tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-68386833129899032022024-02-19T06:10:14.678-06:00Road Games - Football and FútbolCollege Football thoughts from the perspective of a Michigan fan who is slowly trying to get to every stadium before he dies. Coverage of Argentine Soccer (fútbol), too.Reedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14989379631083901130noreply@blogger.comBlogger119125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6838683312989903202.post-7543931632837323072024-01-08T11:04:00.002-06:002024-01-12T08:43:16.058-06:00A Game for the Generations<div>My dad had been a Chicago Bears Season ticket holder in the 1960s, before moving to the suburbs, having kids, and all of that. </div><div><br /></div><div>We watched the Bears together every week, creating a special bond. My other brothers didn’t get the football bug, though one became a star soccer player, my dad’s other favorite sport. So he had everything covered. This weekly routine probably started in earnest when I was 7. Walter Payton was still one of the league’s top stars, and the team was on the cusp of something special. Then things got amazing when I was 10 with the 1985 season. I was led to believe that rooting for a team means they climb the mountain and win it all. That they become the best of all time.</div><div><br /></div><div>We got season tickets to Northwestern because we could walk to the games. That and they were probably dirt cheap given the level of play back then. Things are a bit hazy now. I only recall a few plays, most of them baffling gaffes. My dad almost couldn’t stand it at times, and his comments on some of those gaffes are what remains most clear to me. I realized that rooting for a team did not mean that they necessarily climb the mountain or even a foothill or two.</div><div><br /></div><div>My dad was not a Michigan fan. But he loved great football. And he certainly was never in a million years going to root for Ohio State. So when I became a student, he started to lean our way. He was with me in the stands for Biakabutuka 313, the most fun I’ve ever had at Michigan Stadium. By halftime he had figured out The Victors and was chiming in with the whole stadium. He was with me and 15 of my friends for Northwestern 52, Michigan 49, trying to secretly pull for the home team. I say trying because he didn’t need to be demonstrative for me to know what he was thinking. But he didn’t gloat when it ended. He joined us as the oldest man in attendance at a Chicago bar I had “reserved” for the Game of the Century in 2006, when the bar accidentally double-booked their space for my group and an OSU group. </div><div><br /></div><div>When I left work to drive around the country going to football games, he was incredibly encouraging, proud even. And when I left home to move to Argentina and then Switzerland, that same support never wavered, even though we didn’t see each other as much. We still talked football as often as we could, and it was usually about Michigan.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>On a visit home to Chicago, on New Years Day 2016, we watched Michigan quietly trounce Florida 41-7 together. He took a nap on the couch during halftime that lasted into a healthy chunk of the third quarter. To be fair the game wasn’t exactly a nailbiter.</div><div><br /></div><div>He passed away suddenly and peacefully 12 days later, at age 91. This set me up for a challenging year. My second child arrived that June, and we had many unexpected life changes coming. But Michigan came through for me. After nine seasons in the wilderness, Harbaugh had restored much of what had been lacking. In a grief-filled, exhausting time, Michigan football had given me something to pull me forward.</div><div><br /></div><div>Of course the showdown with Ohio State ended horribly. We were to finally reach the summit, such as it was, but a series of gaffes and, let’s say, interesting refereeing led to an unforgettably sad finish. I made my wife let me hold the baby during overtime because I knew it was the one thing in the house I was not allowed to break. This helped me tamp down the rage for the moment, but the disappointment that not all scripts could be flipped lingered for a long time. I was reminded that rooting for a team means a whole lot of suffering. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>My dad studied journalism at Missouri, and whenever there was some national scandal of any kind, he was always quick to look at coverage of the scandal as much as what was happening itself. He would have been apoplectic at the way the Connor Stalions era was covered with its Weapons of Mass Misconstruction. He would have immediately seen through all the hyperventilated nonsense, to the agendas at play, to the cowardice of Petitti. </div><div><br /></div><div>But more than that, he would have loved this team. He would have loved their lack of penalties. The way they played as a unit. Their bruising lines. He would have seen the brilliance of Blake Corum, how the kid has the killer instinct to destroy the opposition with the game on the line time and time again. He would have admired the hell out of Sherrone Moore and how he stepped up to lead when Harbaugh was forced out of action. How they have delivered on every single promise so far. How they didn’t let the bastards get them down. He would have tried to say “Bet” the right way. The team wouldn’t have taken the place of the ’85 Bears in his heart, but his admiration would have been massive.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>2023 was not an easy year. I won’t get into the details here, but the trials have been many, varied, and steep. We got through them all as a family. And much like in 2016, Michigan has provided a boost week in and week out. My son is now 7. He was distraught after the loss to TCU, but it’s only a vague memory for him at this point. He has watched the first halves of the early games live with me (noon = 6pm here) for the first time this season. The first thing he wants to do every Sunday morning is ask if Michigan won. And then watch the highlights as many times as we will let him. The words “Blake” and “JJ” hold joyful purpose in his life. </div><div><br /></div><div>Now that I'm the dad, sharing the passion with my son, I hope for his sake as much as mine that Michigan wins tonight. I'm clearly setting the wrong expectations; he will think rooting for a team means they become champions. But it's better to see the mountaintop whenever you can than to wait for decades. </div><div><br /></div><div>What I'm saying is that the players on this team have made me prouder than any Michigan team in history. Given how obsessed I have been for these 30 years, that's saying a lot. I just hope my son can appreciate it like his grandpa would have.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD5xkavia3iB2gsIb__OXKPQlSQSugYtkKuLKL5QfV7kdzbEXwzlCnxBP-Q3xgdWpJ0wfNLvrjgGMt9r39fP-SRXRxYvf3WCW_RJkWiBP9-1_glLNRQQkoFyhA5qU7RK96y1tES-2r5o0_ucf1sW4zZ26yI7dP0ANeCrZhyphenhyphen7d9npOLSTpXdlfEDOHmXow/s656/andrew%20dad.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="656" data-original-width="464" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD5xkavia3iB2gsIb__OXKPQlSQSugYtkKuLKL5QfV7kdzbEXwzlCnxBP-Q3xgdWpJ0wfNLvrjgGMt9r39fP-SRXRxYvf3WCW_RJkWiBP9-1_glLNRQQkoFyhA5qU7RK96y1tES-2r5o0_ucf1sW4zZ26yI7dP0ANeCrZhyphenhyphen7d9npOLSTpXdlfEDOHmXow/s320/andrew%20dad.jpg" width="226" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Let's Go Blue one last time!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><a expr:id="data:post.url" expr:name="data:post.title" onclick="return addthis_sendto()" onmouseout="addthis_close()" onmouseover="return addthis_open(this, "", this.id, this.name);"><img alt="" border="0" height="16" src="http://s7.addthis.com/static/btn/lg-share-en.gif" style="border: 0px;" width="125" /></a><script src="http://s7.addthis.com/js/152/addthis_widget.js" type="text/javascript"></script></div>Reedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14989379631083901130noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6838683312989903202.post-60064078565087475632023-08-30T04:13:00.011-05:002023-08-30T06:26:55.174-05:00The Last Battle<p class="MsoNormal"><b>It just means more<o:p></o:p></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><br /></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I was sitting in <a href="https://roadgames07.blogspot.com/2008/08/im-kind-of-tired-cause-you-wouldnt-let.html">Lloyd
Carr’s office</a> in August of 2008. He was officially a few weeks away from
retirement. I was a few weeks away from the end of my mid-life crisis. That had
come early for me, at 32 years of age. I quit my perfectly good job to drive 23,000
miles across 43 states, attend 17 college football games, and interview roughly
1,000 fans and a handful of coaches.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">When I began by explaining what I was up to, he said “Wow,
this sport really means a lot do you to you, doesn’t it?” I was taken aback by
his obvious observation, and that I hadn’t realized quite how much I cared
about it until he framed it for me. If I had ever gotten my book finished, it
would have centered on the big question behind this. <i>Why</i> do we care so
much about college football?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">There are many reasons, but I would posit that the simplest of them is
that it’s the sport that has consistently delivered the most drama every single
week. I don’t have to explain this to anyone who follows the game beyond just their
team. And if someone’s a die-hard of any team, part of college football has
always been keeping an eye on everyone else.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Nearly every one of those 1,000 fans I spoke to talked about
how much this sport matters to them. How it’s different than anything else. How
they love it because it is so many things that the NFL is not. The original premise
of that journey was about the inherent tension between tradition and progress.
Back then there was debate if the BCS should be changed to have a playoff. Coach
Carr even said he felt it had to happen. Relating to the playoff debate, a
Wisconsin fan named Ken Simmons told me, “Look at why the passion for college football is
so great. You don’t want to change a whole lot. You don’t want to harm that
passion. I think that’s why they’re moving as slowly as they are.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><br /></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Play Them Off<o:p></o:p></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><br /></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">We’ll see more change in the leap to 2024 than the sport has
ever seen before. And it’s happening very quickly. Conference realignment previously
thought to be crazy will take hold, with nearly all surviving conferences going national.
The NIL era is approaching its initial level of stasis as people figure things
out. Already this year, they are shortening the games to protect time for
commercials (not to protect the players).<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Yet the most important change has simply been accepted with
a general shrug. The system is moving to a 12-team playoff, which will do more
to upend what makes college football special than anything else.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">We needed a playoff because we invented a BCS. Before the
BCS it was frustrating, but ultimately OK that teams occasionally had to share national
championships. We called them “mythical” for a reason. The BCS was meant to
solve all of that. Get the top two teams together and it’s solved. Except there
were various years when either the wrong teams were chosen, or a worthy third
team got left out of having their chance. Moving to a four-team playoff from
that point had to happen. Coach Carr and Ken Simmons, traditionalists though
they were, both said so.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Why do we need to go to a 12 team playoff? Aside from the
2014 season, when Baylor and TCU had an obliquely plausible argument, there has
been <i>no</i> deserving team left out of the playoff. So there is no problem
to solve. Like nearly every change happening today, it’s driven by TV money. It
is impossible for a 12-team playoff to pick a more worthy champion than the system today provides. This has
been proven.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Many fans are excited because they know they’re going to get
some great games. I can’t blame them. We haven’t had many great games recently.
Look at the entire list of AP Top 25 non-conference matchups for this year:<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Ole Miss (22) vs Tulane (24) Sept 4<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="FR" style="font-family: "Courier New"; mso-ansi-language: FR; mso-fareast-font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="FR" style="mso-ansi-language: FR;">LSU
(5) vs FSU (8) Sept 4<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Alabama (4) vs Texas (11) Sept 10<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="FR" style="font-family: "Courier New"; mso-ansi-language: FR; mso-fareast-font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="FR" style="mso-ansi-language: FR;">OSU
(3) vs Notre Dame (13) Sept 24<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left: 1in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="FR" style="font-family: "Courier New"; mso-ansi-language: FR; mso-fareast-font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">o<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="FR" style="mso-ansi-language: FR;">USC
(6) vs Notre Dame (13) Oct 14<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Gah!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">My team’s 2<sup>nd</sup> best home game this season is
against Purdue. The 3<sup>rd</sup> best is against Rutgers. It gets worse from
there… Gah-gah!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Nobody seems to recognize what we’re giving up. In college
football death is on the line every single week. Think about Ohio State’s loss
to Purdue in 2019. That one where they couldn’t tackle Rondale Moore? It kept
them out of the playoff even though they won every other game. Remember the Kick
Six? Remember when JT was short*? Remember when Stanford lost to Oregon by 2 in
2015? Or when Iowa lost the Big Ten Title game to Michigan State? When Clemson
lost last year to the Gamecocks by one point? All of those results had seismic
ramifications. With a 12-team playoff, they no longer matter at all.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">*my opinion which is worth very little.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">We got a taste of this last year when Ohio State suffered one
of the worst defeats imaginable in The Game* yet nearly won the National Championship
anyway? Everyone agrees that would have been weird to say the least. This is no
big deal in any of the big four American professional sports. They’ve all shifted
to a system whereby the regular season is a mere prelude to what really
matters. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">*my opinion which also matters not.</span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">One of the last non-goofy posts on this blog is when I urged
all fans to protect the sanctity of The Game when Dave Brandon seemingly wanted
to move it to October. I titled that post <a href="https://roadgames07.blogspot.com/2010/08/freedom-is-slavery.html">FREEDOM
IS SLAVERY</a> for cryin’ out loud. Now? Who cares? Kick Six? Nice play, see
you in the semis. Lose The Game? Doesn’t matter, we have bonus lives. There is
no more living and dying with each play, at least not until we get to… what is
it? December? January?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">In that meeting with Coach Carr, it was 20 months after The
Game of the Century in Columbus. You could tell that the
loss was still stinging him. And it stung me. For many years. Still kinda
stings. <i>Always </i>gonna sting. Next year? Just another game. On to the next one.
See you in the semis…<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><br /></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>It’s All Over Now Baby Blue<o:p></o:p></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">So we come to the 2023 season. It’s the last season of College
Football. I’m not alone in this opinion. Every week I have lived and died with
my team since I first entered the stadium as a freshman in 1993. And every week
<i>someone</i> I met on the road 16 years ago is rejoicing or crying in their
beer. But next year the joy will be restrained. The tears will not flow.
Because the games don’t matter.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Michigan is poised for an incredible year. All the stars
seem to be aligning. If this is the last year of College Football, as a fan I’m
hoping I get to have an amazing ride into the sunset. They are an <i>adorable</i>
team, top to bottom, and they’ll matter for me as long as I live, regardless of
the result. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Will I still watch in 2024? Of course. Maybe on DVR to avoid
the commercials. But will I invest my hopes, dreams, fears, and angst? Will I
still care? That will inherently have to wait until the postseason. And if my
team is 13<sup>th</sup>, well, I don’t know if I’ll bother tuning in for the
top 12. Because officially, none of the rest of this matters. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">The powers that be don’t care about me or people like me.
They want to increase the reach and get more eyeballs on screens for the big
matchups. It's the incremental eyeballs that drive the incremental revenue. The cost of those choices is grave damage to what made this sport
special.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">That crazy trip I took was a huge success for me. I made new
friends. It <a href="http://reedrambles.blogspot.com/2010/01/path-to-gratefulness.html">led to
me meeting my wife</a>, and one of my best friends meeting her husband. Now our
kids play together in the rare moments we can meet up on vacation. I got to
meet famous writers, ADs, Roy Kramer (who used his phone to show me the score
of the Michigan game – early technology adopter, that Roy), and many of you wonderful people.
Damn right this really means a lot to me.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">So let’s enjoy this last ride before the shine is gone for
good.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwJ7XdmU__5-2QWXLhuhQTJgkcjja0ovT02ms1FZs1BRwwoR-zlqdjzXRei9WkW6jDKBhvYJyrDbFDPVtX74MG1_8gx3564NxxeLstusv5gEtrxN8sGiDtjVTBZi6GoSBHRNP0i-gov2GMnyFu74NirpdcClgLXtT0FJ2Tc_vWopZdSldc2YcEiU-mMP0/s722/lloyd_and_me.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="486" data-original-width="722" height="269" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwJ7XdmU__5-2QWXLhuhQTJgkcjja0ovT02ms1FZs1BRwwoR-zlqdjzXRei9WkW6jDKBhvYJyrDbFDPVtX74MG1_8gx3564NxxeLstusv5gEtrxN8sGiDtjVTBZi6GoSBHRNP0i-gov2GMnyFu74NirpdcClgLXtT0FJ2Tc_vWopZdSldc2YcEiU-mMP0/w400-h269/lloyd_and_me.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Photo from 2008. Geez! I've aged a lot more than Lloyd in the interim.</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal">Go Blue!</p><br />Reedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14989379631083901130noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6838683312989903202.post-22747770431894910422012-08-17T09:34:00.000-05:002012-08-17T09:36:00.806-05:00Road Games College Pick 'Em (aka Big Ten Den)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
We're just a few weeks away from kickoff, and that means a reprise of the annual tradition of Pick 'Em. Pick the winning teams across 20 games or so each week and garner glory and admiration.
<br />
<br />
How to play? Simple!
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<br />
1. <a href="http://football.fantasysports.yahoo.com/college" target="_blank">Go here</a>. Sign up.
<br />
<br />
2. Click the "Join a Group" button
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<br />
3. Enter:
<br />
Group ID#: 1441
<br />
Password: <i>goblue</i>
<br />
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4. Liberally talk trash on the message board.
