The SoapBoxers

I’ve been a sports fan nearly all my life.  Here are my favorite sports moments.  I’ve included an “embezzler’s dozen” – my 11 favorite moments.

1. Holliday Slides Into Playoffs – You seen the play a million times.  Matt Holliday slides toward home, Michael Barrett drops the ball.  The ump calls Holliday safe.  The one thing that you can definitely say is that Holliday was not out on the play – he was not tagged before being ruled safe.  Further, even if he had been called out, all would not have been lost.  The Rockies would have been tied 8-8 with two outs, Todd Helton on base, Brad Hawpe (.926 OPS that year) at the plate, and a very shaky Trevor Hoffman on the mound.  Then there’s the can of worms about Garrett Atkins’ “double” in the 7th inning.  If that is properly called a homer, the Rockies would have won the game 8-6 in 9 innings.

I was chatting online with Bob Inferapels during much of the game.  When the Padres scored twice in the top of the 13th to take an 8-6 lead (and ace closer Hoffman was on the way in from the pen) Bob offered his sympathy.  My response was (paraphrased) “Yeah, Hoffman’s good, so it will be hard to rally – but we do have the heart of the lineup coming up, so you never know.”  Indeed.

2. Kosmo Races Three Miles in One Day, Lives to Tell About It – During my final two years of high school, I was a member of the track team.  I ran the mile with a lot of heart, but not a great deal of skill.  At the final meet of my senior year, I asked my coach if I could also run the two mile.  We have a tiny track team, so he said “sure”.  Mind you, I had never trained for this distance.

How did I do?  Not very well – but I did finish the race, and I did beat one person.  Later in the meet, I ran the mile.  I was completely gassed from the two mile earlier in the meet, and ran one of the slowest miles in my career.  Nonetheless, it was a great feeling of accomplishment.  The kicker?  It was the only meet my parents were able to attend.

3. Helton’s Hat Trick – I have been to two Rockies games in my life.  The first was at Wrigley Field when I was living in Illinois.  The second was during a trip to Colorado with my girlfriend at the time (now my wife).  We had seats a half dozen rows back of third base.  Lovely seats (and pretty reasonably priced).

The game was on May 29, 2003.  The Rockies were playing their hated rivals, the LA Dodgers.

In the first inning, Todd Helton – my favorite Rockie at the time – hit a homer.  In the third inning, he picked up a single.  In the fourth, Helton homered again.  In the fifth, he made an out.  In the eight, he capped off the scoring with another homer.  Total damage for the day – 4 hits in 5 at bats, 3 homers, 4 runs scored, 4 runs batted in a 12-5 romp.  It was one of only two times in his career that Helton had three homers in a game.

4. Matsui’s Slam – Kaz Matsui hit 4 homers during the 2007 regular season.  So when he came to the plate in the 4th inning of game of game two of the 2007 NLDS with the bases loaded and the Rockies down 3-2, Kyle Lohse probably wasn’t particularly worried.  But Kaz Mat launched a grand slam that propelled the Rockies to a 10-5 win en route a sweep of the Phillies.

5. Blythe Beats Nebraska – My all-time favorite Iowa State football player is former wide receiver Todd Blythe.  On November 6, 2004, he lit up the Nebraska Cornhuskers for 188 yards on 8 catches – in the first half.  Unfortunately, he went into half time with an injury and was unable to pad his stats in the second half as the Cyclones held on fora 34-27 win.

6. Cyclones Beat Hawks, Cold – In 2001, I bought season tickets to Iowa State football (at a discount for recent alums) and sold off all but one ticket – holding on to the ticket to the September 15th game against in-state rival Iowa.  Then the September 11th attacks happened, and the game was delayed until November 24th.  It was cold.  The Cyclones took a 14-0 lead into half time and hung on for a 17-14 win.  This was the only time I’ve been in the crowd for a win against Iowa.  It was awesome.

