RSSMonday topics: Sandy, Baseball, Football
Oct 29
Assorted Hurricane Sandy, Marcus Lattimore, World Series 2 Comments
Hurricane Sandy
Many in the northeast don’t have to go to work or school today. But that’s not a good thing. it’s because Hurricane Sandy is about to come ashore and could hammer the region for several days. Early estimates of damage are in the neighborhood of $50 billion – and those estimates may end up being conservative, based on the path of the storm. Sandy is a slow-moving storm, which is a horrible thing for a hurricane, and it means that the storm will dump rain on the region for a long period of time.
New Jersey governor Chris Christie put it best when he gave this succinct advice:
Don’t be stupid. Get out!
The Election
The timing of the storm also comes just a week before election day. President Obama’s performance in some battleground states – notably Virginia and North Carolina – could depend on how he handles reaction to the storm. There’s really not much Romney can do in this case, other than volunteer to fill sandbags somewhere. At this stage, he’s a private citizen and has no authority over emergency response.
For reasons that elude me, people continue to report on the national polling numbers. Maybe there’s more national interest in these numbers, but they are completely irrelevant. Large majorities in some states will make a candidate look good in the national polls, but doesn’t help them in the electoral college. The game is all about winning the battleground states. What the candidates do in Texas and California does absolutely nothing to move the needle.
World Series
Late Sunday night, the Giants finished off the Tigers in extra innings. This capped an incredible post-season run by the Giants. They are a hated rival of mine, but I applaud their ability to overcome a myriad of obstacles and win their second World Series in three years. Marco Scutaro drove in an ecstatically sliding Ryan Theriot with the winning run.
College Football
A notable story in college football this year is the poor performance by the Big 10 conference. In the latest BCS rankings, just a single Big 10 team made the rankings. (To avoid kicking my Big 10 friends while they are down, I won’t point out how many Big 12 teams are in the rankings. But it’s easy to find out.)
One wrinkle in the BCS is that a team from a non-automatic qualifier conference earns an automatic berth is they finish in the top 16 and also finish above the champion of any of the automatic qualifier conferences. (I think only one team can take advantage of this per year). Here are where some teams currently fit in the BCS standings:
- 19) Boise State
- 20) Nebraska (highest ranked Big 10 team)
- 25) Louisiana Tech
I like Boise State well enough, but I’m pulling for Louisiana Tech to crash the BCS party this year.
I’m also hoping for Notre Dame and Alabama to lose in the coming weeks. Maybe have a nice batch of losses for the SEC and end up with an LSU-Louisiana Tech BCS game …
The big injury news on Saturday was standout South Carolina running back Marcus Lattimore, who dislocated his knee and suffered ligament damage in the game against Tennessee. On the positive side, Lattimore did not break any bones. He could possibly sit out 2013 as a redshirt year and then return to the field for the Gamecocks in 2014.
NBA
Reigning sixth man of year James Harden was traded from the Thunder to the Rockets. Several picks and a few players were involved, but I’m not enough of an NBA fan to break down all the details. However, I find it interesting that Harden left Oklahoma City because of money. He’ll get a “max deal” of $60 million over four years from the Rockets. Harden was offered $55.5 million over 4 years from the Thunder?
Wouldn’t you take a few less dollar for the opportunity to chase some titles with Kevin Durant. (I guess I shouldn’t tell them that I like Durant – Durant!”)
Oct 29, 2012 @ 21:49:13
Just a couple of comments.
On hurricane Sandy, this is actually a small storm (I use to live on the golf coast and know what big storms are), the cost is going to be so high because of the density of population and commiserate higher value of infrastructure. I certainly hope no one gets hurt and they shouldn’t if they listen to instructions and stay out of harms way.
On the election, I am glad it will be over soon. I have been way over sampled since I live in Iowa.
On the World Series, again I am glad that it is over. I like baseball, even though my favorite team has been really bad for several (20) years now. I think the scheduling has gotten out of hand with the games possibly still being played in November, that is just not right.
On college Football, I am with you all the way. La Tech would be fun to watch. It would be a shame if too many Big XII teams are in the top 20 in the end, that might really upset the Big 10 fans. Lucky Nebraska joined, or the Big 10 would look even worse.
On the NBA trade, obviously for $60M, Harden is going to take Houston that last step to a championship, well maybe the playoffs. BTW, I am a Rockets Fan.
Oct 29, 2012 @ 22:14:22
Yes, the cost of the storm is largely due to location, as well as the fact that it’s fairly flow moving. In terms of intensity, there have been far worse storms to hit the US in recent years. However, a category 2 hitting the eastern seaboard is going to do more financial damage simply because of the density and value of the structures. I probably should have clarified that instead of assuming everyone understood. I have a more-than-casual interest in hurricanes – and you can probably guess why that is.
Well, some of the Big XII teams are going to fall out just because they are going to play each other, and someone has to lose those games.
Wisconsin lost their starting QB on Saturday. If they lose their final 3 games and Indiana goes 2-2 down the stretch, a 5-7 Indiana team (3-5 in conference) would go to the title game. They’d tie for 3rd with Wisconsin, but win the head-to-head (an upcoming game). Then, if they were to beat the western division champs, they’d earn an automatic berth to a BCS game with a 6-7 record.
At which point all hell would break lose.
Most likely, though, Wisconsin will be the eastern division champion.
I don’t follow the NBA much, but I like Royce White (former Iowa State player) and Jeremy Lin (because he’s an underdog).