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<br />
5. Pick your winners each week, ranking by confidence. 1=least confident, N=most confident. Straight up, no spreads.
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6. Celebrate when you win it all. Like these folks:
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrrdT6QtxnnS1_GwYf8eXx9pH5e8aXaGv_N4ZSHDXYPegWEaDBDXm8FBtWmsy060DEInBR9moxiIk1krDb6a9KZkqc3-u7xVUIzwcfXQ6d3N1ZVUnqnhKdBjwElblyfugfWPYyoQ7FLK8/s1600/iron_razzers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrrdT6QtxnnS1_GwYf8eXx9pH5e8aXaGv_N4ZSHDXYPegWEaDBDXm8FBtWmsy060DEInBR9moxiIk1krDb6a9KZkqc3-u7xVUIzwcfXQ6d3N1ZVUnqnhKdBjwElblyfugfWPYyoQ7FLK8/s320/iron_razzers.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvcXkf6widCQv88usJw7-MyqvpPXfVWfQD3DmrutRPJzsyI-upp1FQQCQooZQ3T_v8MJLGCooycSKd-KX-TUycCEp2uyvCziClXZYD4r8LUH_XWmhlrQfLDa9ihyphenhyphenBWIGdS3udfQkzlYyI/s1600/dudes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvcXkf6widCQv88usJw7-MyqvpPXfVWfQD3DmrutRPJzsyI-upp1FQQCQooZQ3T_v8MJLGCooycSKd-KX-TUycCEp2uyvCziClXZYD4r8LUH_XWmhlrQfLDa9ihyphenhyphenBWIGdS3udfQkzlYyI/s320/dudes.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Reedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14989379631083901130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6838683312989903202.post-25766943394724329182011-09-09T19:42:00.002-05:002011-09-09T20:20:15.156-05:00Several New Posts up at the Sports TroughHey Gang,<br /><br />I've been getting back on the horse lately. Just not on this site, Join me at the all-new <a href="http://www.troughnetwork.com/sportstrough/" target="_blank">Sports Trough</a>, covering a lot more than college football, though I rarely participate in coverage of other sports, the guys do a great job on NFL, baseball, and whatever else is in the news.<br /><br />My stuff this week:<br /><a href="http://www.troughnetwork.com/sportstrough/2011/9/6/texas-ams-secession-you-did-this.html" target="_blank">Why Texas A&M's SECession is your fault</a><br /><a href="http://www.troughnetwork.com/sportstrough/2011/9/8/college-football-picks-week-2.html" target="_blank">Week #2 Predictions with Michael</a><br /><a href="http://www.troughnetwork.com/sportstrough/2011/9/9/you-should-go-blue-this-weekend.html" target="_blank">Why you should root for Michigan tomorrow and GO BLUE</a><br /><br />And finally, they dragged me into some NFL stuff and made me join their Eliminator Pool. But I took advantage of the assignment to <a href="http://www.troughnetwork.com/sportstrough/2011/9/9/nfl-eliminator-pool-week-1.html" target="_blank">poke some fun</a> at them.<br /><br />Speaking of eliminations, I still find this goofy show hysterical. Posted because it's Friday night and there's only one game on...<br /><iframe width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/e_QXK-cz9vg" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Reedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14989379631083901130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6838683312989903202.post-7312829530186386392011-09-01T11:25:00.002-05:002011-09-01T11:26:26.184-05:00Week #1 College PicksOver at the Sports Trough, Mike and I <a href="http://www.troughnetwork.com/sportstrough/2011/8/31/college-football-picks-week-1.html">go through our picks for week #1</a> of the college football season. Check it out!Reedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14989379631083901130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6838683312989903202.post-84014437719112349832011-08-16T10:31:00.002-05:002011-08-16T11:03:12.026-05:00Road Games College Pick 'Em (The Big Ten Den)We're just a few weeks away from kickoff, and that means a reprise of the annual tradition of Pick 'Em. Pick the winning teams across 20 games or so each week and garner glory and admiration.
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<br />How to play? Simple!
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<br />1. <a href="http://football.fantasysports.yahoo.com/college" target="_blank">Go here</a>. Sign up.
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<br />2. Click the "Join a Group" button
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<br />3. Enter:
<br />Group ID#: 4318
<br />Password: <i>goblue</i>
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<br />4. Liberally talk trash on the message board.
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<br />5. Pick your winners each week, ranking by confidence. 1=least confident, N=most confident. Straight up, no spreads.
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<br />6. Celebrate when you win it all. Like these folks:
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<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBA6Bo3UARhySzt3J_KDBnjrdFJVI-MeRGyMWmKzbG3xr8ZNkOYU1V3nWYsn8BfGURP5-ZCfhCGcm5jie8XpEvyKwh_VJrEHCgMRV4ZD0t5q0RaYCbmRzVL7wN4CQc84Le_75pxBDyisQ/s1600-h/fans1_nu.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBA6Bo3UARhySzt3J_KDBnjrdFJVI-MeRGyMWmKzbG3xr8ZNkOYU1V3nWYsn8BfGURP5-ZCfhCGcm5jie8XpEvyKwh_VJrEHCgMRV4ZD0t5q0RaYCbmRzVL7wN4CQc84Le_75pxBDyisQ/s400/fans1_nu.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5200655871706611202" border="0" /></a>Reedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14989379631083901130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6838683312989903202.post-48976056861352416192011-08-14T18:36:00.004-05:002011-08-14T18:39:06.578-05:00Dissent on a DescentAKA: A Tale of Two Disasters.
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<br />New column about Argentine soccer <a href="http://www.troughnetwork.com/sportstrough/2011/8/10/argentine-soccer-dissent-over-a-descent.html" target="_blank">posted at the Sports Trough</a>. Included in the post, for your viewing pleasure, the most complete fan meltdown of all time. Enjoy!Reedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14989379631083901130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6838683312989903202.post-28892519197159798472011-06-24T09:04:00.005-05:002011-06-30T21:15:00.918-05:00Death Is On the Line<span style="font-style:italic;">NOTE: This column is double-posted over at a brand new website for which I am a contributor, <a href="http://www.troughnetwork.com/sportstrough/2011/6/24/when-death-is-on-the-line.html">The Sports Trough</a>. So check out all the new stuff there!</span><br /><br />Imagine if you will, that during the New York Knicks’ various failures over the last decade there was something far more important at stake. Or that the Chicago Cubs were on the verge of significant consequences for their futility beyond continued razzing from White Sox fans. What if the Knicks were relegated to the NBDL, and the Cubs to AAA ball? Can you imagine the Nashville Sounds playing a summer classic at Wrigley? How would the fans react? Would they violently revolt, or just leave the team completely? What about all the lost TV revenue? These are just a few of the concerns at stake this Sunday in Buenos Aires.<br /><br />In Argentine soccer, two teams rise above all others in terms of popularity. The owners of the “Superclasico” and one of the most renowned rivalries in all of sport: River Plate and Boca Juniors. In recent polls, roughly 80% of all Argentines root for one of these two teams over all others. They have the most money, and some would argue the richest history. But all that people know about soccer in Argentina may change in just a few days. Over the last three years, both teams have been in a steady decline, clinging to veterans who were either over the hill or lacking the desire to fight for victories. And that freefall has put River in a suddenly extremely precarious position.<br /><br />There are five levels of soccer leagues in the country, and the bottom two teams from each division are relegated down a notch at the end of every season, with the top two teams sent up. The next two lowest performers get a chance to fight to stay with the big boys. There are only three teams that have never been sent down to the B league: Boca, River, and Independiente. River, for the first time in their history, is now fighting for their lives. Their fans refer to themselves as “The Millionaires,” but the equal parts shock, shame, and disgust they are enduring is unheard of in the 110 year history of the club, and they are feeling nothing like a million bucks.<br /><br />After several seasons of struggles, River cleaned house, fired their third head coach in a year, and started the season with a lot of hope. After seven games, they were just a few points out of first place. But as quickly as the hope arrived, they began to lose. Seemingly every week. In the last week, they had to win or tie to avoid the “promotion” (games against a B team, the winner of which ends up in the top league). They gave up a goal in the last few minutes to lose 2-1, and the players left the field under a hail of bottles, garbage, and anything else their fans could grab. Instead of Millionaires, they performed more like the derisive nickname their rivals apply to them: the Chickens.<br /><br />The Promotion works thusly: The fourth worst team from the top division plays the fourth best team from the B division twice. Once on each team’s home turf. After both games, they take the sum of the goals. In the case of a tie, the team from the top division wins.<br /><br />Wednesday night, some 400 miles from home, River took the field against Belgrano de Cordoba, and laid an egg. The Cordobeses were clearly more prepared for the game, and, with their home crowd going bonkers, blasted in a penalty kick after a clear handball in the penalty box 25 minutes into the game. From that point on, as they have all season when under a bit of pressure, River collapsed. Despite a steady string of free kicks and corners, they got few quality chances and played sloppy the rest of the first half. Eight minutes into the second, Belgrano notched a superb goal by César Pereya. And at that moment, 40% of Argentina was shitting their pants or smashing their television or both.<br /><br />But what happened next was even more surprising. Suddenly there were fans on the field, not streaking or trying to steal the ball, but attacking the River players. At first it seemed these were fans of Belgrano, trying to celebrate, as they wore no gear marking their allegiance. Instead, these were River fans so enraged by what they were seeing that they tore through the fence separating them from the field. “Find your balls!” yelled one fan as he gave a two-handed shove to a midfielder. After a 20 minute delay and the crowd threatened firehoses, play resumed. Needless to say, this did not help River find balls of any kind, and they returned to the capital under heavy guard with a deficit of two goals.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjShRDIFVfiQRM7fDNJ7Hw6_hOUYZmbIwx6BLstSRGqgHYu1K3ynTwHpEKpBEIP2xYaGy3YzBHlRKMs-1i2KfjfTcsnWC4m3f4qTuEPqg6kNSREDB_7CxKaeCGNlbnCgnp8K7cbynh7DAA/s1600/crazy_fans.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjShRDIFVfiQRM7fDNJ7Hw6_hOUYZmbIwx6BLstSRGqgHYu1K3ynTwHpEKpBEIP2xYaGy3YzBHlRKMs-1i2KfjfTcsnWC4m3f4qTuEPqg6kNSREDB_7CxKaeCGNlbnCgnp8K7cbynh7DAA/s320/crazy_fans.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5621789893756192162" /></a>So this Sunday, at 3pm, they will take the field in the largest stadium in the country, but they don’t even know whether their fans will be rooting for them. In fact, with good reason, it is more likely the players will fear for their lives. The murder of soccer players who err is not unheard of in Latin America, and when you consider the sheer quantity of enraged Millionaires/Chickens, if I were a player, I would be worried about any public appearance.<br /><br />There are other factors worth mentioning. There is a tremendous amount of money at stake. For the television alone, River will make 10 times less money in the B division. Not to mention the fact that nobody will be buying jerseys, hats, or probably even tickets. Some teams go to the B and never come back. River has enough funding that this is unlikely, but even playing in the Promotion was unheard of before this week.<br /><br />Rival factions are conflicted. The sheer pleasure they have taken over these last two weeks in relentlessly making fun of the River fans has possibly been enough. And many don’t wish to see River leave the top league. Boca, for one, stands to lose money, and to a certain degree all teams do. Think what would happen if the Cubs never played any major competition. That’s a huge fan base that no longer buys visitors’ tickets.<br /><br />For all the Machiavellian thinking we hear about how the NBA is fixed or that the MLB doesn’t care about their small-market teams, you wouldn’t believe some of the accusations levied at the AFA before the first Promotion game even took place. Everyone is assuming that somehow the league will ensure that River wins the last game by at least two goals. That the refs will be bought off, that fans will storm the field to disrupt the game in a way that affects the scoreboard, that God will come down and declare River the overall winner. Belgrano is likely going to have to play out of their minds just to lose by only one.<br /><br />I arrived in Argentina with the chance to pick any team from the 20 in the top division. That’s a rare opportunity in life, and after great research and contemplation, I settled on Independiente. River is not our top Rival, but definitely our second. Think Notre Dame/Michigan. And they always beat us. I am not conflicted. I have every desire to see Belgrano win 3-0. My wife (also, not coincidentally an Independiente fan), is of the same mind. And there are so many reasons for this. Perhaps this is comparable Alabama fans rooting for Auburn in their bowl game – something I just can’t fathom. I want River, and all their Chicken followers to suffer. After this, I want to see them go to the C, then the D (note: this will not happen ever, but a guy can dream). <br /><br />Watching this River team play, they collapse once things go badly. Like Stan Van Gundy said about the Atlanta Hawks, they’re “frontrunners.” Only in this case, they are rarely in front. Now they have to come back home, play in front of 58,000 fans, most of whom want them dead, and find a way to win by two goals. That’s going to be some pregame locker room. <br /><br />Death is on the line Sunday. Surely at risk is the legacy of one of the world’s most famous futbol clubs. Hopefully nothing more grave. I’m sure the government will try to put 58,000 cops on the field, just in case. If it weren’t a Sunday, it would be the ideal day to rob a bank. I can say this. I’m keeping the hell away from that stadium, and will be eagerly watching the drama unfold on TV, rooting for ruin and heartbreak. It’s a rare opportunity to see a nationwide car wreck live. With slow-motion replays. Today, I’m a Cordobés, too.<br /><iframe width="560" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/AafwQlvjJkM" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Reedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14989379631083901130noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6838683312989903202.post-75481505213701802262010-12-14T05:20:00.018-06:002010-12-17T06:46:09.072-06:00A Proposal to Solve the Student-Athlete Problem<span style="font-style: italic;">This is a particularly long posting. If you don't want to read all the background, just page down to "A fair solution."</span><br /><br />A couple years ago, I started reading Rick Telander's 1990 book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Hundred-Yard-Lie-Corruption-Football/dp/0252065239/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1292171558&sr=8-1" target="_blank">The Hundred Yard Lie</a>. I was just beginning with the writing of my (still in progress) book and was looking for inspiration. I had always admired Telander's writing, and figured this would provide an interesting angle on the game. I was right, but also very wrong. This was Telander's "goodnight and good luck" to a sport he had enjoyed his entire life, first as a player and then in his career as a journalist. After this book, he vowed to cover college football no longer. He had seen too much hypocrisy, corruption, and fraud to continue pretending it was all OK. It is one of the most depressing books I have read, and in the end I couldn't encourage myself to finish it. Why would I want to be reminded all the reasons why my favorite sport is inherently wrong in very big ways in addition to its various small problems (BCS, coaches voting, inane overtime format)?<br /><br />But it's important to understand that the ever-present elephant in the room has been there for decades. Telander's book is 20 years old and none of his complaints has been addressed. None of his suggestions has been taken. He reached his breaking point a long time ago and probably made the right decision to move on. But where does that leave the rest of us?<br /><br />The Cam Newton saga has unfolded just like most people expected it would. We know that (A) there was some pretty shady stuff going on but (B) it's not surprising that shady stuff goes on because (C) a player like Newton stands to bring a lot more to the university than it does to him yet (D) it would be a shame if Newton himself did something wrong. The NCAA's lack of direct evidence got the 2010 season off the hook. As fans we get the celebration of a deservedly landslide Heisman winner loaded with caveats.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinzKIZXlIhdSb2fXHK5gk77MQBbNZSmaQfQ5MqinseyHnhnq-L8ggWlfEHgok3eliAViLC15bvWGwJNT1g92ePRxzVxdXT3f3ZgTwQPe30CTTSl7BtJ_5daZ9Qwm7UvpsJOh4UPwho9OI/s1600/camcashangel.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 174px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinzKIZXlIhdSb2fXHK5gk77MQBbNZSmaQfQ5MqinseyHnhnq-L8ggWlfEHgok3eliAViLC15bvWGwJNT1g92ePRxzVxdXT3f3ZgTwQPe30CTTSl7BtJ_5daZ9Qwm7UvpsJOh4UPwho9OI/s400/camcashangel.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5550171847249726562" border="0" /></a><div style="text-align: center; font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Image courtesy of <a href="http://www.everydayshouldbesaturday.com/2010/12/6/1858319/the-curious-index-12-6-2010" target="_blank">EDSBS</a> and LSU Freek</span></div><br />Yes, college football's biggest problem isn't going away anytime soon. There are too many people with too much money at stake. Enforcement will never be able to catch up with everything that goes on, and is not much of a deterrent for those breaking the rules. USC is currently slammed with penalties, but what did Reggie Bush himself have to pay? He gave up an important trophy, but little else. Nefarious people with open palms will always lurk around impressionable youth that can help them prosper. At this point, most believe that too much money is being made for none of it to go back to the players actually generating the cash.