7. Wallace Goes Long Distance for TD – In a 2002 game against Texas Tech, Cyclone quarterback Seneca Wallace scored on a 12 yard run.  Well, officially a 12 yard run.  Wallace actually ran about 120 yards on the play, traversing the field as he tried to find a clear route to pay dirt.  The win against Texas Tech pushed Iowa State’s record to 6-1 (the only loss being a controversial one to Florida State in the first game on the season).  Iowa State was in the top 10 (for the first time EVER) and  Wallace was routinely receiving this sort of praise.  The ‘Clones would unfortunately lose 6 of the final 7 games (not helped by games against four teams in the top 15 during that span, all on the road).  But it was a lot of fun while it lasted.

8. Sanderson Caps off a Perfect Career – Cael Sanderson put the entire sports of wrestling on the map during his unblemished college career.  In the 2002 finals, he beat Jon Trenge of Lehigh 12-4 to finish his career 159-0 with 4 national titles.  Trenge was no slouch – although he never won an NCAA title, he finished in the top three on three occasions.

Fittingly, as I listened to Cael’s final bout on the radio, I was pulling into Ames for a visit (see next item).

9. Kosmo on ESPN – In the late 90s and early 00s, I was a regular at women’s NCAA tournaments.  Ames (home to my alma mater, Iowa State) often hosted games.  Tickets were relatively cheap, the games were entertaining, and it was a good excuse to go back and visit Ames.  On March 25, 2002, I was in the stands to see Tennessee knock off Vanderbilt in the regional final.

During the game, some of the lower seats became vacant.  I was at the game with The Crunchy Conservative‘s brother, and we decided to sneak down into the good seats.  We scored some serious camera time on ESPN (cross “be featured on ESPN” off the bucket list), including this shot which makes it appear as if I am coaching Vanderbilt (in actuality, their coach is stooped over, out of sight of the camera).  That’s me between #21 and #13 and Crunchy’s brother in the white hat to my left.

10. Hawks Beat Michigan – For the first part of my life, I was actually a fan of the Iowa Hawkeyes.  My wife jokingly (??) calls me a traitor for changing to Iowa State, even though I’ve been an Iowa State fan for more than 17 years now.

The defining football moment of my youth was on October 19, 1985.  As the rest of the family was going into the house to get ready for church, I was standing atop a five gallon bucket in the barn (the only place where I could hear the radio very well).  With two seconds remaining in the game, #2 Michigan held a 10-9 lead over #1 Iowa.  Iowa kicker Rob Houghtlin lined up for a 35 yard field goal – and drilled it!

Alas, the Hawkeyes would not finish the season undefeated, suffering a defeat to Ohio State in Columbus two weeks later (and then a dismantling by UCLA in the Rose Bowl).  If you’re wondering why I hate Ohio State, look no further.

11. Karlis Kicks Vikes to Victory – This one is a favorite just because it is so quirky.  On the surface, a 23-21 football game doesn’t seem out of the ordinary.  But this game, on November 5, 1989 between the Vikings and Rams (then still in LA) was not ordinary.  At the end of regulation, the score was 21-21.  The Rams had scored on a Jim Everett touchdown pass and two short runs by Greg Bell.

Rich Karlis had provided all of the fireworks for the Vikings.

Rich Karlis was the kicker.  He had belted a record-tying 7 field goals in the game (including 5 of fewer than 30 yards).

Think it couldn’t get any crazier?  The Vikings won the game when Mike Merriweather blocked a punt out of the end zone for a safety.  Merriweather obviously didn’t understand the rule about punts being blocked out of the end zone (I guess he thought it would be a touchback and go back to the Rams on the 20?) as he was visibly distraught after the play.

 

Those are my favorite sports moments – what are yours?

Matt Holliday

Matt Holliday recently finalized his contract with the St. Louis Cardinals.  This definitely solidifies Holliday in the #2 spot on my baseball preference rankings.  I was extremely pleased to see Holliday stay with the Cardinals rather than ending up in Boston or New York (especially New York).

If Holliday puts up strong numbers with the Cardinals, it should tear down a bit of the stigma Coors Field.  While Holliday always put up strong very strong home numbers compared to his road numbers, his home/road splits were not in line with other Rockies hitters – they were much more dramatic.  This would indicate that some other factor was coming into play.  My personal thought is that he simply was more comfortable at home than on the road.  While hitters typically produce an OPS 31 points higher at home that on the road, this varies greatly.  Some hitters thrive at home while others wilt under the pressure of playing in front of the home crowd.  Holliday is a home thriver – as evidenced by his 2009 home/road split of .982/.830.  That’s a monstrous split – and clearly had nothing to do with Coors Field.

