity. Using sound branding principles, the university will continue to register some variations of our Spartan logo in order to ensure that this symbol is well protected and firmly associated with Michigan State University. As an athletic department, we are excited about our branding and identity process. We understand, given the tremendous exposure we bring to the university, that our work is an important part of Michigan State's overall university brand. As we go forward, we will ensure that elements of the athletics visual brand identity align with and support the university brand.

That's good news. I've been hard on Hollis through this controversy, but I'll give him credit for making the right decision in the end, and making sure to respond to the fans. I received this statement in an email reply to my original message which said I'd cancel my season tickets if the logo changed. I don't know how much work that ended up being for who, but it made me feel like my opinion mattered. Now if we could get something like an apology from Izzo this whole thing could fade away.

RE: How times have changed....

When Michigan was forced to change the high school sports schedules I figured that girls' basketball would take a big hit and boys' basketball would feel some impact. I'm surprised it's as bad as you describe. I don't recall ever going to a boys game that wasn't mostly full at CC, and certainly not Snowcoming. Even with the economy I would expect the games to be well-attended. I guess it will be equal for everyone if both programs fold due to lack of funds.

I totally agree with you on the band. I really started to appreciate the band after going to State, but even there (or at UM), priority #1 is to support the football and basketball teams. Where else are they going to march? Where else are they going to provide "pep"? If the band isn't there for Snowcoming to play the fight song and pump the crowd up, what good are they?

RE: Super Bowl ad stokes abortion controversy

Sally Jenkins of the Washington Post, who is pro-choice ("I couldn't disagree with Tebow more."), has written a great article about the controversy. An excerpt:

Here's what we do need a lot more of: Tebows. Collegians who are selfless enough to choose not to spend summers poolside, but travel to impoverished countries to dispense medical care to children, as Tebow has every summer of his career. Athletes who believe in something other than themselves, and are willing to put their backbone where their mouth is. Celebrities who are self-possessed and self-controlled enough to use their wattage to advertise commitment over decadence.

How times have changed....

This past Friday was snowcoming. I think back to when we were in school and then even up to about 2007. A Friday night basketball game you could count on almost a packed house every time, and if a big time rival was in town you could count on standing room only. I attended the game and granted Cass City isn't good and Bad Axe isn't exactly a rivalry game but to their credit they made Snowcoming against someone they could beat. The 2 things that were alarming was the fact that the stands were about 5/8 filled to capacity. Maybe it's because the GTW's down, maybe it's because schools enrollments are down. (Once again..it's snowcoming and a friday night game that is hard to come by these days) The most alarming thing was that there WAS NO BAND. We had NO FREAKIN BAND at Snowcoming. So when we got to the 2010 Snowcoming kind and queen are (drum roll please........) No Drum Roll. Silence. Now I know that band people aren't going to tell you that the band is for the sporting events alone, but please, there better be a darn good reason there was no band. It was pathetic. And what made it all worse was that Cass City played their best game of the year and spanked Bad Axe. No band to get people fired up and pile on BA. And I know we are all just striving for equality in boys and girls sports but this is hurting everybody. Attendance is way down all across the board and that means revenue to the school and sports program is down. Now you can say well the economy is down, maybe people aren't traveling or wanting to spend the money, but again it's the cheapest entertainment your going to find on a friday night. When is someone going to say hey, it was better for everyone the way it was.

Weird Stat

I don't know if I posted this before, but the NY football Giants started the season 5-0...failed to make the playoffs. The Denver Broncos started 6-0...failed to make the playoffs. I'd feel sorry for them, but considering the Lions started 6-2 a few years ago only to finish 2-6, I don't.

He knows what he wants his legacy to be.

Kurt Warner announced his retirement on Thursday.

"It's not the way I threw the football, it's not particular games that I won, but that they remember that here's a guy that believed, that worked hard," he said. "Although things didn't always go in his favor, he continued to press through, and with his faith in himself and his faith in God, he was able to accomplish great things."

Super Bowl ad stokes abortion controversy

"It would be the first time that Focus on the Family, a politically influential evangelical group founded by James Dobson, has bought air time during the Super Bowl." Check out the story here.

And could some of you maybe use a condom once in a while?

(This could also be a Quote of the Day segment). Here is an interesting take from an Ex-NBA player on the Haiti situation. I don't completely disagree, but his timing couldn't have been worse. Dude, hire a PR group.