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">But it's not so simple</span><br /><br />Much like the annual Playoffs versus BCS debate, an issue that seems relatively simple is far more complex than it appears. If you asked the majority of fans, they would say "pay the players." But let's first get a few things straight.<br /><br />Thing 1: The players are already paid. Football scholarships include tuition, room and board, tutoring, and often times compensation for books or a small bit of spending money. Across the <a href="http://www.ncaa.org/wps/portal/ncaahome?WCM_GLOBAL_CONTEXT=/ncaa/NCAA/Academics+and+Athletes/Scholarships+and+Internships/Undergraduate+Athletic+Scholarships" target="_blank">entire NCAA</a>, there are over $1 billion in scholarship per year across over 126,000 athletes. Some say that this shouldn't count. That they can't take a typical class load because their priority is football. Obviously, playing big-time football is perhaps the most arduous of extracurricular activities. But let's see just what that scholarship is worth. At my alma mater, Michigan, a year's worth of tuition, room and board, and fees are worth <a href="http://www.finaid.umich.edu/financial_aid_basics/cost.asp#2009-2010" target="_blank">over $49,000</a> per year for an out of state student, not counting summer semesters. A large number of football players would never have the chance to go to college without the sport. Juggling the demands of team and classes is a tremendous challenge. But many are able to handle it across all levels of collegiate athletics. If they choose not to take advantage of the opportunity they've earned for themselves, that is their fault. The same goes for the student body at large. Plenty of students drop out all the time. Few of them can blame anyone but themselves.<br /><br />Thing 2: College football and basketball earn money to support the other non-revenue sports. That's a worthwhile and important thing. College swim teams cost every one of their universities money. There's another debate to be had here, but when thinking about these budgets, we must take into account that the other sports are drinking from the football team's hose.<br /><br />Thing 3: In the FBS side alone, there are 120 teams with 85 scholarship players a piece, plus walk-ons. Can we really say that <span style="font-style: italic;">all</span> the players are contributing equally? That is to say, does Auburn backup punter Steven Clark fill the SEC's coffers to the same degree that Newton does? Of course not. In fact, it is the players like Newton who bring in so much money to the university that help pay for Clark's scholarship in the first place. In this regard, he is no different than whoever swims butterfly on the Tigers' medley relay.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">It's a big pie and it's made of trillion dollar bills</span><br /><br />Make no mistake. We are talking about a hell of a lot of money. In 2009, Ohio State <a href="http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2010/06/29/big-spending-ohio-state-could-change-nickname-to-bucks-eyes/" target="_blank"><span style="font-style: italic;">spent</span> $32.3 million</a> on their football program. They <a href="http://www.getlisty.com/preview/top-college-football-revenue-producers/" target="_blank">brought in over $65 million</a>, hence the aforementioned Thing 2 above is no minor detail. Despite what you may think about his personal character, Terrelle Pryor has a lot to do with all of those dollars.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDlik8nvindN7d9yJNbUTP0aXEX6GGxeKJsEWUsixVxMtiGhp_Rfdb7U4ogHFBKO3GLkdccTsMQyAgiXbPFWU0VgkqHCQBP8ruOLKhjI0NTCUjkuxCkUd0nR12X7nySgEGV5CBlVRTLq8/s1600/trillion_dollar_bill-simpsons.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 241px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDlik8nvindN7d9yJNbUTP0aXEX6GGxeKJsEWUsixVxMtiGhp_Rfdb7U4ogHFBKO3GLkdccTsMQyAgiXbPFWU0VgkqHCQBP8ruOLKhjI0NTCUjkuxCkUd0nR12X7nySgEGV5CBlVRTLq8/s400/trillion_dollar_bill-simpsons.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5549920493768860850" border="0" /></a><br />Where does the money come from? Primarily four places: ticket sales, merchandising, alumni/booster donations, and TV. The more successful a team or conference is, the more they will have of all of these things. But let's try to bring this back in terms of how the players affect this.<br /><br /><u>Ticket Sales:</u> The top programs are sold out every year no matter what happens. If they start losing all their games, they will see an impact on attendance, but the failure has to go on for a long time. In an under-construction stadium, coming off a 3-9 season with little reason for hope, Michigan still sold out every game in 2009. Fielding Yost has more to do with Michigan's success in selling tickets than does Denard Robinson. A middle-ground program such as Georgia Tech is going to experience more fluctuation. The Yellow Jackets saw their numbers <a href="https://admin.xosn.com/pdf8/673802.pdf?SPSID=43210&SPID=3829&KEY=ESZIGVSSFOSGQWY.20100223160142&DB_ACCOUNT_TYPE=AGENT&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=9700" target="_blank">rise by over 4,000 spectators per game</a> between 2008 and 2009, a season that ended with them in the Orange Bowl. The players and coaching staff earned that extra attendance and deserve the credit. Still, all that winning resulted in less than a 10% increase in tickets sold.<br /><br />Winning games helps earn a bit more more gate revenue, but do we really want to start paying players based on how many games their team wins? I don't think this is what most "pay the players" advocates have in mind. Correct me if I'm mistaken.<br /><br /><u>Merchandising and Donations:</u> I would argue that these work much the same as ticket sales. People buy Alabama t-shirts because they love the program. Sometimes they pick a certain number on their jersey to represent the star quarterback, but they also know that it's only his number for four years. There is never a name on the back of the jersey. Tons of Michigan fans wear #1. Does that represent Anthony Carter or Braylon Edwards? Or for nobody since the number's not assigned right now? Wins and losses are going to impact fan support more than anything else.<br /><br /><u>Television:</u> The TV money being given to the conferences these days is astounding. Street & Smith's estimates that the Big Ten Network <a href="http://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/article/58254" target="_blank">could bring $2.8 Billion to the conference</a> over the life of the deal. The SEC's 15 year deals with the ESPN and the CBS are <a href="http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/stewart_mandel/07/24/sec-espn/index.html" target="_blank">worth over $3 Billion combined</a>. This is an <span style="font-style: italic;">awful</span> lot of cash. It greatly helps with Thing 2 above, but it also pays Nick Saban's salary. Its importance as a revenue factor will only continue to increase. ESPN just announced that 2010 was their <a href="http://www.sportsmediawatch.net/2010/12/espn-has-most-viewed-college-football.html" target="_blank">most-watched season since 1994</a>. <span style="font-size:85%;">(HT: <a href="http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/blog/dr_saturday/post/Headlinin-Health-issues-may-have-caught-up-t?urn=ncaaf-295205" target="_blank">Doc Sat</a>)</span> Think these contracts are going to get smaller in future seasons?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">A fair solution</span><br /><br />So can we all agree this is a complex problem? Someone with more time and data on their hands could calculate exactly how much money Cam Newton's efforts have earned for Auburn University and the SEC. Needless to say, we're talking about a hell of a lot more than a year's tuition. Someone of Newton's caliber is almost always going to end up in the NFL and make millions. One could argue that he is getting a free audition loaded with highlight reel successes. It's clear that the most successful college players generally profit in the end. But there will always be the Tommie Fraziers who never earn NFL riches. And furthermore, is "future potential" fair compensation? Remember that we're talking about numbers in the billions of dollars just for the TV contracts.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpVnF0mW6GzaEzBwcwGrwrpDlitwbKZzwsXKJHcmPhS6qkK6xGd36d1QhikSaY9pIZsO_FETe4qNC57KcNulf1CEHplXKFJD6nojumO5JfQ4VZlFPEkm9D2Lt4X64X0VSAAUCzftr5ONM/s1600/espn_football_logo2.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpVnF0mW6GzaEzBwcwGrwrpDlitwbKZzwsXKJHcmPhS6qkK6xGd36d1QhikSaY9pIZsO_FETe4qNC57KcNulf1CEHplXKFJD6nojumO5JfQ4VZlFPEkm9D2Lt4X64X0VSAAUCzftr5ONM/s320/espn_football_logo2.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5550534767790868466" border="0" /></a>There is a solution that makes sense. It may not be perfect, but it is just. Paying players across the board is not really the issue here. All are already paid, and they do not contribute to the money pile equally. The area where star players have the greatest immediate impact is in TV viewership. TV viewership is the reason that the SEC and the Big Ten and even the Mountain West are bringing in millions of dollars via those contracts. Millions of people tune in to see Cam Newton, Denard Robinson, and Patrick Peterson. The networks use these names to promote their broadcasts which in turn drives viewership which in turn brings revenue from advertisers.<br /><br />My proposal, <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Marketing Trust</span>, is simple: pay the players based on how they are used in marketing these games. Yes, it's two steps removed from the actual revenue stream, but it will work. If ABC wants to put Terrelle Pryor in a commercial to advertise The Game, they should have to pay him. Pay would be based on how the player's image is used. Mention their name, that's $1,000 every time the ad runs. Use a still photo, $2,000. Show one of their highlights, $3,000. Details would have to be worked out regarding whether an athlete is actually "in" the ad. What should be done regarding offensive linemen blocking for LaMichael James in a highlight clip? They get paid less, but they still get paid. A DB being burned by Justin Blackmon? He gets paid, too. Even Hollywood pays the extras a little. Whether I have nailed down the right figures is unimportant. The players driving ad revenue deserve a percentage of these colossal TV contracts, and this would make provide value on what is deserved.<br /><br />But the athletes would not be paid directly. For each player, a trust would be created that could invest the money accumulated. The account would be turned over to the athlete upon graduation or two years after their eligibility ends, whichever comes first. Those playing after completing their undergraduate degrees would have to wait for eligibility to end. They would therefore remain amateurs for the time being. Any unscrupulous income or other rules violation would void their earned money and send it back to general scholarship funds.<br /><br />This would remain a closed system, administered by the NCAA and the conferences. Once the appropriate dollar figures are assigned, the process would be as simple as tagging a Facebook photo. There would be no special negotiations for the biggest stars, and no outside forces could affect payments. Players appearing in ads get money sent to their trust. Official, on-air copy read by announcers qualifies as well.<br /><br />What if the networks were to avoid using athletes in their ads? Don't hold your breath. As attractive as a pair of Georgia and Florida helmets crashing together in a fiery explosion may be, ESPN is going to want to lure viewers in with a bit more. The networks have been promoting these games with the faces and actions of student athletes for decades and that's not going to change any time soon.<br /><br />Would the networks actually want to go for this program? If they end up paying the same amount to the conferences they already are, they would have no problem. Would the conferences want to go for this program? Not if it costs them a lot of money. So both sides would need to meet somewhere in the middle and divide the expense equally. It may seem like a significant amount of money, but for them it's going to be a drop in the bucket, and both sides get a major publicity win. Instituting this program will only increase viewership from NFL fans who may have trouble with the integrity of the sport.<br /><br />My only reservation with this approach is that it gives further competitive advantage in recruiting for name programs. Would an athlete ever choose Purdue over Ohio State given the fact that they are much less likely to be heavily marketed? Still, we are tying things back to the ones who are earning the revenue. Cam Newton could have ended up staying at Florida or gone to another of the highest profile programs. In the end, there's no way he could have been a bigger marketing tool than he was at Auburn. With nearly all BCS conference games appearing on TV <span style="font-style: italic;">somewhere</span> these days, the chance to start playing right away at a less renowned program can even things out.<br /><br />I have long been in the camp of saying that the scholarship, room and board, and BMOC status should be enough. Reading Telander's book convinced me that we have a problem, and I did my best to ignore it as long as I could. I'm not saying that this would totally eliminate bad people doing bad things with bad money. But it would certainly help fight temptation, especially for the players with the highest promise. More importantly, it's the right thing to do for those who are risking their health for our enjoyment.Reedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14989379631083901130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6838683312989903202.post-54020120910329216772010-11-28T14:54:00.011-06:002010-11-29T06:51:25.672-06:00Devotion and DoubtI found myself rooting for Alabama over Auburn this past weekend. But I wasn't sure why. Maybe it's because I was still hoping that Boise State would get a shot at the title, and I figured that was the easiest way they could get there. Or because in Pick 'Em I needed a big upset to have to chance to come back in the standings. Or because when I hear that "S-E-C! S-E-C!" nonsense I feel like a cat being petted in the wrong direction - uncomfortably testy. Auburn was one of the <a href="http://roadgames07.blogspot.com/2007/11/iron-souls.html">last stops</a> on my road trip, and despite my exhaustion it was probably the best Thanksgiving Friday of my life. The fans were as generous with me as anyone, and a jovial day ended with a hearty celebration at Toomer's Corner. My heart should probably always be with Auburn in the Iron Bowl, but I needed my brain to give it the reminder.<br /><br />I moved to Argentina two and a half years ago, and have felt more distant from college football each season. Not that I haven't been paying attention, but it's just not the same when you can't take in the whole Saturday. Reading box-scores as they come in just isn't the same. I can curse the fact that internet here is too slow to stream all I want, but it doesn't change the situation. The last two weeks, I took an extended break to celebrate Thanksgiving with the family and got to behave like a real fan again. Oh how I have missed taking in the full slate of games every week. That said, it did not go very well for me and my team.<br /><br />I've been on the side of giving Rich Rodriguez another year, but it was based on limited information. I haven't been able to actually watch many of the games over the past three seasons. I've had to go on box scores, bloggers' analyses, and angry or relief-filled e-mails from friends. In statistics, we'd say that a model built on limited data like this has a lot of error. Over the past two weeks I gathered more info. I watched not just Michigan's games against Wisconsin and Ohio State, but various other teams playing various other games. During the Ohio State/Iowa game last week, it struck me how they limit their mistakes to the bare minimum. They are not a superb team, especially on offense. But it's not like they're a good enough team to truly dominate. Except for those occasions when Pryor goofs, the team never shoots themselves in the foot.<br /><br />It strikes me that as Michigan fans, we must watch between our fingers, waiting for the next big mistake. On Saturday, otherwise reliable receivers dropped easy and hard passes all day. It was sunny and dry. There was no reason for these gaffes. The best offensive play of the afternoon, the one Michigan's run all season where Denard Robinson jab-steps and then throws deep over the middle was negated because of the stupidest of penalties. The defense started out playing strong, but eventually the mistakes arrived via missed tackles or by players being out of position.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih7cvC1DcxvUqvBMjxWAqm5rLfCKcRSgXKlMVdAkWsg80bHseK4okrzZX9eD5dBRPSXACw6QmweDGyGcWS11xeuOjZpRD3kdDclaH_opI5MxwdigpcrPVYokE3XNJzClHCMwGi96QlKwo/s1600/fuckup.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 244px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih7cvC1DcxvUqvBMjxWAqm5rLfCKcRSgXKlMVdAkWsg80bHseK4okrzZX9eD5dBRPSXACw6QmweDGyGcWS11xeuOjZpRD3kdDclaH_opI5MxwdigpcrPVYokE3XNJzClHCMwGi96QlKwo/s320/fuckup.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5544719697685671618" /></a><br /><br />It is clear that Rodriguez is a talented coach when it comes to schemes and running an aggressive offense. Whatever he has done to coach Denard in the offseason and during this year has worked tremendously well. Last year Denard wasn't remotely a quarterback. This year he broke records. And I'm willing to forgive his proclivity to turn the ball over as that's what first-year starters often do. But the team is clearly not prepared to play. At the end of the year, the kinks should already be worked out and the blooper-reel stuff eliminated. What we saw the last two weeks simply cannot happen. Maybe they had a bad couple of weeks, or perhaps the team is tired. I'm still working with limited data here, though the more I gain, the bleaker the picture becomes. <br /><br />If Michigan can indeed snag Jim Harbaugh now, it's clearly the choice with a higher probability of long-term success. Rodriguez was not dealt the best hand when he arrived at Michigan. The talent wasn't there, and many people were working against him, hard. From the old-schoolers in the athletic department who wanted Les Miles, to the Detroit Free Press' hatchet men, to the litigious WVU Athletic Department, he had a lot of unfair stuff to deal with. I am sure the team will improve next year if he stays. There are few seniors, and the offensive recruits coming in seem to have a lot of potential. And it would be impossible for the defense to be any worse, even if Greg Robinson is miraculously spared the axe. Maybe the continuation of this nadir is not all Rodriguez's fault, but that doesn't really matter anymore. It's like one of those sad country songs where the singer burdens himself with blame, but gives a fair share to the fates. Either way, the dude's just going to be miserable for a while, and there's not much he can do to lift his spirits.<br /><br />I am now very concerned about the ceiling of the team with Rodriguez. If they can't catch a pass in the most important game of the year, and can't stop getting dumb penalties, and can't be in position, will they ever be an elite team? Because that's the real reason Ohio State has now won seven times in a row. They get the most out of the players they have. This year, I'd say we got the most out of just a handful: Denard and one or two offensive lineman. That, more than anything makes me think it's time to cut bait. It's pretty clear that Jim Harbaugh gets the most out of his talent.<br /><br />Again, I'm out of the loop. I can't even decide which teams to root for anymore. Not seeing games hurts all of it. I guess I still need to hear what people like <a href="http://mgoblog.com/" target="_blank">Brian</a> and <a href="http://www.maizenbrew.com/" target="_blank">Dave</a> have to say. They've been preaching patience all year. But after they saw what we all saw these last two weeks, I can't imagine they have a lot left. Suddenly, a bowl game is small consolation.<br /><br />At the very least I am thankful to have endured those games and seen so many others. Reading about how Boise State saved their season with a last second bomb only to blow it on two botched chipshots pales in comparison to taking it in live. At the very least I have come to a conclusion about <span style="font-style:italic;">something</span>. Next year, I'm finding a way to spend my Saturdays with football, even if I have to move. Either that or I'll have to buy a guitar and pick up a drawl so I can lament my various losses in song.<br /><br /><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/IMSOYH8XXtI?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/IMSOYH8XXtI?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>Reedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14989379631083901130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6838683312989903202.post-80509123912912733182010-08-30T12:18:00.002-05:002010-08-31T03:25:36.165-05:00FREEDOM IS SLAVERYA couple years back, I did a crazy thing. I quit a perfectly good job and drove my ass around the whole country going to football games. This didn’t happen on a whim. It was an irrepressible urge. I wanted to see the whole country, and there was no better way to do it than via college football. But I <i>needed</i> to meet the fans from around the nation. The idea had lodged itself in various states of my consciousness for six years before finally compelling me to action.<br />