Holliday’s contract has an eighth year (at $17 million) that would vest if he finishes in the top 10 in National League MVP voting in 2016 (if it doesn’t vest, it becomes a team option).  While vesting options aren’t unprecedented, they usually vest based on some statistic such as plate appearances (hitters) or innings pitched (pitchers).  In this case, Holliday’s option is in the hands of the Baseball Writers of America, who vote on the awards.  He could have a great year in 2016 and still not crack the top 10.  On the flip side, this is a great deal far the Cardinals.  It’s hard to imagine a situation where Holliday would finish in the top 10 and not be worthy of the $17 million option.

Kurt Warner

The Arizona Cardinals were bounced out of the playoff by the top NFC seed, the New Orleans Saints, on Saturday.  Warner suffered a hard hit while trying to track down a defender who intercepted one of his passes and finished with lackluster numbers (17-26, 205, 0 TD, 1 INT).

After the game, the discussion about a potential retirement began again.  If the Saints game ends up the career finale for Warner, it would be a shame.  The prior week’s game against the Green Bay Packers would have been a more fitting end to a Hall of Fame career.  In that game, Warner completed 29 of 33 passes for 379 yards and 5 TDs without being intercepted.  That performance corresponded to a rating of 154.1.  The NFL’s convoluted rating formula (which takes into account completion percentages, yards per attempt, touchdown percentage and interception percentage) tops out at 158.33, making that performance nearly perfect.

I’m a big fan of Warner’s.  Most fans know his story.  He started for only one season at division 1-AA Northern Iowa, wasn’t drafted by and NFL team, and ended up stocking shelves in a grocery store at one point (for a grand wage of $5.50 per hour).  After lighting up the Arena League and NFL Europe, before getting a chance to be a backup quarterback for the St. Louis Rams.  When started Trent Green went down to an injury during the 1999 pre-season, Warner stepped up and led the Rams to a spectacular season, capped off with a Super Bowl victory.  Two years later, the Rams lost a heartbreaker in another Super Bowl.  Injuries eventually forced Warner out of St. Louis.  He landed with the New York Giants as the tutor for Eli Manning.  He then signed with the hapless Arizona Cardinals – before leading them also to a Super Bowl (alas, another heartbreaking defeat).  Now, at age 38, he seems to be a lock for the Hall of Fame.

Off the field, Warner is a devout Christian and is heavily involved in many charities.

I have a few more reasons to like Kurt Warner.  First of all, I have met the man, and he definitely appears to be the genuine article.  My wife is a Rams fan, and we attended a few training camps.  Warner would sit at a table for hours signing autographs and posing for pictures.  Very cool.

Second, Warner is a native Iowan, and we stick together.  He’s on my Mt. Rushmore.

Finally, Warner led me to a title in the first fantasy football league title in 1999.  In the first game of that season, one of my quarterbacks got hurt.  On a lark, I picked up Warner.  I grew up about 50 miles from the campus of Northern Iowa, so I was familiar with him.  When Warner exploded into a flurry of mind-blowing statistics, I went along for the ride.

I’m asking for your opinion today.  What do you think is the absolute worst rule in all of sports?  (Please avoid submitting anything related to Calvinball).

My vote goes to the NCAA rule that I dub “down without contact”.  A player can slip and fall when he is twenty yards from the nearest opposing player, and by rule he is down at that spot.  The the Texas-Nebraska Big XII championship game, this happened to a Texas kick returner at a very late stage in the game, and pinned Texas deep in their own territory.

Seriously.  These guys are elite athletes.  Let them jump back to their feet and continue to run until someone actually tackles them.

OK, your turn – what’s your least favorite rule?

This is the worst week for sports this time of year. No college football….does anyone else feel the same way.

So with nothing really FUN to talk about here are a few quick hits this week in the world of sports.

Roy Halladay vs Cliff Lee. The baseball pundits are already spinning their webs on this one. I like Halladay more, much much more. He has been in the brutal American League East for years pitching on bad teams and dominating the competition. He will go to the National League and be totally dominating, even more so than he has been. Cliff Lee …. two seasons does not a career make.