Bigger Fish To Fry?

There is a story on espn.com about the possibility of exploring whether or not the BCS violates antitrust laws. You get the sense the Obama administration renigged on their earlier offer to "throw his weight around" for a playoff system a little towards the end of the story.

Shakespeare in the voice of Elcor.

Shoot To Thrill

Patience?

The State News has an editorial up today urging patience. An excerpt:

Before students storm the athletics offices with pitchforks, they should remember there are major elements from this project that have yet to be revealed.

With that being said, if the total package still doesn’t do justice to the Spartan identity when it’s unveiled in all its glory in April, Spartans should feel free to raise holy hell.

I like the "holy hell" part, but the rest is wrong. Here's the original statement from AD Mark Hollis:

The Spartan logo, posted on the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Web site, is a single element of a comprehensive brand and identity project that will be unveiled in April by Michigan State athletics. As in all branding, the power of a single symbol cannot be appreciated or measured outside the context of the total presentation.

My company spent a lot of time last year working on brand and identity. We had a meeting explaining the proper use of corporate logos, appropriate Powerpoint backgrounds, and all sorts of other stuff. Many unique logos were eliminated so that the main corporate logo is the only one used. We were told everything was to be consistent so as not to damage the brand.

So what does this have to do with MSU? You've seen the new logo. If the goal is to make MSU's brand consistent with a "comprehensive brand project" the the new logo and the old logo can't coexist. Using both would undermine the consistency that's supposed to be the whole point. It's much more likely that the block S would also be eliminated and MSU's visual identity would be pared down to the new logo and a new "Michigan State" font. Sparty might even be in jeopardy. Context isn't necessary, there's no acceptable outcome based on what we already know.

Tom Izzo is wrong.

That was hard to type. I didn't expect Izzo to go against his boss in the press conference today, but getting hit with a "shame on you" is too much. His arguments are also weak. Gruff Sparty (a third logo used on merchandise, not uniforms) and changing between the block S and helmet logo on football helmets isn't the same as changing a ubiquitous and beloved logo. Replacing the Greek-influenced "Michigan State" wordmark with the Nike "State" wordmark is closer, but those are only used on basketball uniforms and didn't eliminate either the block S or helmet logo. If you're going to argue for the new logo, you have to make a compelling case for replacing a popular logo with 30+ years of history with a new design. I haven't seen that done yet.

Shame on Tom Izzo.

UPDATE: I like this photo posted on Facebook:

One down, four more to go

You know what I'm referring to. I've been penciling it in the last few years. There are now only four teams that have never reached the Super Bowl.

Lions
Jags
Browns
Texans


They've really been dropping like flies the last 10 Super Bowls. I'd say the Jags have the best chance of being the next team to do it. I don't see that happening in the next 3 years though.

Mirror, Mirror (Live)

More Logo Opinion

Eric Lacy of the Detroit News has an article up about the logo situation. An excerpt:

To simply put it: This move doesn't make sense.

How does a school's brand become recognizable if it constantly changes over the course of several decades?

By no means is this anything personal against Hollis or any other school officials, but it's a fair question to ask.

I'll disagree on one point: It's personal to me.

Nostalgia Vs. Common Sense

Last week nostalgia had a showdown with common sense in my head. Common sense was on the mat out cold before the end of the first round. Here's the result:


There's a rematch next month when Battle Cat is released, but somehow I suspect the results won't change.

Uprising

How do you instantly send thousands of Spartan fans into a rage? Change the venerable (it's been used since at least '77, going by The Helmet Project) Spartan helmet logo:


AD Mark Hollis confirmed the logo yesterday after it was discovered on U.S. Patent and Trademark Office website. Hollis says the logo "is a single element of a comprehensive brand and identity project" and that "a single symbol cannot be appreciated or measured outside the context of the total presentation." So far that excuse isn't going over well with the fans. As of right now 9,196 fans have joined the Facebook group JUST DON'T - No new Nike-influenced Spartan helmet and 95% have voted against the new logo in a poll at the State News.

Just how serious is this? I just sent an email to Mr. Hollis explaining that I would not be able to renew my football season tickets if the new logo was adopted. And I meant it. I won't be the only one.

UPDATE: More at Uni Watch. The Facebook group now has 10,387 members.