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I intended the adventure to be focused on the tradition inherent to college football. I wanted to know why it was so much more important to us than for fans of other sports. But after just a few games, I realized that tradition wasn’t as coveted as I thought it was. It got a whole lot of lip service, but fans had short memories, and their worldview was often not aligned with their stated respect for tradition. This surprised and disappointed me. I learned that for most fans, the desire to fully embrace tradition will always be overwhelmed by devotion to the program. This is true even if it requires self-delusion. We have always been at war with Eastasia.<br />
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So it was that one of the overarching themes of my trip became the inherent battle between tradition and progress. They are diametrically opposed, especially as it relates to this wonderful sport. The battle kept surfacing, whether it was Bowls versus Playoffs, SEC fans rooting for their bitterest rivals in bowl games, or students tacking a “Go Blue!” onto the end of “The Victors.” (This still feels appallingly wrong to me.) Even my choice to save time by speeding along Interstate 40 instead of leisurely getting my kicks on Route 66 showed that progress often has its place.<br />
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But my goodness, there are limits. If the reports are true, it is 80% certain that Michigan and Ohio State will be placed in separate divisions, and probably play in the middle of the season. <a href="http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/blog/dr_saturday/post/Dear-Big-Ten-Set-your-championship-game-free?urn=ncaaf-265195">Doc Saturday has clearly outlined</a> all the reasons this is stupid, so I won’t even get into the rationale. Stupid is the word. Stupid beats out ill-conceived, reckless, or any other depressing word you want to apply. This is a stupid, stupid idea.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQyhHo63Cqo1qahxGOCdCT0EbnGgry39jrJghJSO0A-x_BOCu2sj4DpTi-FgPOmgKFATeSzdQLRU-CV7TYYydU8bzDwduNc1rQww3-7TMIzcGuZFuOkCda2ecTKQqru4MhVAb72-p0SjA/s1600/guys.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQyhHo63Cqo1qahxGOCdCT0EbnGgry39jrJghJSO0A-x_BOCu2sj4DpTi-FgPOmgKFATeSzdQLRU-CV7TYYydU8bzDwduNc1rQww3-7TMIzcGuZFuOkCda2ecTKQqru4MhVAb72-p0SjA/s320/guys.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>These men agree. With each other.</i></span></div><br />
So what’s the big deal? Plenty of important people do stupid things all the time. As I said, tradition in college football is sadly overrated and becoming more so every year. And as much as many fans may dislike this erosion, they accept it because it’s still the best game in the world. But there are bridges too far. If the bloggers are any indication of where fans stand, the followers of Michigan and Ohio State are presenting a united front. For the core fans, there’s no question this stupid decision will sour them. For the casual ones (read: incremental dollars), the only benefit is that rare and surely elusive rematch, a meager benefit that will be more than balanced out by The Game no longer being The Game.<br />
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There’s something really big at stake here. The decision has not yet been made official. Every other change we’ve seen, at least you could argue both sides for fans and players alike. The fans have spoken clearly this time. Not all change is good, especially when it’s stupid. But will anybody care what we have to say? Will anyone actually listen? Are they not only poised to make a stupid decision, but ignore those who have tried desperately to set them straight? The Big Ten fashions itself to be the conference of stalwart tradition, keeping the Rose Bowl stashed away in its favorite jewelry box, not to be shared. Yet, what greater tradition is there than The Game? If the fans will not be listened to now, they will never be listened to about anything. This is the most extreme case we will ever see. This is a litmus test for the sport. Does tradition matter in the slightest? If Delaney moves The Game, then it is dead, and we might as well start having fanstasy drafts and Budweiser hot seats and “He Hate Me” on the backs of uniforms.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmzZdX0PUIM5LHVDuBu4rD6Ah1Vpwm9dpg1z6tym6saDW5a2-aQasuyWBHma_W1rIaM0O5ljSDK8J6sHjVlAx2t6IYvMroZAIXXx90_1gtZWaeVEY86GY5XW_p39yMcC1a0EGc4TufJi8/s1600/marty.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmzZdX0PUIM5LHVDuBu4rD6Ah1Vpwm9dpg1z6tym6saDW5a2-aQasuyWBHma_W1rIaM0O5ljSDK8J6sHjVlAx2t6IYvMroZAIXXx90_1gtZWaeVEY86GY5XW_p39yMcC1a0EGc4TufJi8/s320/marty.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Seriously, this is the guy in charge. OK, well maybe he just looks like him.</i></span></div><br />
What I finally discovered was that my big road trip was not about blind devotion to all things sacred. It was about what makes us fans in the first place. That’s a much longer conversation (you can read the book if I ever finish it). The gist of it is that we get to go back to college a few Saturdays a year. And we like going back to college because it was one of the greatest times in our lives. We adore The Game, even when it treats us badly, because it has given us the highest of highs and the lowest of lows but rarely anything in between. It is supreme, thrilling victory, or utter devastation. Every year. This result simply cannot happen in October.<br />
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Regarding the importance of tradition, I eventually found acceptance and embraced the difference between me and (some of) you. And, much later, Lloyd Carr even convinced me that we should have a playoff. Perhaps I’m not such a nostalgic codger after all. I’ve come around a bit. Really, I have. Go ahead, kids. Play in my yard. Just try not to burn down my fucking garage while you’re at it.<br />
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Other voices from the choir:<br />
Brian <a href="http://mgoblog.com/content/every-year-same-time-once-last-time">talks sense</a><br />
Ramzy <a href="http://bucknuts.com/index.php/Football-Article/ramzy-parliament-of-whores/menu-id-1346.html">correctly puts things in perspective</a><br />
M-Zone <a href="http://michiganzone.blogspot.com/2010/08/i-can-stay-silent-no-longer.html">comes out of retirement!</a><br />
Add your name to the <a href="http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=112688455453262&ref=search">Facebook page here</a>. It's (quite literally) the least you can do.<br />
<br />
UPDATE: Some useful e-mail addresses here. Send a courteous note or sit on your hands. Don't mail theses people a dickish rant just 'cause I deployed the f-word (HT: <a href="http://michiganzone.blogspot.com/2010/08/nothing-is-over-until-we-decide-it-is.html">M-zone</a>):<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Dave Brandon (U-M AD): DABran@umich.edu</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Gene Smith (OSU AD): Smith.5407@osu.edu</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Mary Sue Coleman (U-M President): PresOff@umich.edu</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Gordon Gee (OSU President): Gordon.Gee@osu.edu</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Jim Delany (Big 10 Commissioner): JDelany@bigten.org</span>Reedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14989379631083901130noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6838683312989903202.post-44076376285310629672010-08-01T19:55:00.006-05:002010-08-04T18:08:55.969-05:00Road Games College Pick 'Em (aka The Big Ten Den)We're just a month away from kickoff, and that means a reprise of the annual tradition of Pick 'Em. Pick the winning teams across 20 games or so each week and garner glory and admiration.<br /><br />How to play? Simple!<br /><br />1) <a href="http://football.fantasysports.yahoo.com/college" tareget="_blank">Go here</a>. Sign up.<br /><br />2) Click the "Join Group" button<br /><br />3) Enter:<br />Group ID#: 1837<br />Password: <span style="font-style: italic;">goblue</span><br /><br />4) Talk some trash on the message board<br /><br />5) Once the games begin, please at least try to beat the dude who lives in Argentina (me)<br /><br />...any questions, drop me a line.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPzjKB0JYo2ksMFbMjawB8EUlFXxip-CRTINAmQURyjroaYL_lCrOr7ucfflqEPWAHzUNf4XeJIB8kV3AIj4UuBsZwkMPjYAZ_gjDELbFsIs84abtiVE__cFTX3IegkKAlmc3FRbTuG6w/s1600/IMG_1363.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPzjKB0JYo2ksMFbMjawB8EUlFXxip-CRTINAmQURyjroaYL_lCrOr7ucfflqEPWAHzUNf4XeJIB8kV3AIj4UuBsZwkMPjYAZ_gjDELbFsIs84abtiVE__cFTX3IegkKAlmc3FRbTuG6w/s400/IMG_1363.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500610894444975026" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieCExk9s6OHhWFyG70j8hKxwQmGpeBMjeQCGkrRe_W3U2VVs48t43AxOBBzHoLwrB1MEOs-pie6xTHX9sCe8TItnc3bR-gOl0mKMN9fGMGaIcKfaWXgBFV140QVl5DhfBcONoENKqBHac/s1600/IMG_0657.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieCExk9s6OHhWFyG70j8hKxwQmGpeBMjeQCGkrRe_W3U2VVs48t43AxOBBzHoLwrB1MEOs-pie6xTHX9sCe8TItnc3bR-gOl0mKMN9fGMGaIcKfaWXgBFV140QVl5DhfBcONoENKqBHac/s400/IMG_0657.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500612373325550194" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgngwnTnxvhCFdRjpaqU5oehAGV_zr2YBOqdt-7SzduJNdNZcVUOkis06t2VMPJJbI7j5xHXeirtQ6YhNJBiNAF7qqDXJYLcJDMKDabc5CDBbttJ4WQ3kxsc5w14vd_4_Ae4qaaz3k-Jqk/s1600/IMG_0721.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgngwnTnxvhCFdRjpaqU5oehAGV_zr2YBOqdt-7SzduJNdNZcVUOkis06t2VMPJJbI7j5xHXeirtQ6YhNJBiNAF7qqDXJYLcJDMKDabc5CDBbttJ4WQ3kxsc5w14vd_4_Ae4qaaz3k-Jqk/s400/IMG_0721.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500612367496081426" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpDXbIgLlWBOErHAHTEUDo4Fxmpl0DGeBb9afXKpJr-ydUoR6ZG5xs-IH9yHXGUCNpkirM5HUgSCl0Cc_mB6gpiJY3Bw-Y9ToAHyFHgTE5VPFtfZJ0LKyeMthedqFp8MxsiMgsszo7AsM/s1600/IMG_0835.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpDXbIgLlWBOErHAHTEUDo4Fxmpl0DGeBb9afXKpJr-ydUoR6ZG5xs-IH9yHXGUCNpkirM5HUgSCl0Cc_mB6gpiJY3Bw-Y9ToAHyFHgTE5VPFtfZJ0LKyeMthedqFp8MxsiMgsszo7AsM/s400/IMG_0835.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5500612362840856370" border="0" /></a>Reedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14989379631083901130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6838683312989903202.post-70098800902438658382010-07-16T07:22:00.001-05:002010-07-16T09:33:40.397-05:00The Well Worn Practice of Self-Delusion<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv1NIoF4jYtRnKke-kivFsEEjLfA9wMXFPR51-ilIl1vkUD9w4FXVqvmvSrg6K6amXKyF7HU3U1WiqGPiYiWIU0yN0VBK-O3NpeJQJXQewEJhKmEvBGSx-l3_HoGtdf2zelDhOQvJs_LA/s1600/maradonasad.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv1NIoF4jYtRnKke-kivFsEEjLfA9wMXFPR51-ilIl1vkUD9w4FXVqvmvSrg6K6amXKyF7HU3U1WiqGPiYiWIU0yN0VBK-O3NpeJQJXQewEJhKmEvBGSx-l3_HoGtdf2zelDhOQvJs_LA/s400/maradonasad.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494487951941989186" /></a><br />I’ve been through this before. Lots of times. In your heart of hearts you feel things that don’t make sense. You approach the situation with your brain of brains. You say, “Man, this looks pretty bad, if we win it will be a miracle.” And if the game were to happen right then, you’d stay in your brain of brains and robotically accept the results.<br /><br />But time passes. You read an optimistic report from a blogger who lives in his heart of hearts all day long, and he punches a small crack in the façade. Once you pry open the door to optimism, the train has left the station and won’t stop until you reach “We’re gonna do it” land. It happened to me again.<br /><br />Aside from their red-card aided loss to Serbia, Germany had been the clear top dog in this World Cup. Argentina had only played one decent opponent. Still, with Messi, with Tevez, even with Maradona who had appeared to have learned a thing or two about coaching soccer, many were picking them to win the game. It didn’t take much for them to convince me. I already had punched that crack in the façade myself. In soccer, everyone always has a chance. You never really close that door.<br /><br />Towards the end of my big road trip, I returned to Ann Arbor for The Game against Ohio State. Michigan fans had been enduring an ungainly year, one that began with losses to Appalachian State and Oregon. Yet, despite it all, the team had a chance for the Rose Bowl if they could just beat Ohio State. The Buckeyes had lost to Illinois; they weren’t an unstoppable force. But Hart and Henne were both playing hurt, and there was no reasonable way to believe that Michigan would come through.<br /><br />But as the week progressed, I started to believe. More than anything, after driving 14,181 miles I felt like I <span style="font-style: italic;">deserved</span> it. How illogical is that? Of course I was dead wrong. It was one of the most boring football games I’ve ever seen, a 17-3 punt-fest in which Michigan never remotely threatened to win. I deserved nothing, despite my self-convincing.<br /><br />When you’re winning, a soccer match takes an eternity. When you’re losing, they fly by. Argentina's 4-0 defeat was done in a flash. People here could accept defeat, but 4-0. <span style="font-weight:bold;">4-0!?!</span> It ripped the heart out of the country. When the game ended, the city was dead quiet. Even the birds and the breeze were in hiding.<br /><br />That’s what sucks about self-delusion. It always comes to an end, but there’s no way to know ahead of time. I really don’t know squat about soccer, and still managed to convince myself that victory would be ours. What is wrong with me? Nothing that's not wrong with everyone who wants his team to win I suppose. SI's Joe Posnanski <a href="http://joeposnanski.si.com/2010/07/08/the-lebron-decision/" target="_blank">did the same thing while hoping</a> for a compassionate LeBron. <br /><br />As night fell, Buenos Aires began to shake off the stink of failure. People left their homes to have a coffee, talking meekly of things other than <span style="font-style:italic;">futbol</span>. I found myself in a taxi with a driver who was not so shy. "That was an embarrassment! Argentina should never have lost that game!" I told him that was 4-0, and Germany has been the best team so far. "No. Argentina is better, and should have won!" I must say I admired the man for the willful optimism even after such a stark result. Maybe self-delusion can be used to obscure reality instead of making it sting. But in the face of such a strong reaction, I had nothing much to say. I was as silent as the birds during the afternoon.Reedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14989379631083901130noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6838683312989903202.post-77407870590927309272010-06-07T07:32:00.002-05:002010-06-07T21:45:02.539-05:00Crazy for the Copa<div><script type="text/javascript">var addthis_pub="fishbone97";</script>Alternate title: Loco por los goles<br /><br />If I were still in the US, I am sure I would be paying attention to the World Cup. In a week or so. At least some of the games. But as I happen to be living outside of North America, my new neighbors are doing their best to infect me with their fever. Obviously, one of the perks of moving to Argentina was being able to live in a futbol-crazed land during the World Cup. We're still a week away, and the hype is living up to, well, the hype.