Jake Locker – What are you doing? You have the chance to be the number one overall pick in the NFL draft according to some of the experts. Come back for your senior year for the Huskies? It is not like your team is going to contend for the National Title or even Rose Bowl for that matter. Take the money and run kid. Even if you have a good year in 2010 you are STILL going to get drafted high by a crappy team in the NFL, and the money won’t be near as good one Goodell restructures the rookie contracts this off-season.

Tiger Woods – Just when you thought you had heard it all, now possible ties to doctors that have prescribed steroids and HGH to the likes of Marion Jones and A-Rod. Could it get any worse for Eldrick? Can’t wait to see what transpires with this story in the next couple of days.

Toby Gerhart once again proves the East and Southeast bias in the media is alive and well. We have too many folks voting for the Heisman. How you can have Colt McCoy ahead of Gerhard on ANY ballot is a crime. I am still not convinced Ingram is the best candidate but I do think the person that should have won the award got jobbed.

And now the all obvious NFL comments of the week

Will everyone on ESPN quit talking about the Dallas Cowboys? We get it already, they don’t win in December. We can watch our Plasma big screens and figure that one out by ourselves.

Here is another news flash, Randy Moss appears frustrated and played like a pouting four year old on this past Sunday. Have we heard this story before.

And while we are at it … Will the Colts sit their players? Will the Saints sit their players? Who freaking cares? They are both going to the playoffs. Just as long as I don’t have to listen to another crappy 1972 Dolphins and drinking Champagne reference over the next couple of weeks.

Here is hoping next week has better “and fresher” stories to talk about

Bah Humbug!

I know that I was brought to this site to primarily discuss the pleasures and stresses of writing, but I am also a man. This article will focus on one of my favorite and most painful pastime, professional football, specifically the Pittsburgh Steelers. I was born in Pittsburgh and am old enough to remember the bad years before Chuck Noll, the Super ‘70s, the dreadful ‘80s, the resurgent ‘90s and the return to super over the last few years.

The collapse that the various talking heads are discussing can be attributed to several things.

Some are claiming that coach Tomlin won Super Bowl XLIII using coach Cowher’s team. In some ways this may be true, but we must remember that essentially the same team had a losing season the last year of coach Cowher’s reign. It will not truly be Tomlin’s team until year five, we are in year three.

Some are suggesting that coach Tomlin has been too easy on the team, especially the veterans. Again, this is partially true. The fans and pundits are going to have to come to the realization that some of the stars on this team are going to retire either at the end of this year or next year (they have all been playing 10 years or more). This exodus will affect the defense somewhat more than the offense as Hampton (NT), Hoke (NT), Smith (DE), Kirschke (DE), Townsend (CB), Carter (SS) and Farrior (ILB) are all approaching the end of their careers. The offense will definitely suffer when Ward (WR) decides he is done. If coach had run these guys though the toughest practices, they would not have made it this far without serious injury.

As we look at what has gone wrong, we can see holes in every facet of the game. There have been more kick returns for touchdowns and yards than any other team. Admittedly, they have faced the best returners in the league (e.g. Cribbs-CLE twice). Continuing with the special teams, the punting is back in line, just coverage has holes. Field goals are solid and kick offs also good, just coverage. My recommendation is to look for free agents that can be better on coverage. The guys we have are good, but not good enough.

Moving to defense, all looks good until the fourth quarter. This can be attributed to injury (e.g. Polamolu), but I believe that the aging core of the defense is a larger factor in the late game collapses. There is also the lack of breaks. This year has seen a drop in the number of tipped balls landing in the hands of the various linebackers, safeties and corners. There has also been a dramatic decline in forced fumbles and as a result fumble recoveries. The team has to really focus on defense on the off season. This will sound odd to most people who follow the game since the Steelers are still rated so high in defense. That rating is misleading, just look at the results after having leads in the fourth quarter.

In addition, it may be time for coach Dick LeBeau to retire. This is sacrilege to most Steelers fans and most pundits. This is not a condemnation of his talents. It is simply a recognition that he has far too many disciples in the ranks of the defensive coaches throughout the league. One of the biggest problems of continuous success is imitation and careful study.