UPDATE 2: Someone on Facebook uploaded this picture of a t-shirt with the new logo:


I have to admit this t-shirt isn't bad, if it came out without any talk of changing the logo I might even buy it. But if they mess with the logo, no new Nike merchandise for me.

Accuracy

You want accuracy? Well, check out the Weather Channel's website. Here's what it said for Davenport, IA at various times today:

8:30 AM: Fog ending by 10am

11:00 AM: Fog ending by 1pm

3:20 PM: Fog ending by 5pm

I have a feeling it will still be foggy at 5pm, but by then it will be too dark to know the difference.

UPDATE: At 7:02pm, the forecast reads "Fog ending by 7pm." Nice.

Mass Effect 2

Shocking News

According to Yahoo!, Miguel Cabrera has spent the last three months in a program to treat his alcoholism after his much-publicized night of binge-drinking before the biggest game of the year. Cabrera, naturally, says that he's turned his life around. I have doubts about that, but he can keep his blood alcohol below .26 it would be a good start.

Hits the Mark

If you missed it tonight, Human Target premiered and it looks like it's going to be worth watching. Lots of action in the episode, much of it on a train, which is a change of pace (not as cool as the bus fight in "The Transporter", but few things are). Jackie Earle Haley stars in a supporting role, which isn't as cool as Rorschach, but pretty close. The series is based on a comic book, though they've made a few changes.

New Super Bowl shuffle???

Quote of the Day

Assassin: There's enough poison in this needle to kill an army platoon.

John Casey: Well, lucky for me I'm a Marine.

-Chuck, "Chuck Versus the Angel De La Muerte"

One Shall Stand...

Forty rods to the hogshead.

I was watching an episode of The Simpsons, "A Star Is Burns" this evening and came across two of my favorite quotes from the entire series. The first:

Abe: The metric system is the tool of the devil! My car gets forty rods to the hogshead and that's the way I likes it.

And the second:

Burns: Get me Steven Spielberg!
Smithers: He's unavailable.
Burns: Then get me his non-union Mexican equivalent!

Back to Basics

While reading an article in the WSJ about the high number of long running plays this year, this passage caught my eye:

Mr. Jones of the Cowboys scored two weeks in a row on similar running plays that completely fooled the Philadelphia Eagles. Saturday night, the Cowboys were in a running formation on first down at their own 27-yard line. Mr. Jones took the handoff, faked to his left and cut back to the right. Eagles linebackers Moise Fokou and Jeremiah Trotter bit on Mr. Jones's fake, but they should have known better: They had two 300-pound clues.

Dallas guards Kyle Kosier and Leonard Davis were pulling to their right—a telltale giveaway of the direction of the run. Had Messrs. Fokou and Trotter followed the guards, and not the motion of the fullback and the running back, they would have stuffed Mr. Jones for a loss. Instead, he strode 73 yards for a touchdown.

Do NFL LBs really not know to watch the pulling guards? That's really basic defense. I'd be mad at junior high players for not watching the guards. Do the pros really have that hard a time with the fundamentals?

Pete Carroll is crazy.

Why? Because he's leaving the USC Trojans to coach the Seahawks. Not that the Seahawks are a bad organization, though I think it's pretty ridiculous to fire Jim Mora after just one season. I can't imagine a coach being in a better position than Carroll was at USC. Unless he suspects sanctions are coming down there's no real reason to leave USC, so Carroll must be looking for another challenge. Or maybe he just got tired of winning.

Wheel of ... doom?

Answer the Call

I'm not sure if this is cool or silly:

Awkward Situation

Of Cold And Hate

Let me tell you a story.

It was cold this morning, fifteen degrees below zero when I first checked. However, I had things that needed to get done, primarily taking the pickup out to have the oil changed, so I decided to venture out. I get in the pickup, turn the key, and the engine won't turn over. The battery in the truck is less than three months old. It's been fine all week in subzero mornings, though none were quite as cold as today. Cursing the ability of Interstate to make a decent battery, I went back up to the apartment to get my portable battery pack to jump the pickup, which was recently charged for just such an occasion.

After struggling to get the hood open (pull the lever in the cab then pry it open with frozen fingers so I can reach the release underneath) I hooked up the battery pack. Wrong. Twice. Which was odd because I've used the darn thing at least three times, and all three were in the dark. Anyway, the third time being the charm, the pickup started right up. I unhooked the battery pack and slammed the hood down hard to make sure it stayed closed, and maybe a little out of frustration.