<br /><br />The event taken over the entire city. The best analogy I can think of is if the Super Bowl were to go on for a month and if two thirds of the league was invited to compete. But only if we had waited four years since the last one. Two months ago my male coworkers started drawing up scenarios on whiteboards, and getting excited over potential matchups like North Korea vs South Korea, and "colonial combat" like USA/England, Brazil/Portugal, and Chile/Spain. About ten days ago, the women became infected, too. This commercial is alarmingly accurate:<br /><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/DLw9-0-VYDY&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/DLw9-0-VYDY&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><br /><br />Argentina just celebrated its Bicentennial a couple of weeks ago. The entire city was decked out in flags and ribbons. Argentina being Argentina, many buildings didn't get their act together very quickly and hastily draped the <span style="font-style: italic;">Celeste y Blanco</span> just a day or two before the event. Lucky for them, there is reason to leave the decorations up. This isn't like keeping your Christmas lights blinking until Easter. If anything, the purpose is far more immediate now. Recent studies have shown that the country's <a href="http://www.canchallena.com/1271153" target="_blank">populous is in a better mood and has more optimism about the nation's future</a> during the tournament.<br /><br />Though opinions abound, nobody really has any idea how the Argentine team is going to do. Members of the international press have universally labeled them the "most intriguing" team in the tournament. They're right.<br /><br />Let's review the backstory in brief. Argentina has some of the best players in the world, including the reigning Golden Boot winner, Lionel Messi. Couple that with a long history of success, and anything less than reaching the semifinals is an automatic letdown. But Team Argentina had been seriously struggling with disappointing performances in World Cup qualifiers and friendlies alike. This led the AFA to take the desperate decision of putting the squad in the hands of God, aka Diego Maradona. Maradona, as you may know, is one of the most famous footballers in history, and a national treasure. He's also had trouble with drugs and never proven himself to be a successful coach. Nevertheless, to most Argentines, he is surely a deity, and in the city of Rosario, there is even a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iglesia_Maradoniana" target="_blank">religion dedicated to him</a>. The decision was risky, but nearly all Argentines were supportive at the time. He is, after all, the man who did this:<br /><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/-rW-lK9F6TU&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/-rW-lK9F6TU&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><br /><br />But Argentina didn't fare much better under Maradona's watch, and only barely qualified for the tournament. This isn't quite like Duke nearly missing the field of 64, but it's close. After locking up a spot on the last day of play, Maradona made some pointed comments to the media at his press conference. "For those who doubted me," he declared, "you can blow me." This led to a two-month suspension enforced by FIFA, and further doubt in his abilities to lead the team.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQFoiDs8-8rA-oZvP-n6xKJ9blEujNbaxkPuLpLAzKnR3sTI6d4N96CEyVfEqqIa-ZwU5x6LBJoTtXJo8MhTRJn0ld5vuJr5yWjlvBNdDveKxYzkKnqLeumw1MhD7DElZgSlDQ8ieqPl4/s1600/maradona-chupen.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQFoiDs8-8rA-oZvP-n6xKJ9blEujNbaxkPuLpLAzKnR3sTI6d4N96CEyVfEqqIa-ZwU5x6LBJoTtXJo8MhTRJn0ld5vuJr5yWjlvBNdDveKxYzkKnqLeumw1MhD7DElZgSlDQ8ieqPl4/s400/maradona-chupen.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5479441876470292578" border="0" /></a><br />Locals, however, have been eager to put the blame for the teams failures on the players, most pointedly at Lionel Messi. Too many times to count, I have heard people claim that he tries for Barcelona, but for Argentina, "<span style="font-style: italic;">no hace nada.</span>" Even though I'm just a layman, it is clear that when Messi has the ball, the rest of his teammates simply stand around watching. Think Kobe Bryant in 2007. I may not be the ultimate expert in futbol yet, but even the best players can't take on the other 11 by themselves.<br /><br />It's obvious to me that the team is disorganized and unstructured. Plus, it's not like we don't have data. Messi scored 34 goals in roughly as many games for Barcelona in the last season. If he suddenly can't get the ball into the net, is it that he has lost his will to compete or that he is being misused? There is a simple answer to this question. But, admitting as much would mean believing in a fallible God. Nobody is ready to do that, no matter how outrageous the press conference.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_DWT0JodSQLXOZE_btytahN2HiwkBOIleGWhfBEU5R3fY71cXqNtg2TseQvNOoo4dk_7IdbdSo9F1o7Snj_HxiDFDcD0xNqJsypYlD9c7TU-DDBjZK5hVVXtYW9fPuQGHtkv6_qyfenQ/s1600/lionel-messi-maradona.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 317px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_DWT0JodSQLXOZE_btytahN2HiwkBOIleGWhfBEU5R3fY71cXqNtg2TseQvNOoo4dk_7IdbdSo9F1o7Snj_HxiDFDcD0xNqJsypYlD9c7TU-DDBjZK5hVVXtYW9fPuQGHtkv6_qyfenQ/s400/lionel-messi-maradona.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5479441867409803362" border="0" /></a><div style="text-align: center; font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Will this all end in hugs and smiles? Time will tell.<br /></span></div>At this point, no one knows what will happen, save for one simple idea. If Argentina does well, Maradona will say and do something interesting. If they fail spectacularly, he will say and do something interesting. He has already promised to run through the streets of Buenos Aires naked if they win the whole thing, an entirely idle threat unless he finds a way to make the team to play better. At this point I can say that I have become infected with the same fever as the rest of the people living in this fine city. And at this moment my lack of knowledge doesn't even matter. I don't know what's going to happen, either. But I am counting down the days until it does.<br /><br /><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Araf0g9bRSY&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Araf0g9bRSY&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><br /><br /><a name="data:post.title" id="data:post.url" onmouseover="'return" onmouseout="addthis_close()" onclick="return addthis_sendto()"><img src="http://s7.addthis.com/static/btn/lg-share-en.gif" alt="" style="border: 0pt none;" width="125" border="0" height="16" /></a><script type="text/javascript" src="http://s7.addthis.com/js/152/addthis_widget.js"></script></div>Reedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14989379631083901130noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6838683312989903202.post-9256190333997254612009-11-10T04:34:00.012-06:002009-11-10T17:10:38.043-06:00Down in a hole<div><script type="text/javascript">var addthis_pub="fishbone97";</script>Somewhere in South Carolina, a close friend of mine is digging a hole. He's tearing up his own back yard - a small part of it at least - and he's digging. He's doing this for a dramatic gesture. He will bundle his well-worn Michigan jersey in plastic and place it in that hole. He vows not to collect it until Michigan makes a BCS bowl game.<br /><br />At Mgoblog, Brian has given his last word (for now) <a href="http://mgoblog.com/content/when-can-we-fire-guy">in defense of Rich Rodriguez</a>. Everything he writes is on the money in this complicated situation.<br /><br />I love Lloyd Carr. The man took over our program at a really rough time and went out and won a national championship. He is a local hero in many ways, a Michigan man, and someone whose character should be admired not simply because of his ardent beliefs, but because in many ways he brings out the best in college football. He was not simply a coach, but viewed himself as a teacher. He believed in the game and believed in his players. Plus, he's the man who convinced me that we do indeed need a playoff. That said...<br /><br />I think when people talk about the end of the Carr era, it's important to keep one major factor in mind: Mike Hart. He was a three-star recruit from the middle of nowhere New York that put the entire team on his back for four straight years. Sure, there was other talent, but after Braylon Edwards left, this wasn't exactly a stacked team. Outside of 2006, the defense was a mess, but Hart kept Michigan in every game he played. Remember in 2005 when all of Michigan fandom said "We have no chance to beat Michigan State!"? Hart came back healthy for the game and saved the day with 218 yards. We can all list a dozen games where he was the difference for Michigan. Appalachian State was supposed to be included, but, well, that thing about the abysmal defense. The Mike Hart teams won in spite of themselves and largely because he gave us a chance in every game where he was healthy. But there's a reason he never beat Ohio State, and it has little to do with him. The cupboard wasn't totally bare, but someone had been removing items when we weren't looking. Hart just made it seem like it was still relatively stocked.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge9HpGhzZKWqzy6jw2cmk3qfJDIGk-xLlB_AHKWqXYLXQ-1hs9xszAZNKKXG0SIfN35N-T6HhvCsxJn65ouCxAxXDPvOTpuUwfqauKtF-Z9MSPsRJfboFIiGSxxysjJomwCO_9TpUvb6s/s1600-h/hart.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 296px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge9HpGhzZKWqzy6jw2cmk3qfJDIGk-xLlB_AHKWqXYLXQ-1hs9xszAZNKKXG0SIfN35N-T6HhvCsxJn65ouCxAxXDPvOTpuUwfqauKtF-Z9MSPsRJfboFIiGSxxysjJomwCO_9TpUvb6s/s320/hart.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5402431804851945874" border="0" /></a><br /><br />For years, many people said, "We gotta fire Lloyd Carr!" My response was always the same: "OK, who do you want?" There was never an answer for this from the haters. Those who want Rodriguez axed don't have an answer either. Nearly every big-time program who fires their coach to start a new regime goes through this. The conventional wisdom is that Carr tried to put his assistants in place to take over. He gave them more responsibility in 2007. They failed. An easy transition was impossible. If we'd hired Les Miles, Marty Schottenheimer, or George S Patton, we would have had very similar problems.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPtXudHFIuplzGekNPOBoMgzGjb1yfRws4XSV8KnvDj8hKNsVZ9ViUx50Nx8iloXL6-8BxH8opVN0Wb6M4aY4hxTZqeXQMnwzIRN4o4tBoTJqSA1SDkU7HH2VJoqf1UQ8hy_yiTleuono/s1600-h/patton.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 263px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPtXudHFIuplzGekNPOBoMgzGjb1yfRws4XSV8KnvDj8hKNsVZ9ViUx50Nx8iloXL6-8BxH8opVN0Wb6M4aY4hxTZqeXQMnwzIRN4o4tBoTJqSA1SDkU7HH2VJoqf1UQ8hy_yiTleuono/s320/patton.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5402431088818713714" border="0" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Not our coach</span></span><br /></div><br />The overriding obvious idea here is that this really sucks. As Ray Liotta said in Goodfellas, "This is the bad time."<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnybdbwHA_27CgqDx3UvalEltVaS9sduKCNwMI8ByMguQsI7dA5uQjXFoANWr9n5mCQHuJdZvMzZJB-v7mtHq9-H5qWj67i9xKJ8SofS0enQbVjups7-1wAZiSKPPXbsBo9ZupwJcDxFw/s1600-h/GoodHenry1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 176px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnybdbwHA_27CgqDx3UvalEltVaS9sduKCNwMI8ByMguQsI7dA5uQjXFoANWr9n5mCQHuJdZvMzZJB-v7mtHq9-H5qWj67i9xKJ8SofS0enQbVjups7-1wAZiSKPPXbsBo9ZupwJcDxFw/s320/GoodHenry1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5402427041042107938" border="0" /></a>What my friend in South Carolina is doing is really important, but there's one aspect that is the most crucial part of the gesture. He's putting that jersey in plastic (please double-bag it, Roberto). He's not laying Michigan to rest. This is not a burial. This is a time capsule for himself. When he retrieves it some November day, he should buy it a bouquet of roses first (or a sack of doritos or whatever bowl-themed present is most apt). Then he should hug it high and tight like Ennis Del Mar.<br /><br />I've identified my local futbol team here: Independiente. It's the third most popular team in Argentina, and has one of the richest traditions. The two most popular are Boca and River. Between them, they actually claim over 80% of the fans which is stupid, but Argentines generally like to follow the pack. Every team has nicknames they call themselves (in River's case: <span style="font-style: italic;">Los Millionarios</span>) and names that everyone else calls them (River's: <span style="font-style: italic;">Las Gallinas</span> (the female chickens)). Independiente used to be great, but since I first arrived here, they have been sucky to crappy. This season, they are actually playing well - winning games they shouldn't and playing above their talent. It seemed that Michigan was going the same direction, but perhaps that will have to wait until next year (<span style="font-style: italic;">ojalá!</span>) I bring this up because the opposing team's nicknames for the Independiente fans is <span style="font-style: italic;">Los Amargos</span>. This means, "The Bitter People." Translation - always negative, all the time. If that doesn't fit with the stereotype of a Michigan fan, then I'm Cristina Kirchner. I certainly didn't plan it that way, but maybe as Michigan fans, we're destined to suffer.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyHkbszrghoR16hvJahj1KoSQREY9SeTWxt5MR-dqSZyvBgGypXdIxKK_wPN5JLxvwiIO84Gv6iiPYVc6VBr9UO-iyXzbUjHKLETl8X9JRTcqYzTQ2iwtgtET1S48FC76WfkuhZUikM34/s1600-h/cristina.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 317px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyHkbszrghoR16hvJahj1KoSQREY9SeTWxt5MR-dqSZyvBgGypXdIxKK_wPN5JLxvwiIO84Gv6iiPYVc6VBr9UO-iyXzbUjHKLETl8X9JRTcqYzTQ2iwtgtET1S48FC76WfkuhZUikM34/s320/cristina.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5402431167181030514" border="0" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Not a Michigan fan - yet</span></span><br /></div><br />I've been playing ultimate frisbee down here. Our team hasn't lost since March and yesterday we won the second championship in the history of the country. I bring this up because we weren't always such a dominant team. In fact, when we lost those two games in March, one team thrashed us 15-7. Since then we've been rolling. Why? We got mad, and we put in the practice. This experience will season these players, hopefully for the better. As much as this hurts us as fans, it's ten times worse for them. They're very young. Nobody can say they're not trying. They've come a long way from Toledo, even as they are sure to lose these last two games. We thought last season was the bottom. Really, we're looking at it right now, at least in terms of our patience and experience as fans. If Michigan pulls out a miracle in the last two weeks, it is a corner turned. And if not, you can't tell me this team isn't going to be more prepared next season.<br /><br />So bury the jersey well, my friend. I expect it won't be ready to be dug up until November of 2011. By then it will be properly seasoned and in need of a big hug.<br /><br />UPDATE: <a href="http://www.maizenbrew.com/2009/11/10/1124980/youre-on-your-own">Maize N Brew chimes in</a><br /><br /><a name="data:post.title" id="data:post.url" onmouseover="'return" onmouseout="addthis_close()" onclick="return addthis_sendto()"><img src="http://s7.addthis.com/static/btn/lg-share-en.gif" alt="" style="border: 0pt none ;" width="125" border="0" height="16" /></a><script type="text/javascript" src="http://s7.addthis.com/js/152/addthis_widget.js"></script></div>Reedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14989379631083901130noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6838683312989903202.post-90784519566221731822009-09-11T09:27:00.006-05:002009-09-11T10:29:21.629-05:00On Deals<div><script type="text/javascript">var addthis_pub="fishbone97";</script>Hey, Argentina, I thought we had an agreement. I was going to move to a country where they care about soccer, and you were going to play in the 2010 World Cup - and play well. This is not only embarrassing, I'm feeling totally ripped off. For those uninitiated, Argentina has <span style="font-style: italic;">never</span> missed a world cup, but after losing to Brazil and Paraguay in succession this week, they have currently positioned themselves out of the tournament. There are two games remaining, but Argentina does not control its own destiny. They have to win them both and hope that Ecuador loses one.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-IGLZXV5__wDW3YIOsrrMDVpsdoNch9DHuBBfglW9VT_cPZUjfVK0lMfdESyzn27YKSjInPVxMvkoiwtFL6GSoj0vmo1EdM9W5-qeWaROb9agUkl_yHtuDHZAS4-W8osIVCyyr-yVCDY/s1600-h/argparaguay.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 332px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-IGLZXV5__wDW3YIOsrrMDVpsdoNch9DHuBBfglW9VT_cPZUjfVK0lMfdESyzn27YKSjInPVxMvkoiwtFL6GSoj0vmo1EdM9W5-qeWaROb9agUkl_yHtuDHZAS4-W8osIVCyyr-yVCDY/s400/argparaguay.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380221424851516226" border="0" /></a><br />They boast one of the two best players on the planet and a coach who was one of the greatest of all time. But this is not a team. Every player seems reluctant to give up the ball. Maybe they're all so good they think they can win games themselves. but this isn't working. It's easy for people to blame Diego Maradona, and it's clear that he's not helping the team win. But these problems existed before he arrived.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU3Ig_Sspobgqf1tZ7CRtrCUQr2NGXNUqoqHITourN3Tjxtsz_5KcJhiGWb69nzMhhXDpEL970O1us6VWHZ_7IjlipkJZkvYVYYbi-C38zyu9UN0tDigiENH9fHyZ9m8hNbFFw39fIk18/s1600-h/maradona.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 334px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU3Ig_Sspobgqf1tZ7CRtrCUQr2NGXNUqoqHITourN3Tjxtsz_5KcJhiGWb69nzMhhXDpEL970O1us6VWHZ_7IjlipkJZkvYVYYbi-C38zyu9UN0tDigiENH9fHyZ9m8hNbFFw39fIk18/s400/maradona.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380222108006913170" border="0" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">A man at the end of his tenure...?</span></span><br /></div>As I said, I feel cheated. There's still an outside chance that FIFA will make some kind of exception or that Argentina can make its way in via the open slot. But at this point, nobody in this country has any confidence that such a thing will happen. They're beyond crestfallen. They're disgusted.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY2cCXxSP7-aLHxulxxf7QUo8sWF6TFPzeD5v1BGLeVMPrRvJdm5tM-Sagl_Ui78tF1eLa6UHaAyyqRmqvFuxCtYpnS9I2bzobu-RW6JkGagTRJu3THDqRD0Can8FF12E_OTA26uy-UQw/s1600-h/coffin.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 220px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY2cCXxSP7-aLHxulxxf7QUo8sWF6TFPzeD5v1BGLeVMPrRvJdm5tM-Sagl_Ui78tF1eLa6UHaAyyqRmqvFuxCtYpnS9I2bzobu-RW6JkGagTRJu3THDqRD0Can8FF12E_OTA26uy-UQw/s400/coffin.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380221528919155906" border="0" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">...this guy thinks so.