Then a bloody car alarm started going off.

Parked (poorly I might add) next to me was a joke of a vehicle that looks something like this:


The Nissan Cube. I hate the Cube. Apparently it won a design award, I can only assume it was for "Greatest Sin in Automotive Design 2009" or some such. Or maybe it won for a ridiculously sensitive car alarm, which proceeded to make noise the entire time I'm scraping frost off my windows. Fortunately for me it was pretty early for city-dwellers (not yet 9:30) so I didn't have to deal with an angry neighbor, which is good because there's no way I'm taking seriously the drive of a periwinkle blue Cube.

The rest of the morning passed without incident.

More Annoying One-Up Girl ("Penelope")

I can't stand people like this.

Annoying One-Up Girl (Penelope)

Hmmmm....seems like I know a person like this.

Awesome Commercial

A great commercial, via Jonah Goldberg at The Corner:

Double-header at the Big House?

Puck Daddy, in a post discussing potential future locations (30 of them), mentioned playing the game at Michigan Stadium and even making it a double-header with UM and MSU playing Cold War II as well. While I would have a hard time forcing myself to buy a ticket to an event in Ann Arbor, I think that might just be enough to get me to do it. Then I'd regret it later when I froze to death at the Big House, but it still might be worthwhile.

Favorite Films 2000-2009, Rough Draft

My first pass at my favorite movies of the decade:

The Dark Knight
Batman Begins
Iron Man
The Lives of Others
300
Casino Royale
Equlibrium
The Transporter
Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior
O Brother, Where Art Thou?
Ocean's Eleven
Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Gladiator
Hot Fuzz
The Bourne Identity
Snatch
Hellboy
Luther
The Incredibles
Up
Pirates of the Caribbean
The Prestige
Memento

Note: This is a list of favorites. Some may have artistic worthiness, others I just love to watch, like "The Transporter".

Top 15 Films of the Decade

John Nolte has posted his list of the top fifteen films of the decade at Big Hollywood. I've seen all of the top 5 and 11 of 15 overall and can vouch for them being worthwhile movies (except for "Napoleon Dynamite", I hated that movie, even though it had a llama).

Quote of the Day

If staying up an extra three hours just to watch your team lose isn't the definition of being a Spartan fan, I don't know what is.

-Me, during the 2010 Alamo Bowl

First Post of the Year

That is all.

Quotes of the Year

ESPN Page 2's quotes of the year are pretty good. My favorite so far:

"It's not good when you light up two Marlboros at the same time at 3 a.m., washing it down with a glass of chocolate milk. You know you have a lot on your mind when you do that."
-Tigers manager Jim Leyland

Suspended

You've probably already heard that Texas Tech coach Mike Leach was suspended after allegations that he was keeping a player (the son of ESPN analyst Craig James) with a concussion in an electrical closet. A couple thoughts:

-By pure numbers, MSU is still leading the suspension game 14-1. How many players does one coach equal?

-Did ESPN run this story first? It sure seems like they should have, given the people involved.

-If this is true, Leach is done. And you'd think it is fairly accurate, because if it's not Craig James is risking his job at ESPN. It goes without saying Adam James won't stay with the team.

-This gives MSU a better chance in the bowl game, but I still don't think it's enough.

FF Top Scorers '09

Here are the top scorers from the fantasy football league. This will be updated weekly. * denotes current record holder for the year. All-time is based on '04 on, which I have records for. The scoring was changed for the '05 season to include points for receptions, and then in '07 to reduce points per yard for the QB. The highest team score in '04 was The Living Legend (Bader) with 206.95 pts. The highest team score from '05-'06 was Battletoads (Stack, '06) with 232.40 pts. See the '05 data here, the '06 data here, the '07 data here, and the '08 data here.

Week 1
Top Player: Drew Brees, 51.90 pts
Top Team: Step Your Game Up!, 124.20 pts

Week 2
Top Player: Chris Johnson, 48.20 pts
Top Team: Step Your Game Up!, 154.15 pts*

Week 3
Top Player: Peyton Manning, 40.85 pts
Top Team: Watered down scorein, 125.25 pts

Week 4
Top Player: David Garrard, 35.95 pts
Top Team: Monkies Unleashed, 118.95 pts

Week 5
Top Player: Miles Austin, 39.00 pts
Top Team: Life Is Good, 127.75 pts

Week 6
Top Player: Tom Brady, 55.00 pts*
Top Team: Holy Cow!, 146.00 pts

Week 7
Top Player: Carson Palmer, 41.65 pts
Top Team: Fightin' Limbaughs, 140.70 pts

Week 8
Top Player: Aaron Rodgers, 37.55 pts
Top Team: Holy Cow!, 135.55 pts

Week 9
Top Player: Kurt Warner, 43.35 pts
Top Team: Holy Cow!, 145.90 pts

Week 10
Top Player: Chris Johnson, 37.00 pts
Top Team: Watered down scorein, 133.10 pts

Week 11
Top Player: Matthew Stafford, 47.80 pts
Top Team: Use a Holster Please, 121.00 pts

Week 12
Top Player: Drew Brees, 48.45 pts
Top Team: Holy Cow!, 133.90 pts

Week 13
Top Player: Tony Romo, 37.60 pts
Top Team: tailback terror, 119.10 pts

Playoffs
Week 14
Top Player: Chris Johnson, 37.20 pts
Top Team: tailback terror, 145.65 pts

Week 15
Top Player: Jerome Harrison, 48.20 pts
Top Team: Step Your Game Up!, 123.20 pts

Week 16
Top Player: Tom Brady, 37.75 pts
Top Team: Fightin' Limbaughs, 123.60 pts

All-Time
Top Player: Peyton Manning, 75.20 pts ('04)
Top Team: Battletoads (Stack, '06), 232.40 pts

The Band

This was the only appropriate video I could post using our new Christmas present.

Freakin' Gender Equality

This story appeared in the Lansing State Journal and the latest "Benchmarks" publication by the MHSAA, Winter 2009-10, Vol. 1, No. 2.

If the Lansing State Journal wants to fine me for reproduction laws, go for it.


In response to a complaint filed this summer with the state's Department of Civil Rights, the Capital Area Activities Conference will begin rotating its Friday night basketball schedules starting with the 2010-11 season.

Currently, both boys and girls varsity teams play doubleheaders, girls first followed by the boys. That will remain the same this winter, but flip after that, with boys first and girls second. They will then alternate yearly which plays first.

The complaint was filed by the Michigan Women's Commission and alleged that the CAAC discriminated against girls by scheduling them first during Friday doubleheaders, while giving the boys games the "primetime" slot.

"We were concerned about the negative impact femaile athletes could suffer. Do college recruiters and scouts see them at those times? (Ummm...is there a reason they can't?) Do the girls' programs have equal visibility with the boys' programs? These were some of the questions of the Women's Commission based our civil rights complaint on."

Grand Ledge athletic director Gary Boyce said the league didn't fight the complaint because it felt doing so might lead to further action and "this wasn't going to go away." (No kidding, look at what the pervious women-led group accomplished...girls and boys basketball during the same season.)

At that time, based on the opinion of its girls basketball coaches, the CAAC scheduled their games first on Fridays. The coaches reaffirmed that desire again before last season.


Hmmm...maybe the coaches choose Friday because...wait for it...THEY MIGHT HAVE ASKED THEIR FEMALE PLAYERS WHEN THEY WANTED TO PLAY. Maybe the girls chose the early game. Anyone ever think of that? Just speculating. Why would a coach make that decision without asking the girls?

The Right Perspective

I'm not sure what I'm more amazed by, that a rich person would say this or that ESPN would write/publish this story by Orlando Magic coach Stan Van Gundy.

"But it's going to happen, so why try to fight it?" - Celtic coach Doc Rivers.

Hey "Doc," if we did everything in this world by that philosophy, we'd get run over by anyone/anything bigger than us. Thanks wimp.

Does it apply for this? (Fill in the blank for any societial issue you deem necessary.) Here is what I'll apply to your wonderful life motto:

Gay marriage..."is going to happen, so why try to fight it?"

Divorce..."is going to happen, so why try to fight it?"

Abortion..."is going to happen, so why try to fight it?"

Parity in the NFL?

My dad found this article in the print edition of the USA Today. Pretty interesting stuff.

Party Like It's 2010

"Party at Haag's." Bring a hot tub.

Everyone is welcome. That goes for Mr. and Mrs. Andy S., and Mr. and Mrs. Jason B.

Thursday, December 31, 2009 after 7pm.