</span></span><br /></div>Michigan's another story. We had our own agreement. There would be ups and downs in equal measure, but the team would always be at least pretty good and I would definitely have a game to watch in January. Last year, well, we all know what happened. Then again, I'm the one who moved away. For me to whine any more about 2008 is like complaining that the girl you dumped is dating some cheesy schmo. But if we're talking about disgusted fans, it's hard not to think about what happened last year.<br /><br />But then this happened:<br /><object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/SUR7u2mqeEk&hl=en&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/SUR7u2mqeEk&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object><br /><br />And then this:<br /><object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/IUlAxdKoIjI&hl=en&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/IUlAxdKoIjI&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object><br />And suddenly... we got us a football team again. I'm tempted to check my expectations, thinking about the miracle against Wisconsin last year. It's so hard to tell early in the season what is real and what is not. That result turned out to be decidedly not real. Those who said Michigan was lucky to win were correct. And Wisconsin soon proved to be a team somewhere between mediocre and lousy.<br /><br />But last week, the excitement returned. As a Michigan fan, you expect such moments. You've been promised them over the years. You get to thinking you deserve them, and maybe you do. Relief quickly turned to joy and anticipation for the next game.<br /><br />Part of the deal is that Michigan never rolls over against Notre Dame. I don't think the Irish have ever blown us out, at least not in the last fifteen years. The Notre Dame fans I talk to think that they're going to cruise through this game, but that's par for the course in South Bend. Overconfidence goes with the territory. That said, they looked pretty impressive against Nevada.<br /><br />I've lost all hope for Argentina. Our deal is broken. But then again, if Michigan wins tomorrow, it's clear that the fan contract is wholly renewed. There's still time for Argentina to get their act together, though I'm not ready to enter any pact with Maradona still in charge. Either way, he's likely gone. I just hope that Michigan sends Charlie Weis to join him in early retirement. VAMOS AZUL!<br /><br /><a name="data:post.title" id="data:post.url" onmouseover="'return" onmouseout="addthis_close()" onclick="return addthis_sendto()"><img src="http://s7.addthis.com/static/btn/lg-share-en.gif" alt="" style="border: 0pt none ;" width="125" border="0" height="16" /></a><script type="text/javascript" src="http://s7.addthis.com/js/152/addthis_widget.js"></script></div>Reedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14989379631083901130noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6838683312989903202.post-10911597381907755272009-08-26T21:30:00.006-05:002009-08-26T23:17:04.636-05:00Road Games College Pick 'EmFor long about ten years now, a group of us in Chicago have been playing Pick 'Em. Over the years, our group has gotten bigger and more diverse. We now have people playing on four continents (and I'm working on Asia!). I assume if anyone is actually reading this blog anymore, they know how this works. But just in case, here's the info:<br /><br />Pick the winners from the AP Top 25 each week. Rank each game by how confident you are in your pick. You get points for each game you picked correctly. Whoever wins is the smartest. Sound like fun? Of course it does!<br /><br />Click on <a href="http://football.fantasysports.yahoo.com/college/register/joingroup" target="_new">this link</a> to join!<br />Group ID#: 8332<br />Password: goblue<br /><br />Obviously, if you're reading this it's in your RSS feed and you're shocked that I've posted anything here at all. Yes, regrettably it has been quite a while since I've had anything to say here. However, I have been busy writing in various other places, most notably <a href="http://fightingtheyouth.blogspot.com/">Fighting the Youth</a> and <a href="http://reedrambles.blogspot.com/">Reed's Ramblings</a>. Furthermore, the college football season is just eight days away and the local <span style="font-style: italic;">futbol</span> season began last weekend. So consider this post the declaration that Road Games will be up and running again very, very soon. Until then, <span style="font-style: italic;">saludos!<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik5tY6DE78YQK1qj7PJ4IN4XszVz1jWZxnOXGtFnFT75ffsOoP01I0whsGECg5SZNChXSMZkDEMCvPCUTfrDm2SYbygR5KH1BDWCkdXkq6S5jXFpA2riUEVtmxu5efC_3EWL4h1unZm0Y/s1600-h/IMG_0939.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik5tY6DE78YQK1qj7PJ4IN4XszVz1jWZxnOXGtFnFT75ffsOoP01I0whsGECg5SZNChXSMZkDEMCvPCUTfrDm2SYbygR5KH1BDWCkdXkq6S5jXFpA2riUEVtmxu5efC_3EWL4h1unZm0Y/s400/IMG_0939.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374492648645763218" border="0" /></a>Reedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14989379631083901130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6838683312989903202.post-48758476301259405422009-04-19T16:50:00.009-05:002009-04-19T17:33:35.352-05:00Super Clásico Bros.<script type="text/javascript">var addthis_pub="fishbone97";</script>Much like college football, the rivalries here in Argentina are the most important games of the year. Each team has their counterpart who the fans hate with all of their soul. Win your rivalry match and the season is a success. Lose, and it is a failure. For many fans, even the championship is secondary. The whole country turns its attention to the rivalry or <span style="font-style: italic;">clásico</span> in a given week. And no clásico matches the fervor of Boca/River.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJR4RaInFFxSZ5GGf183jTLs-9B0835JEU3RnofTRbeDmuggRWc_29_QbOLYm4JTzjBZb8JY8wGbWC4gYXER8yMFxhdCPHyyvNFg8XNr5LtrtEgoQCJYKGZR1vUoyVWUkkCjK4aJdZkXI/s1600-h/riverbocalogojpg.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJR4RaInFFxSZ5GGf183jTLs-9B0835JEU3RnofTRbeDmuggRWc_29_QbOLYm4JTzjBZb8JY8wGbWC4gYXER8yMFxhdCPHyyvNFg8XNr5LtrtEgoQCJYKGZR1vUoyVWUkkCjK4aJdZkXI/s320/riverbocalogojpg.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5326528607685880162" border="0" /></a>The Boca Juniors are the most popular team in Argentina - one of the most popular in the world. Diego Maradona, despite getting his start as an Argentino Junior, will always be associated with Boca, having played the majority of his career there. They sport a rather fetching combination of Yellow and Blue, originally chosen due to a ship from Sweden. No joke. One could even call the yellow "maize" (although corn here is referred to only as <span style="font-style: italic;">choclo</span>). Rival fans refer to them as <span style="font-style: italic;">Los Bosteros</span>, meaning "manure handlers", but of course they were able to make the nickname a point of pride. Perhaps it's like the "Bug Eaters" in Nebraska, but I have to review my 'Husker lore. Traditionally, Boca appealed to the more blue-collar citizenry, though times have changed and the identities are not so clear cut anymore.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl3_bTuJX2Zvon9QOxVASB521IKug8h1reB7hvVwzBXrZ9IbZEZK5kNaKbL7bEIG1fPbtbz8Ni1gcO0v7Dvyxz7nYGji_vnrvKbwSuEcJesO5oQQgsfPnJpnlhmkJQSnGconB_Qv43SJk/s1600-h/boca.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 232px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl3_bTuJX2Zvon9QOxVASB521IKug8h1reB7hvVwzBXrZ9IbZEZK5kNaKbL7bEIG1fPbtbz8Ni1gcO0v7Dvyxz7nYGji_vnrvKbwSuEcJesO5oQQgsfPnJpnlhmkJQSnGconB_Qv43SJk/s320/boca.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5326530871125428226" border="0" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >Photo by Fabián Marelli, La Nacion</span></div>River Plate is the only team that can remotely challenge Boca's popularity. Originally, the two clubs were both centered in the city's Boca neighborhood, but in 1923, River moved to the more affluent (and safer) Nuñez area. Their stadium is the largest in the country. Fans of other teams often point out that the army built the stadium for them, but this often comes off as "stadium envy." When that doesn't work, they call them the <span style="font-style: italic;">Gallinas</span>. This literally means "hens", but is of course calling them chickens. But of course female chickens. While in the past, River drew the more wealthy crowd, that, too has changed and there have been some rather dangerous and wild incidents at their stadium.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnz5W1xjdMNIEa59Hx-CCMsVsAiE1IiKuorLP3kBFYGuJgaUkOrLIBucThyTwGMbZJ7qxMiQ1kf4EiZd1SLHo51hqFhG2uzUmKoIAbel7LlRoh8so_NQxQtIgK6rJGy1uHOcWF5uURkZk/s1600-h/bocariver.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 207px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnz5W1xjdMNIEa59Hx-CCMsVsAiE1IiKuorLP3kBFYGuJgaUkOrLIBucThyTwGMbZJ7qxMiQ1kf4EiZd1SLHo51hqFhG2uzUmKoIAbel7LlRoh8so_NQxQtIgK6rJGy1uHOcWF5uURkZk/s320/bocariver.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5326531223883796962" border="0" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >Photo by Mauro Alfieri, La Nacion</span></div>I made several efforts to obtain tickets to the Boca vs. River match today, but was unable to find one for less than 600 pesos. It was a gorgeous day, the first really cool one we've had this autumn (yes, it's autumn here - south of the equator and all). Unwilling to pay the same as the tourists, I had to resort to internet viewing. It really tamped down the intensity, particularly since nobody scored in the first half. But the second provided more excitement. When Boca took the lead on the left foot of Martín Palermo, people all over my neighborhood hollered "Gooooool! Gooool!!" Horns were honked. River countered just minutes later off a booming free kick that zoomed past the keeper. My neighborhood erupted again, though the noise came from a completely different set of people.<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/GDI_0scE79A&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/GDI_0scE79A&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">English highlights can be <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3L32tQBwgzA" target="_blank">found here</a>, but I think you'll agree the announcers are far too polite.</span><br /><br />And that's where things ended. Maybe ending in a tie is still like kissing your sister, but they're certainly more accustomed to it here. And considering there are no playoffs unless there's a tie in the season's final standings (and you think the BCS is frustrating - that's a whole other blog post), they won't likely play each other again until the next season. But if you think about it, it will only make the next one that much more important. At least Boca won't get <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1973_Michigan_vs._Ohio_State_football_game" target="_blank">voted out of going to the Rose Bowl</a>. I hope to get to some more games soon, but Boca River may have to wait until I get some sort of promotion or commit to a team so I can get season tickets. For now, it was an exciting day that the entire city paid attention to, the closest thing they have to a Super Bowl.<br /><a name="data:post.title" id="data:post.url" onmouseover="'return" onmouseout="addthis_close()" onclick="return addthis_sendto()"><img src="http://s7.addthis.com/static/btn/lg-share-en.gif" alt="" style="border: 0pt none ;" width="125" border="0" height="16" /></a><script type="text/javascript" src="http://s7.addthis.com/js/152/addthis_widget.js"></script>Reedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14989379631083901130noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6838683312989903202.post-84183029182231258842009-03-15T20:21:00.006-05:002009-03-15T21:56:04.594-05:00Argentine Soccer, Take 1<div><script type="text/javascript">var addthis_pub="fishbone97"I may be behind in my analysis of which team I </script><span style="font-size:85%;">I ame behind in the analysis of which team I shall call my own here in the </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >Torneo Clasura</span><span style="font-size:85%;">. That process will begin in this space shortly or longly. But in the meantime, I was finally able to check out a local match, something I wish I had done my first week in town.</span><br /><br />Obtaining tickets to a <span style="font-style:italic;">fútbol</span> game here in Buenos Aires is no easy task. I had the good fortune of friends who were able to help, but it meant traipsing across town on the hottest day of the year. The salt stains left on my red shirt were evidence of the effort, but more importantly the tickets in hand, three different versions for each seat, heightened the anticipation level. I was strongly cautioned about personal safety, partly because this was a rivalry game, and because it was in a lousy neighborhood, but mostly because it was an Argentine fútbol match. I left my cell phone, watch, and even wallet at home and wore a non-descript, black t-shirt. Taking the 128 to the game, there were a few guys Independiente jerseys. They hollered insults to any Racing fans we passed on the street, but generally behaved themselves. There was no commandeering of the bus or anything. Upon arrival, it was clear that I had been overly cautioned. There were thousands of police officers, and we were patted down three times before we got to the actual stadium.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxpbGNUxcSFH3c7oaM-wbzgNQbyi0Mysbh-bO-F_gz7N8hlK7G9FF9UEFNuotmLTE-XDbHMFNo5WU8B631hP6dgWWCV1LxqWJYn6huoJhw7oBxqlYhq6eR_qrPy-aYGKrLKCGSaY7coG8/s1600-h/caivsracing.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxpbGNUxcSFH3c7oaM-wbzgNQbyi0Mysbh-bO-F_gz7N8hlK7G9FF9UEFNuotmLTE-XDbHMFNo5WU8B631hP6dgWWCV1LxqWJYn6huoJhw7oBxqlYhq6eR_qrPy-aYGKrLKCGSaY7coG8/s400/caivsracing.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5313594364280914258" border="0" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Club Atletico Independiente vs Racing Club</span></span><br /></div><br />Joining me was one of my old Michigan roommates. Chris and I had done this walk together many times before, though the last was a sloppy loss against Illinois on a miserably rainy day in 1999. This was reminiscent of the lead-up to every game I attended last season. Even though their season had so far lacked promise, the Red Devils were in high spirits. This was their Iron Bowl, their version of The Game. The hop in their step was only interrupted for pee breaks. The fans were roughly 95% men, one clear advantage college football affords. The police steered fans of each team down different streets, so there could be no risk of an altercation.<br /><br />The Independiente stadium is currently under construction, so their home games are being held at the venue belonging to Huracán. To call it dilapidated would be a compliment. <a href="http://roadgames07.blogspot.com/2007/10/kelly-hold-your-water.html">Harvard Stadium</a> felt newer. Each seat was made of cement, complete with a contoured back – fixed right in as part of the structure. There are two sections available in each stadium, <span style="font-style:italic;">platea</span> and <span style="font-style:italic;">popular</span>. <span style="font-style:italic;">Popular</span> is where all the most insane fans sit (really, stand and jump) and is cheaper. Again for the sake of safety, we sat in platea. But the fan in me was longing to join the hooligans. Because soccer can be rather mundane if you are not pulling one way or the other, Chris and I opted for the “home” team.<br /><br />Argentines loves to brag about their fútbol. Truth be told, they love to brag about their everything, but one point of particular pride is that they have the craziest fans in the world. At an individual level, these people can go toe to toe with any college football fan. I have no idea how many were in either end, but they generated a ton of volume. Chris noted that Michigan doesn’t come close, and that’s about right. But didn't remotely match the volume I heard at Clemson or LSU. Still, when you consider there were probably only 20,000 fans for Independiente and 10,000 for Racing, they really brought it. Individual signs for each neighborhood could be found all over the <span style="font-style:italic;">populares</span>. Generally a simple <span style="font-style:italic;">Olivos</span>, or any other area, in the team’s colors. Right before kickoff, each of the <span style="font-style:italic;">populares</span> unfurled a gigantic banner that covered their entire end of the stadium. They were like Paul Bunyan’s bedsheets. Tiny hands reaching up and poking the banners made them appear to come to life, moving like a ship lost at sea. As the players ran out to take the field, fans from both ends hurled enough toilet paper to drape <a href="http://roadgames07.blogspot.com/2007/11/iron-souls.html">Toomer’s Corner</a> ten times over into the air and onto the field. It was amazing. If that kind of thing doesn’t get you excited to watch a game, you’re not human.<br /><br />Both of these teams are having lousy seasons, but the loser would really have nothing left and likely be needing a new coach. Right from the start, it appeared we had made the right choice. The Independiente players just had more fire (and likely more talent). Ten minutes in, they notched a great goal on a header off a free kick, and the place went berserk. A fan to our right who appeared like he’d be more at home in popular immediately jumped up, turned to the Racing end, and aggressively grabbed his genitals while hollering in their direction.<br /><br />The Racing fans, for their part, were really impressive. Though in smaller numbers, they made as much noise as their counterparts, but all of their cheers and songs were really in unison. I think they must meet and practice during the week. At halftime, they donned yellow construction helmets as a way to razz Independiente for their still-not-completed stadium. And when I say “they”, I mean thousands of them. And they all waited for halftime to do it. The thing is, their team is generally terrible, and even when Independiente scored goals, they hardly groaned. I can’t think of a college football equivalent – where a team is such a cheerful glutton for punishment. Washington probably came the closest. Notre Dame at least has all that history. This would be like if Vanderbilt had the most passionate fans in the country.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigwm8dXnDLioNvxbtHML3yIxWaZ2mv9LGE1qNr6nHmyzpEX8Fw1liteRgNxOTK07-bw7hbZYeNc9za7GpdoeBhgDIoW14odpLGKyrojAeD9MRBty_QpYk1l9hM5eQMndZlAnJYefNiLvg/s1600-h/racing_cascos_descenso.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 229px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigwm8dXnDLioNvxbtHML3yIxWaZ2mv9LGE1qNr6nHmyzpEX8Fw1liteRgNxOTK07-bw7hbZYeNc9za7GpdoeBhgDIoW14odpLGKyrojAeD9MRBty_QpYk1l9hM5eQMndZlAnJYefNiLvg/s400/racing_cascos_descenso.