Still Got It

I decided to break out Mario Bros. for the Nintendo last week. How does the saying go? "Just like riding a bike"? I thought I would time myself to see how quick I could save the Princess. My first shot took me 26 minutes. The next time I tried, I mustered it down to a sweet 00:15:30. Not too shabby.

Authors Note: This was all down without "life support" (Game Genie).

Bonus Note: I couldn't bring back the magic however of the 1-Up trick on level 3-1 where at the end of the level you can bounce on the turtles and after a few consecutive jumps start earning free lives. Back in the day I was decent at it.

UPDATE: Conquered in 00:10:07. Man, now I have to see if I can make it under 10 minutes. Hmmm...

UPDATE #2: While trying to break the 10 minute mark, I ended up doing it under 9 minutes. That has to be worthy of the Hall of Fame. 00:08:59.37 to be exact. I'm a loser.

Breezy

The wind in the Maaco Bowl is awesome. The Oregon State punter just had a 6-yd punt where you could actually see the ball catch the wind and turn back. I don't know that I've seen a game this windy. The Weather Channel says it's blowing at 35 mph and gusting up to 43 mph.

Start Stanton

As much as it pains me to write this, I completely agree with Terry Foster.

RE: Kung Fu Death Monkeys

I think I'm going to quit my job, buy a group of monkeys, teach them kung fu, and take them on tour around the US. I don't see how this could fail to be wildly successful. And even if it wasn't, I'd still have a gang of kung fu monkeys to commit crimes with.

Carol of the Bells

Evergreen

Sleigh Ride

If it ain't broke...

Not a fan of ESPN's new scoreboard that is being used in the New Mexico Bowl. They need to go back to the one they've used all season. Right away, like for the second half of this game.

ESPY Awards

It begins...

Courtesy of ESPN, here's the 2009-10 bowl schedule. The first game, the New Mexico Bowl, is at 4:30 pm ET and features Fresno State vs. Wyoming.

Sci-Fi Physics

One more post: The physics of space battles. Don't bother reading if words like antimatter rocket, mass driver, or Space Marines sound boring to you.

High Jump

The owners of a house in the UK thought roof damage to their house was being caused by burglars. Turns out a cow decided to jump up there. It was only six feet, but that's pretty good for a bovine.

Salami vs. Parmesan

Some people are really serious about getting a shopping cart. Being Germans, I would have expected some more authentic German sausage to be involved.

Kung Fu Death Monkeys

Since Ump's concerned about it, I'm going to push the post count up, thanks to Jonah Goldberg at The Corner. First up, possibly the coolest story ever. Kung fu monkeys attack their trainer. A quote:

At one point the monkey trainer grabbed a staff to hit the monkeys, only to find himself facing a stick-brandishing monkey that cracked him over the head.

Awesome.

?

Is it wrong that after all this business with Tiger Woods that I snickered to myself when Yahoo! sent me a reminder that fantasy golf is starting soon?

Clash of the Titans

I'm not sure that this will be any good, but it could be a lot of fun:

Iron Man 2 Trailer

Stop Whining

Wojo is dead-on in his column today. I'll comment more later.

UPDATE: Not as into this as I was this morning, so bullet points:

-Having so many bowls is awesome. That means we get "Bowl Week" on ESPN. People who complain about this need to shut up and go find some NBA game to watch.

-As Wojo says, and as I've said before, a playoff will only push the controversy down a level. You'll never be able to make people happy.

-Government needs to stay out of football. Idiots.

-MSU will be toasted by Texas Tech. I seriously think it will be something like 48-21.

Enabled

In an article in the Detroit News today, Marney Rich Keenan writes:

Now almost two weeks into the razor-sharp decline of the golfer's once-stellar reputation and along with it, his commercial endorsements, the irony is how many of us enabled Tiger Woods to get away with the infidelities for as long as he did.

If she's casting blame on the media, fine, I get that. Not sure I agree totally, but that's a reasonable opinion. If she's talking about the rest of us, poppycock. I've only been interested in Tiger to the extent that he's a phenomenal golfer. If there were signs that Tiger wasn't all that he seemed, I certainly don't feel bad for not digging them up.

Robin Hood

Force Unleashed II

12 Again

The Detroit News has a story about expanding the Big Ten today. No new information, unless you count a list of teams that have been mentioned previously: Rutgers, Syracuse, Pitt, Missouri, and Notre Dame. They also break down the divisions as follows:

WEST
Illinois
Iowa
Minnesota
Northwestern
Purdue
Wisconsin

EAST
Indiana
Michigan
Michigan State
Ohio State
Penn State
New team (Pitt, Rutgers or Syracuse)

So I was more or less correct with my guesses.

RE: 12?

(This was going to be a comment, but ran long.) Setting up the divisions was another problem that had occurred to me too. East and West would make the most sense geographically speaking. Assuming a new team was in the West, the divisions would be:

EAST
PSU
OSU
UM
MSU
Indiana
Purdue

WEST
Illinois
Iowa
NU
Wisconsin
Minnesota
New Team

Assuming I have my geography right (which I might not), the East would be a heck of a division, having all three of the historical powerhouses in the conference. But you absolutely need to keep UM vs MSU and OSU vs UM. I know something similar happens in the Big 12 with Texas and Oklahoma in the same division, but it seems less than ideal to me.

RE: Top Coaching Jobs

I've thought about it a bit, so I'll try an answer. Note: These are what I think would be generally thought of as the top coaching jobs, not the jobs I'd want most as a coach. Obviously my personal list would begin and end with MSU.

Basketball
1. UNC
2. Duke
3. Kentucky
4. MSU
5. Kansas

It's tough for me to evaluate MSU because it's difficult to imagine Izzo leaving. I think it will be a highly desirable job, almost as much as the top two, when he steps down (hopefully after many more years). I think the other jobs Ump listed could easily make it to #5, but Kansas has an edge in my mind.

Football
1. USC
2. Florida
3. Texas
4. Michigan
5. Notre Dame

I'm really not sure about these. In college football things change pretty fast. Should 'Bama be back on top because they're playing for a national championship? Is Miami still a desirable job? What about FSU (Seminoles, not Bulldogs)?

Jingle Bells

Seems it's that time of year:

Arkham Asylum 2

12?

Barry Alvarez says that the Big Ten is seriously looking to add a twelfth team. I'm sure I've mentioned before that I'm generally not a fan of the idea or of adding divisions and a championship game. I'm more interested in a different question here though, namely, who would the Big Ten target? Some thoughts:

ND: Notre Dame still makes more money being an independent, and having just hired a new coach it would be at least three years before things might change enough to make joining a conference realistic.

Cincinnati: Cincy is pretty high-profile right now and would make sense geographically. But do they meet the academic standards?

Directional Michigan: I saw this brought up, but I can't really see it happening. both Central and Western have had some success in recent years, but it doesn't seem like enough to move up to Big Ten status (I guess this pretty much goes for all the MAC teams). Plus, like Cincy, you've got the academic question. Also, would UM and MSU be for or against?

Pitt: I don't see them leaving the Big East, but they do seem like they'd be a good fit in general.

I don't really see any other I-AA (yeah, I'm still using that designation) that would seem even a little likely. Thoughts?

Shatner and Palin

Top Coaching Jobs

Give your top 5 most desired coaching jobs in College Football and Basketball (not necessarily in particular order):

Basketball:

1. North Carolina
2. Duke
3. Kentucky
4. Kansas
5. UCLA, Indiana, UCONN, MSU, or Syracuse


Football:

1. ND
2. Michigan
3. Florida
4. Alabama
5. Texas, Oklahoma, or Nebraska

Captain Planet with cats!

After reading John Nolte's review of Avatar, I have to post this video, which came out months ago when the first Avatar trailer hit. WARNING: Language. And Nazis. But mostly language.

Transformers: War for Cybertron

This might be cool:

Bad Moves?

I'm no baseball expert, but it seems to me if the Tigers want to get worse, this would be the way to start. Am I wrong?

UPDATE: I think Lynn Henning got one thing right in this article: Tiger fans are going to be pretty unhappy about trading Granderson, even if a reasonable case can be made for doing it. Following a disappointing season by trading away your most popular player isn't a recipe for enthusiasm.

UPDATE 2: Sports radio in Detroit is going to be epic tomorrow. Someone needs to fill me in on what they hear.