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5313595193877177698" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">If only the team was ready to go to work</span></span></div><br />Independiente controlled most of the action, with Racing rarely creating a promising opportunity. The best player on the field was easily the Red Devils’ Rolfi Montenegro. It struck me how amazing it is to watch someone in any sport that is so talented that you feel like they don’t even belong on the same field as the rest of them. During my trip, the only ones that come to mind are <a href="http://roadgames07.blogspot.com/2007/10/purple-passion.html">Jake Locker</a>, <a href="http://roadgames07.blogspot.com/2007/12/stagg-party.html">Justin Beaver</a>, and, gulp, <a href="http://roadgames07.blogspot.com/2007/11/whisper-of-towering-tree.html">Vernon Gholston</a>. (Tebow didn’t have his best outing in the Cocktail Party). A touchy foul in the penalty box gave Rolfi a penalty kick for a score after which he took off his shoe and sprinted around the field, displaying it above his head for everyone.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsk3pAhz4Oxv8jo5RN-CQOSZsDr8eUBfXzd-0n6ifjDZQviPus6_C-pPbdYYqGTEUNQA_gSdNx2Gj3IIoBcGOMkvQG6CwOhHc0VPAJeWI7OqjGzO5zDDqHJgFQQLP0KcF98NwAAqGevis/s1600-h/rolfi.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 288px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsk3pAhz4Oxv8jo5RN-CQOSZsDr8eUBfXzd-0n6ifjDZQviPus6_C-pPbdYYqGTEUNQA_gSdNx2Gj3IIoBcGOMkvQG6CwOhHc0VPAJeWI7OqjGzO5zDDqHJgFQQLP0KcF98NwAAqGevis/s400/rolfi.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5313594832161553026" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Rolfi looks a lot younger from far away</span></span><br /></div><br />Throughout the match, fans cheered for every minute event. Again, if you take soccer too passively, it loses a lot. Whenever anyone made a mistake, the crowd whistled and shouted “Boludo!” Boludo is a local term meaning something in between asshole and moron often heard when driving or joking around with friends. A player from either team could accidentally kick the ball out of bounds, and the reaction would be the same “Boludo” --> You f*ed up! Ha-ha. or “Boludo” --> You f*ed up! You asshole! When #11, a striker for Independiente had the ball, the package man to our right consistently yelled, “Dale Negro!” (pronounced “dah-ley, neh-gro”), which basically means, “Come on, black guy!” This was probably yelled at least 30 times by crotch guy alone. Take that to mean what you will, but adding to the oddity of is the fact that the guy’s last name is <span style="font-style:italic;">Moreno</span>, which pretty much means “dark guy”. Had he simply said, "Dale Moreno!", I would have thought the same thing anyway.<br /><br />With about five minutes left in the game (it’s impossible to know exactly because there was no clock in the stadium), we decided to make an early exit. Chris had arrived on the red eye the night before and we had a heavy does of Argentine nightlife planned. They make the home team’s fans wait a half-hour to leave because, again, they don’t want any altercations. But by all accounts, it was a peaceful finish, with the Red Devils reveling in their triumph, and Racing firing their coach before we made it home. After my first game here, I’m most struck by the enthusiasm. In some ways, there’s no question that it tops anything I’ve seen in a college football stadium, and I’ve been to an <a href="http://roadgames07.blogspot.com/2007/09/laissez-les-bon-temps-roulez.html">LSU home opener</a>. I can’t wait for round two.<br /><br />This video is in Spanish, but is very worth watching. Note especially the paper from 22-32 seconds.<br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/TTOvplupWNM&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/TTOvplupWNM&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br /><a name="data:post.title" id="data:post.url" onmouseover="'return" onmouseout="addthis_close()" onclick="return addthis_sendto()"><img src="http://s7.addthis.com/static/btn/lg-share-en.gif" alt="" style="border: 0pt none ;" width="125" border="0" height="16" /></a><script type="text/javascript" src="http://s7.addthis.com/js/152/addthis_widget.js"></script></div>Reedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14989379631083901130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6838683312989903202.post-53036904560831700482009-01-30T09:52:00.005-06:002009-01-30T11:28:46.101-06:00Futbol Season Is Nearly Upon Us<div><script type="text/javascript">var addthis_pub="fishbone97";</script>There's some sort of Super Bowl thingy this Sunday. It's been interesting to see the reaction, er, non-reaction to the event here in Buenos Aires. I have pretty much avoided all coverage of it, and that's the way I likes it. I don't even know if I'm going to watch the game at all. I don't care who wins and am only rooting for Steve Breaston to garner the MVP (or at least be stopped just short of the goalline by Larry Foote). Maybe if I can teach some locals about the game, it'll be worth enduring. After all, it is America's fourth biggest holiday, right?<br /><br />With the <span style="font-style:italic;">real </span>football season already in the books, and one last game to go in the version that still employs Tony Siragusa, we're in the thick of the offseason. Reports about recruiting and <a href="http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/stewart_mandel/01/29/tennessee-salaries/index.html?eref=T1" target="_blank">coach-hiring</a> and all sorts of other barely-football-related matters abound. But here in Argentina, the autumn season of La Primera División Argentina is about to kick off. Everyone tells me that the fans here are craaaazy and thinks I should compare them to the college football fanatics from home. Putting aside false modesty for a moment, I can't think of a better person to play judge.<br /><br />Soccer is nearly unwatchable if you're not actually rooting for one of the teams. At this point, I have no team of my own and don't have any preconceived notions about any of them. It's a rare opportunity to make a fresh choice. I feel like every other team in my life was somewhat chosen for me, but this is my chance to become a fan with eyes open all the way. So I aim to pick one and will do so very publicly here in this space. Coming next week, the criteria I plan to use and a synopsis of every team I can realistically choose. Before making my final decision, I plan to check out the stadiums and fans as well. Hopefully by mid-season, I'll be painting my face and cursing at the television again.<br /><br />As I said, soccer games are kinda hard when you don't care. Soccer <span style="font-style:italic;">highlights</span>, on the other hand....<span style="font-style:italic;">seriously groovy</span>:<br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/LoaqbTLGku0&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/LoaqbTLGku0&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><a name="data:post.title" id="data:post.url" onmouseover="'return" onmouseout="addthis_close()" onclick="return addthis_sendto()"><img src="http://s7.addthis.com/static/btn/lg-share-en.gif" alt="" style="border: 0pt none ;" width="125" border="0" height="16" /></a><script type="text/javascript" src="http://s7.addthis.com/js/152/addthis_widget.js"></script></div>Reedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14989379631083901130noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6838683312989903202.post-73376795405579171672009-01-22T06:06:00.005-06:002009-01-23T10:38:34.554-06:00Fisking the ESPN Prestige RankingsESPN has put together a "prestige ranking" of <a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=3836130" target="_blank">all the I-AA college football programs</a>. "ESPN's Prestige Rankings are a numerical method of ranking the best FBS college football programs since the 1936 season." Obviously, this is more of an exercise that is just for fun and not to be taken too seriously. But at times, I like to take frivolous things more seriously. It's the nerdy statistician in me. So let's take a look at what they did and where they may have erred.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Their system:</span><br />National Title: 25 points<br />Major bowl berth: 10<br />Major bowl win: 10<br />Conference Championship: 10<br />AP Top 5 Finish: 10<br />AP 6-10 Finish: 6<br />AP 11-25 Finish: 4<br />Heisman Winner: 8<br />Bowl Appearance: 3<br />Bowl Win: 3<br />10-win Season: 2<br />Week as AP #1: 2<br />Win over AP #1: 1<br />Each All-American: 1<br />First Round NFL Pick (since 1970): 1<br />Losing season: -2<br />TV Ban year: -1<br />Bowl Ban year: -2<br />Probation year: -1<br />Financial-aid Penalty year: -1<br />Recruiting Penalties year: -1<br />Each penalty of "show cause action:" -2<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">What they definitely got right:</span><ul><li>25 points for a National Title is dead on.</li><li>They handled the conference championship perfectly, and have the right amount of points on it (see their page for details or just trust me).</li><li>8 points for a Heisman trophy is probably right. Perhaps it could go to 10, but it is a major aspect of the sport, even if you disagree with it.</li><li>The AP finish rankings are pretty much perfect.</li><li>When it comes to one point for each All-American, you could debate that this isn't important and that team success should supersede everything. But everywhere I went, the great players were integral to the thoughts and feelings that everyone expressed to me. At <a href="http://roadgames07.blogspot.com/2007/09/laissez-les-bon-temps-roulez.html">LSU</a>, I heard no less than 40 renditions of Billy Cannon's punt return vs. Ole Miss. Even the youngest <a href="http://roadgames07.blogspot.com/2007/10/worlds-largest-culture-clash.html">Dawgs</a> wanted to discuss Herschel Walker's amazing freshman season. Tommie Frazier could run for governor of <a href="http://roadgames07.blogspot.com/2007/09/heart-o-heartland.html">Nebraska</a> one day and win in a landslide. When talking about prestige, certainly the great players who made the great plays matter. Do offensive linemen really belong in this category? Maybe not, but to keep the methodology consistent, you have to include them.</li></ul><span style="font-weight: bold;">What they got wrong:</span><ul><li>Including points for a 10-win season is very problematic. It inherently means less than it used to, thanks to the additional games on the schedule and the fact that those additional games are almost exclusively facing the weakest competition available. I don't think that beating Georgia Southern really improved Georgia's prestige any, but it did get them to 10 wins this season. Furthermore, it shouldn't be included because it is redundant with all the other measures. In statistics, it's akin to what we'd call an overspecified model.</li><li>Including each week ranked as the AP#1 and giving it two points, yet counting a <span style="font-style: italic;">victory</span> over the AP#1 with only one point seems totally backwards to me. <a href="http://roadgames07.blogspot.com/2007/11/iron-souls.html">Alabama</a> held their #1 ranking the week they beat Mississippi State. Did that really add to the program's prestige in any way? The sport of College Football is inherently about the <span style="font-style: italic;">big</span> moments. And there is no bigger moment in the sport than taking down the #1 team in the country. This should be worth 10 points on its own. Just ask Texas Tech fans. Crabtree's touchdown against #1 <a href="http://roadgames07.blogspot.com/2007/10/red-river-whatchamcallit.html">Texas</a> trumps any prestigious moment in the history of the program and will until they win the conference (and even then, there will be some who argue that this was bigger).</li><li>Strength of Schedule is basically absent outside of the one point for taking down the AP #1. It's a part of the game (well, it used to be anyway). I realize it would be hard to include this, but the "big games" are important. Perhaps including nationally televised broadcasts would have been good (though quite unfairly skewed as well). Or at least a point for every win over an AP ranked team.</li><li>First round NFL Pick doesn't belong here. Does Ryan Leaf's NFL experience add to the prestige of Washington State? He was chosen 3rd overall. Also, since it only goes back to 1970, it will skew the data to more recent success. ESPN still has trouble understanding that the two sports are not the same. Also it's relatively redundant with the All Americans.</li></ul><span style="font-weight: bold;">What's missing?</span><ul><li>Part of a program's prestige has always been wrapped up in its all-time great coaches. Can you think of <a href="http://roadgames07.blogspot.com/2007/11/old-gray-mare.html">Ohio State</a> without Woody Hayes? Or Alabama without Bear Bryant? It would not have been hard to include points for any coach that was with a school for at least ten years and had at least a .700 winning percentage. For Penn State, give Paterno credit for each decade of tenure.</li><li>Because their system goes season by season, there is nothing for all-time records. For most fans, this certainly plays into the argument for the prestige of their school. It would not have been hard to include a certain number of points for every 100 wins all time. Yes, there would be some redundancy, so perhaps this is not needed.</li><li>Nothing for attendance? Shouldn't Miami should be penalized for their lousy fan base? Fans are a part of the game, too, and certainly affect the prestige of a program.</li></ul><span style="font-weight: bold;">1936?</span><br />They actually address this issue, saying:<blockquote>The AP poll was introduced that season, making it the first time the longest-standing news organization in the United States began ranking teams and crowning a national champion. Starting in 1937, the NCAA began recognizing "major college programs" (now known as the FBS). To accrue points, a program had to be recognized as one of these major programs by the NCAA.</blockquote>This is a curious decision to me. When we are talking about "prestige", that doesn't precisely equate with "history", but they're certainly related. To begin in 1936 is to begin after the death of Knute Rockne. In these rankings, we have no Four Horsemen, no Red Grange, none of the "point a minute" Fielding Yost teams, and none of the great Army teams from that era. However, all these seasons matter to many fans today, and are talked about specifically in terms of prestige. Go to <a href="http://roadgames07.blogspot.com/2007/09/dealing-with-distraction.html">South Bend</a> sometime and see if nobody quotes Grantland Rice to you. I promise you it's not possible.<br /><br />The omission of all early seasons will knock down <a href="http://roadgames07.blogspot.com/2007/11/whisper-of-towering-tree.html">Michigan</a> and Notre Dame at the least. Perhaps this is by design? As I learned on the road last season, Notre Dame is universally resented around the nation. Michigan is coming off a down year. They have two of the most active internet fan bases and will surely be irate about a lower ranking, causing them to talk about this endeavor that much more. Uhh... kinda like I'm doing right now. It seems like their rationale here doesn't really meet with the overall goal of the project, so I find myself skeptical about the decision. I mean, shouldn't Michigan beating Stanford 45-0 in the very first bowl game add to its prestige a bit? We'll see how things net out as they reveal 1-10 over the next two days. So far, #s 11-119 <span style="font-style: italic;">feel</span> pretty accurate.<br /><br />Overall, these rankings make a lot more sense in the pre-BCS, pre-horrendous scheduling era. If anything, they point out how much of the tradition has eroded in the last ten years. If I had to bet, my money would be on Nebraska or Oklahoma to take the title. Those "bonus" scholarship players and years of beating up on the other 6 teams in their conference are going to pile up the points.<br /><div><script type="text/javascript">var addthis_pub="fishbone97";</script><br /><a name="data:post.title" id="data:post.url" onmouseover="'return" onmouseout="addthis_close()" onclick="return addthis_sendto()"><img src="http://s7.addthis.com/static/btn/lg-share-en.gif" alt="" style="border: 0pt none ;" width="125" border="0" height="16" /></a><script type="text/javascript" src="http://s7.addthis.com/js/152/addthis_widget.js"></script></div>Reedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14989379631083901130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6838683312989903202.post-88336063770145353822009-01-13T09:30:00.001-06:002009-01-13T10:34:54.284-06:00Road Games Top 25I'm not part of the <a href="http://mgoblog.com/content/blogpoll" target="_blank">Blogpoll</a> (and really, it would be unforgivable if I were considering how hard it was to see games from Buenos Aires this year), but I'm putting together my own Top 25 anyway. As I said <a href="http://roadgames07.blogspot.com/2008/01/road-games-top-25-ballot.html" target="_blank">last year</a>, these rankings are based on season-long performance, not “who would win right now.” Because that would be an exercise in conjecture and inherently debatable. Explanation at the bottom:<br /><br />1) USC<br />2) Florida<br />3) Texas<br />4) Utah<br />5) Oklahoma<br />6) Penn State<br />7) TCU<br />8) Alabama<br />9) Texas Tech<br />10) Oregon<br />11) Ole Miss<br />12) Boise State<br />13) Ohio State<br />14) Oregon State<br />15) Georgia<br />16) California<br />17) Florida State<br />18) Virginia Tech<br />19) Oklahoma State<br />20) Iowa<br />21) LSU<br />22) Cincinnati<br />23) Missouri<br />24) West Virginia<br />25) Arizona<br /><br />Here's the thing. The way the schedules are nowadays, most of the teams play a pretty weak slate. A great team <span style="font-style:italic;">should</span> win all its games. But teams either have off days or happen to schedule opponents who are equal to the task. These days, such dream matchups are all the more rare. When multiple teams are tied in the loss column, some choose to disregard the loss and only look at the wins on their resumé. I tend to go the opposite way. Some losses are more forgivable than others.<br /><br />USC was penalized for losing to a perceived lousy team. But as the season progressed, it became clear that Oregon State was much improved after their first two performances (thanks largely to the discovery of tailback Jacquizz Rogers). In addition, nobody seems to recall the Trojans' loss was a Thursday night road game. Year in, year out, we see more road teams struggle on weeknights than in any other type of game. There must be a backlash against them after all the rampant pro-USC coverage because I don't hear anyone pleading their case. I don't particularly like 'em, but to me, USC played the best football this year, including their absolutely flawless performance in the Rose Bowl. Penn State made a bunch of mistakes, but even with a perfect game would not have seen victory. Florida had a great season, but a home loss to Ole Miss is clearly worse, and USC generally dominated every game they played afterwards. Plus, I don't think that Oklahoma is that much better than Penn State anyway (one slot to be precise).