Remember the Alamo... Bowl

The Spartans are headed to the Alamo Bowl, where they will likely be massacred, with the Red Raiders of Texas Tech playing the role of Santa Anna and his army. While it's a relief to be playing a team that doesn't have a future first-round NFL QB at the helm (the last two years MSU has faced Matthew Stafford and Matt Ryan), facing a team that averages 380.7 passing yards per game (per NCAA stats) isn't much of a consolation. But rather than dwell on the negatives, I'll try to be inspiring, so, in the words of William B. Travis, "VICTORY OR DEATH!"

Uprising

House Humor

Seeing the Steelers on TV made me remember that I wanted to post this:

Fraternizing

Apparently the guy those Spartan football players went to Rather to beat up was a frat boy. So, instead of suspending the players, I think we should give them some kind of award. Maybe a medal?

College Football

Got your back, Ump:

What do we have this weekend? #1 v #2...Florida v Alabama. (In this entire scenario, please assume a 3 point loss or an OT game). Winner advances to championship game of BCS. Fine. Loser...more than likely out of a chance for a championship rematch. That's what bothers me.

Wasn't there a championship rematch in the 90's? Florida v FSU? FSU won the regular season game, then the "Ole Ball Coach" got Florida back in the championship with Danny Wrueful (sp?) complained about the cheap shots on the QB and Florida beats FSU in the National Championship.

If Florida v Alabama plays 10 times, is it split 50-50? Does each win 5 times?

Here's my problems: Who is supposed to win the game Saturday? Florida. Why? Because they are the #1 team. If they weren't supposed to win, then they shouldn't be ranked #1. If Alabama is supposed to win, then they shouldn't be ranked #2. So, if the game is close or ends in OT (on a neutral field) why does the #2 team get penalized? Why are they going to be dropped in the BCS rankings? THEY WEREN'T SUPPOSED TO WIN!!!

Think about it. The SECOND BEST TEAM in the country loses by 3 points or less or loses in OT. Why aren't they still considered the second best team out there? By dropping them in the rankings, what you are saying is another team could have done better or should have been ranked #2. If that is the case, how can you do much better than a 3 point loss or an OT loss? The only way you can do better is if you WIN! In that case, Florida shouldn't be the #1 team!

If you think #2 Alabama is better than #3 Texas, then it shouldn't matter if Alabama loses to #1 Florida (as long as the game is close). Alabama should still be considered better than Texas even if they lose.

Either way, the system is what it is. If Florida loses in the National Championship to Texas, Texas is the National Champion. But are they really the best team? For one game they beat Florida.

If a team wins the National Championship, they should be #1. But in the regular season, you don't become the #1 ranked team just because you beat them. Appalachian State didn't become #3 in the country just because they beat Michigan. Michigan also didn't become unranked just because they lost to an unranked team.

It is what it is. Even a playoff doesn't change things because what if Texas loses to TCU but TCU loses to Florida, but Texas (if they would have played) could have beat Florida. You can't possibly play everyone.

Once again, we've been down this road before and I don't have an answer. Just like the NCAA tournament...it's only a TOURNAMENT! It's about who can survive for 6 games.

The only solution I have is to take the six BCS conferences and rank each team individually in each conference. Completely get rid of the AP, BCS and Coaches Poll rankings. Then, at the end of the year, take the #1 ranked team from each BCS conference and then pick two "At-Large" teams from the rest of the country. Now you have 8 teams for a playoff.

If you rank each team in each BCS conference, that's pretty simple because for the most part, everybody plays everybody. Obviously Michigan doesn't play Northwestern every year, but you can easily rank based on conference records.

The only argument to this is Florida, Alabama, and LSU might all be better than Ohio State, but only Florida might make the cut.

If college football ever got around to doing some "Big Ten/ACC" challenge like basketball (which would be a great idea by the way), you could have a way each year of saying who the better conferences are. Then, if you needed to pick an "At-Large" team that did not win their conference, a second SEC team could be picked ahead of the second best Big Ten team.

Thoughts? Comments?

Tiger, Tiger Turning Right

I thought this poem, from a reader of The Corner, was pretty funny:

Tiger Tiger turning right
In the driveway late at night
Your immortal hand and eye
Couldn't make the car comply?

Of whose waiting shapely thighs
Did you dream with bolted eyes
Instigating you to crash
Into the stately water ash?

Was it worth a rendezvous
With some star-struck ingenue
Just to verify you could
Withstand a sliced Norwegian wood?

Tiger Tiger turning right
In the driveway late at night
What covert obsession made
You climb into the Escalade?

Too soon?