<br /><br />What to do about Utah? Like it or not, style points matter in college football. Utah barely escaped against Oregon State, Air Force, New Mexico, TCU and, um, Michigan. Nobody was lamenting the supposed shoddy treatment for Utah until they handled Alabama. Now they're national champions? Alabama was overrated all season thanks to their opening-weekend victory over Clemson (who, incidentally, ended up at 7-6 and fired their coach). 'Bama played a schedule with few heavyweights, but included Arkansas State and Western Kentucky. They failed to dominate any of their stronger opponents. Yes, I know they're the SEC West Champion, but this was the weakest SEC year in a while. In my mind, the result of the Sugar Bowl did more to validate the notion that 'Bama wasn't that good than the fact that Utah is the best in the land.<br /><br />I feel like I have TCU too high (credit for the bowl win, but what else did they really accomplish this year?), but I don't know who else to put in that slot, so they remain #7.<br /><br />I'm left feeling very disappointed by this season, and not just because Michigan was terrible. As I said in the aforementioned posting, I have come around on the playoff debate. It is inevitable (eventually), and at this point it is best for the game, as long as they keep it to six teams or fewer (as many others have noted, look no further than this week's NFC championship game for supportive evidence). Given the current system, Oklahoma didn't deserve the BCS nod, and I can't fathom why any voter outside of Bob Stoops and Urban Meyer would have put them where they did. Sure, their schedule was <span style="font-style:italic;">slightly</span> stronger than that of Texas, but they were beaten by the Longhorns, whereas Texas lost a road night game to a strong team by one second. Haven't we now learned about teams rolling up extravagant point totals yet not having a consistent defense. I said no conjecture, but I do believe that Texas could take Florida head to head. As it stands, they each played Oklahoma evenly, though the Sooners made a lot more errors against Florida. So we must yet again lament the matchup that should have been, just like we do seemingly every other year.<div><script type="text/javascript">var addthis_pub="fishbone97";</script><br /><a expr:name='data:post.title' expr:id='data:post.url' onmouseover='return addthis_open(this, "", this.id, this.name);' onmouseout='addthis_close()' onclick='return addthis_sendto()'><img src="http://s7.addthis.com/static/btn/lg-share-en.gif" width="125" height="16" border="0" alt="" style="border:0"/></a><script type="text/javascript" src="http://s7.addthis.com/js/152/addthis_widget.js"></script></div>Reedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14989379631083901130noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6838683312989903202.post-74709336563086248572009-01-07T19:36:00.007-06:002012-04-23T10:19:47.056-05:00Like Sands Through the Hourglass<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
It feels like so many aspects of college football have been changing lately. It's been over a year since I finished my big journey, and in that time, we've become acquainted with so many new names, teams, and rules. A few weeks ago, the folks from Stone Station made their annual trek to Salem, VA for the <a href="http://roadgames07.blogspot.com/2007/12/stagg-party.html" target="_blank">Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl</a>. In 2007, even though my itinerary was complete, I decided to brave the winter weather and make an extra road trip to Virginia at their invitation. Obviously, that would have been darn near impossible from Buenos Aires this season. I chose to only be there in spirit.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy1lUB5uA1y5vNgQVnEpagjyg0sLrJl0WsUzboh04FZTtC2SRrVoVdFgYp7Dfl_u9c61AZ1gU8cUsMpZGyohQV47Jww08_gkjvvfr6A2UCvTFGZxyNC-kA-iYsGl42izlM23Glxqga-uk/s1600-h/IMG_1756.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288752367410927074" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy1lUB5uA1y5vNgQVnEpagjyg0sLrJl0WsUzboh04FZTtC2SRrVoVdFgYp7Dfl_u9c61AZ1gU8cUsMpZGyohQV47Jww08_gkjvvfr6A2UCvTFGZxyNC-kA-iYsGl42izlM23Glxqga-uk/s400/IMG_1756.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-size: 85%; font-style: italic;">Hmmmm. These teams look familiar.</span></div>
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At Auburn, the richest boosters finally got rid of Tommy Tuberville, and not because he nearly <a href="http://roadgames07.blogspot.com/2007/11/iron-souls.html" target="_blank">trampled me</a> at the Iron Bowl. Apparently, Tommy never licked the right boots in Auburn, but as the trees at Toomer's Corner were loaded with toilet paper, no one in attentance could have imagined that he'd be gone a year later.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0BtdIFEinEfYfwDUiEX-vYLZT7IBv9dOA6BDNFvXTbjoBBC4wHFY9P_o_nVye0AGN4QmUB10reRX84FHcjLC5tfYPDJJGqesKqTGFq3UA-RyKntYRLGCj9lYZoULk9hSc78TF9vxrIYI/s1600-h/tubs_smirk.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288751721098082802" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0BtdIFEinEfYfwDUiEX-vYLZT7IBv9dOA6BDNFvXTbjoBBC4wHFY9P_o_nVye0AGN4QmUB10reRX84FHcjLC5tfYPDJJGqesKqTGFq3UA-RyKntYRLGCj9lYZoULk9hSc78TF9vxrIYI/s400/tubs_smirk.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-size: 85%; font-style: italic;">Tommy's second-to-last Iron Bowl</span></div>
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Meanwhile, across the nation, everyone from Barack Obama to the lowliest intern at ESPN has been weighing in on whether we <span style="font-style: italic;">need</span> a playoff. Blah blah blah. So maybe things haven't changed so much. Actually, my opinion has been altered a bit since I <a href="http://roadgames07.blogspot.com/2007/12/in-defense-of-bowl-system.html" target="_blank">wrote about the topic</a> last time, partly due to my <a href="http://roadgames07.blogspot.com/2008/08/im-kind-of-tired-cause-you-wouldnt-let.html" target="_blank">interview with Lloyd Carr</a>. His main point - right now, we're deciding a champion, but not letting it be decided by what happens on the field. And that's pretty right, especially to fans who today happen to be in Austin and South Central.<br />
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Still, I can't help but be filled with uneasy trepidation about the topic. When at Wisconsin, I interviewed a man named Ken Simmons who'd played for the Badgers as a walk-on. He'd been a part of the team during their only winning season between 1963 and 1981 when they managed a 7-4 record in 1974. Decades later, he was able to see his son walk on and a daughter play for the softball team. He continues to work with the athletic department. Like many veterans of the game, he held a long perspective on things. The last thing he said to me in our interview was "Look at why there is the passion there is for college football. You don’t want to change that a whole lot. I think that’s why they’re moving as slowly as they are."<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqyYAN_JuD-5-8mK05feH0h_zxDQUil0mrl7fK78YTD0HIZLfg7BQB_L-d8VvkFlnesy5jkdHcp1bPcD8oQmrQC0VMB1lyg9joy31i1H0St0emUfRiTEueRqV08_4fL1NgKoumzI4QL9o/s1600-h/IMG_0835.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288751558388542546" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqyYAN_JuD-5-8mK05feH0h_zxDQUil0mrl7fK78YTD0HIZLfg7BQB_L-d8VvkFlnesy5jkdHcp1bPcD8oQmrQC0VMB1lyg9joy31i1H0St0emUfRiTEueRqV08_4fL1NgKoumzI4QL9o/s400/IMG_0835.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 85%; font-style: italic;">Not Ken Simmons</span></div>
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Over at SI.com, Stewart Mandel recently recounted the story of <a href="http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/stewart_mandel/12/30/mandel.mailbag/index.html" target="_blank">his first trip to the Rose Bowl</a>. It was a visceral reminder of mine two years later. That's a tale I've planned to tell in this space for a while now. I hope to share it soon. Needless to say, it was one of the highlights of my life. The point is, so many of the people who offer their expert opinion on bowls, playoffs, and championships don't really know anything about college football. It's <span style="font-style: italic;">not</span> the NFL. And in fact, that's a big part of why we like it.<br />
<br />
Clearly the BCS isn't working. We were told it would provide a definitive answer on the National Championship. Like many newfangled doo-dads, it failed to deliver on its promises, but we all should have known they were too good to be true. Now fans are left with unattainable expectations. One day, the NCAA will institute a playoff. It is inevitable in the long run. But since they have totally botched the BCS since its inception, do we have any faith in the idea that they won't completely botch a playoff, too? The BCS is terrible, but it's still better than a wrong playoff would be. 16 teams? Welcome to the NFL minor league. As Ken said, if they're not careful, they could ruin the game completely. With ESPN and Fox having as much control as they do, it's more fragile than you think. Besides, if the NCAA isn't going to address the issue of cupcake non-conference scheduling, then I don't trust them to tackle this with the good of the game in mind either.<br />
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When you see the games live and in person, you catch a lot more than you can over TV. That's just the way it is. It's how I was able to identify Ohio State's weaknesses on defense just days before Illinois exploited them last year. But when you can't see the games at all, it's like you're watching everything underwater, depending on blogs and youtubes and choppy Slingbox connections to capture the moments for you. You're that much farther removed. That's how this season has been for me. Honestly, I miss Saturday. And whatever changes occurred were far away. With Michigan this year, maybe it was for the best. But it's still my favorite sport, the game I can't get enough of. It's been hard not to be close to it after my year "on the ground." But with a National Championship(ish?) game to be played tonight, let's just pause a second to remember how special it is. No amount of controversy, even it comes via executive signing statement from the White House, can trample that.<br />
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</div>Reedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14989379631083901130noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6838683312989903202.post-57540321359856165032008-12-17T14:39:00.002-06:002008-12-17T14:43:03.003-06:00Bowl Pick 'EmSome readers participated in the College Pick 'Em this season. It was a lot of fun. Yay! We're doing a Bowl Game Pick 'Em as well. Just one set of picks, winner take all. Of course, there are like 32 dang bowl games, so it's a lot to pick. But also a lot of fun. So, in case you want in, here are the details:<br /><br /><a href="http://football.fantasysports.yahoo.com/bowl/register/joinpr ivategroup_assign_team?GID=16182&P=goblue" target="_blank">Click here</a> to sign up. We're Group ID# 16182 and the password is "goblue". Sorry, non UM fans. It's all we have this year... Name your team and leave a note on the message board if you like. The first game on the schedule is December 20th, so get your picks in now. See you there!Reedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14989379631083901130noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6838683312989903202.post-36468094720591418912008-11-23T10:06:00.009-06:002009-01-07T15:31:03.630-06:00On Going Home AgainRecently, Life Magazine released all of their photos online via Google. It's a remarkably large archive, and of course the first thing I did was search for <a href="http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&q=university+of+michigan+football+source%3Alife&btnG=Search+Images" target="_blank">University of Michigan Football</a>. That didn't exactly provide a motherlode of shots. But when I <a href="http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&q=university+of+michigan+source%3Alife&btnG=Search+Images">dropped the word football</a>, all kinds of interesting aspects of life in Ann Arbor were revealed. Student nurses supervising while sick <a href="http://images.google.com/hosted/life/l?imgurl=874743b60829d527&q=university+of+michigan++nurse+source:life&usg=__w6oySPBRVccCn9esKISDDvw1EBY=&prev=/images%3Fq%3Duniversity%2Bof%2Bmichigan%2B%2Bnurse%2Bsource:life%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DG" target="_blank">children play</a> with live animals. Young dudes gathering to <a href="http://images.google.com/hosted/life/l?imgurl=7e00b0aa6839c2de&q=university+of+michigan+source:life&usg=__Y5s7eTaqtFK2wEaePiob5gnY7EY=&prev=/images%3Fq%3Duniversity%2Bof%2Bmichigan%2Bsource:life%26start%3D40%26ndsp%3D20%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN" target="_blank">strum guitars</a> in a dorm stairwell. Young couples <a href="http://images.google.com/hosted/life/l?imgurl=118cbc3a0711e808&q=university+of+michigan+source:life&usg=__DmZ6MJWY5EyFtAxkpZUi4X0OpJU=&prev=/images%3Fq%3Duniversity%2Bof%2Bmichigan%2Bsource:life%26start%3D40%26ndsp%3D20%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN" target="_blank">openly defying</a> the town's "kissing ban". And of course, excited students cheering for some reason:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjky4GIHq0ZIbn6Nf2YNGpRmRXfK_kl3RmzV3iErc6GydNpBIWDnEzVuUL4u0Tvra04YQG5WTcD6bNCgIzESsTSe1roQM0NNypzONMFgqZyyXYWN0Q3rY9IK3xjLkGtJ-t-Oxe2B12e9mY/s1600-h/c.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 277px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjky4GIHq0ZIbn6Nf2YNGpRmRXfK_kl3RmzV3iErc6GydNpBIWDnEzVuUL4u0Tvra04YQG5WTcD6bNCgIzESsTSe1roQM0NNypzONMFgqZyyXYWN0Q3rY9IK3xjLkGtJ-t-Oxe2B12e9mY/s400/c.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5271957480647526450" border="0" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >Dude in the glasses seems less enthused, but his hands are gigantic!</span></div><br />It's neat to see all these things because even though they're from over fifty years ago, they remind you what college is all about. The times were different, and therefore so were the standards. But the goals were the same. Maturing to adulthood in such a place is a luxury, one that often takes a long time to appreciate. It's a big part of why we watch college football in the first place - to remind ourselves of those salad days.<br /><br />I came back from Argentina this weekend, in large part to return to my college town, reunite with old friends, and cheer on the team one last time this season. Perhaps foolishly, and perhaps because I haven't seen but four of the games, I thought that we had a chance to compete in this one. That we had played better on the road is where I hung my faith. Catching a glimpse at the still-in-progress Michigan Stadium gave me pause. "How can a team play in front of girders and expect to succeed? No wonder they stink here." From nearly the beginning of this game, however, what I saw appalled me. Like many other bloggers, I have understood the need for patience this season. But in the last game of the year, against our rival, it was a pathetic display. We all know that there is a limit to the team's talent. But they looked disorganized and passionless to me.<br /><br />A tradition for us at this reunion is to visit the old college homestead, drop off some fresh beer for whoever happens to reside there now, and briefly reminisce about who passed out where. For the first time, we were not allowed inside. They wouldn’t even accept the free beer. Maybe that’s OK. When I was in college, we never lost 42-7 to Ohio State. Actually, we beat them three out of four years. This rejection was perhaps indicative of how the mood has soured. Stewart Mandel claims that Michigan’s <a href="http://www.fannation.com/si_blogs/the_sweep/posts/26161" target="_blank">players didn’t “buy in”</a> to Rodriguez’s system and his efforts this year have resulted in nothing but failure. Meanwhile, <a href="http://mgoblog.com/content/sunk-costs" target="_blank">Brian defends the plan</a>, and <a href="http://www.maizenbrew.com/2008/11/24/668935/turn-the-page-ohio-state-t" target="_blank">Dave stares off into the future</a> with calm acceptance. I am afraid to say that after this game, I am inclined to agree with Stewart. My long-term hopes have soured a bit. I cannot blame a loss like this on talent disparity alone. Something is wrong.<br /><br />When out at a bar in the after-aftermath, I talked to a girl who claimed to be friends with members of the team. She commented that when the team stays in their hotel for home games, they have bed-check at 11pm. Then some of the players invite their friends over to party. This woman seemed a credible source, though who knows if she has any idea what she's talking about. Consider this hearsay and rumormongering at this point. Then again, what kind of team plays so horribly at home? Perhaps the girders have nothing to do with it. If this is true, it is obviously unacceptable behavior. That’s all I’ll say about a rumor impossible for me to verify.<br /><br />I used to hold up my four years of college as the unluckiest in modern Michigan fan history. After going undefeated the year before, we lost four games every season I was a student. We didn't beat Northwestern once. And the year after, the team won a National Championship. But the pain felt by current seniors has clearly trumped anything I endured. Right now, today, Michigan isn't really Michigan. That's a very sad thing.<br /><br />But hey, they can't take the past away from us. We'll always have <a href="http://images.google.com/hosted/life/l?imgurl=c1fa60a7edc5bec8&q=university+of+michigan+football+source:life&usg=__5wYfgQyKe7st88YccoU8MT-7-TY=&prev=/images%3Fq%3Duniversity%2Bof%2Bmichigan%2Bfootball%2Bsource:life%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DG" target="_blank">Tom Harmon</a> and Charles Woodson and that time we stole the chairs from Burger King and used them in the kitchen all year. This season's over, and frankly I don't want to think about it ever again. The past may only be so much use, but I'll take it because right now, it's all we have.<div><script type="text/javascript">var addthis_pub="fishbone97";</script><br /><a expr:name='data:post.title' expr:id='data:post.url' onmouseover='return addthis_open(this, "", this.id, this.name);' onmouseout='addthis_close()' onclick='return addthis_sendto()'><img src="http://s7.addthis.com/static/btn/lg-share-en.gif" width="125" height="16" border="0" alt="" style="border:0"/></a><script type="text/javascript" src="http://s7.addthis.com/js/152/addthis_widget.js"></script></div>Reedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14989379631083901130noreply@blogger.com2