On the offense, most of the blame will rightfully fall on the line. These guys have simply been outclassed for two years now. The staff did little to sure up the line in the off season, by draft or trade. When even the Cleveland Browns can get eight sacks, there is an issue. This is not the only problem. The lack of a running game has forced more passing, giving opponents many more opportunities to get at the quarterback. Mendenhall has recovered nicely from his injury, but does not have the outside speed to keep defenses honest, and Parker simply has not recovered his acceleration since his knee injury two years ago. Moore is not a premier back, although he does make things interesting. I am not suggesting that the backs need to be replaced, they just need to heal. For that matter, Roethlisberger needs to heal as well. The true actions are to find some key players for the line. It may be as simple as one or two players. This can be seen by the dramatic drop of talent with the departure of Alan Faneca after Super Bowl XL.

Now I am done ranting about the failings of the team. Many will accuse me of being a defeatist, but this season is done. No team with a 9 and 7 record will make the playoffs, and the Steelers have three tough games left. My final recommendations are as follows;

1. Sit Ben in favor of Dennis Dixon. I don’t believe that this will result in more wins, it will give Ben a chance to heal and Dennis a chance to get experience for the next time he is needed to step up due to injury or any other reason.
2. Only play Hines in the first half. This will keep him at the top of his game and give him rest. This will also give some of the other receivers more time on the field. Sweed needs to used or dropped. Logan needs more time beyond returns. Wallace has proven he is a starter. These are the guys practicing with Dixon anyway, so give them time, they are the future.
3. Don’t let Troy play until the Miami game. Make him sit and heal, this will be hard since he is such a passionate player. Roll in the back up linebackers from the special teams to get them into the fold. Again, Farrior is coming to the end of his career, the younger guys need the playing time.
4. Put some veterans in for return coverage. Their example can help the younger players maintain their lanes and assignments.

I confess that I have never played the game, nor have I ever coached. I do not expect coaches Tomlin, Arians, or LeBeau to take my recommendations. This is the United States of America. Everyone here has the right to their own opinion, that is the right of free speech. No one has the right to be listened to, so I have to accept what I can not change.

Texas football coach Mack Brown recently got a raise and will earn $5 million per year.  Several college football coaches make more than $3 million per year.  These coaches make considerably more than the athletic directors and university presidents who are their superiors.  Are they worth the money?

Let’s take a look.  I’ll use a local example – $3 million per year coach Kirk Ferentz of the University of Iowa Hawkeyes  – as a case study.  Iowa is a successful, but not elite, program.  They frequently contend for conference titles, but aren’t at the same level as teams like Florida and Texas who are constantly in discussions for the national title.  They have a devoted fan base, but when the team falls on hard times, they fail to sell out the stadium.

How many more tickets will a team sell if they have a successful coach (let’s say, one who makes $3 million per year) versus a coach that has lackluster results and makes $500,000?  I’ll say that this can be 10,000 or more tickets.

In our case study, the Hawkeyes topped 70,000 in average home attendance in 1991 and 1992.  The 1991 Iowa team finished 10-1-1, while the 1992 team was 5-7 (but would have pre-sold many tickets on the basis on the 1991 team’s success).  In 2000, the team drew an average of just 61,123 fans per home game, due to lackluster seasons in 1998 (3-8), 1999 (1-10), and 2000 (3-9).  Legendary coach Hayden Fry had ridden off into the sunset following the 1989 season, and new coach Kirk Ferentz took over a program in need of rebuilding.

By 2004, the success of the team had once again caused the attendance to top 70,000 – topping out at a capacity average attendance of 70,585.  This represents an increase of 9,462 fans above the 1991 low water mark.  You’ll notice that this is less than the 10,000 figure I mentioned above.  However, we also don’t know how far attendance would have dropped if the team had kept losing.  The 61,123 figure from 2000 may have become a stepping stone along to path to a sub-50,000 average attendance.  For the sake of this case study, we’ll use the 9,462 figure with the knowledge that this will most likely produce a conservative estimate.  Most teams in BCS conferences play seven homes games, so that means that a good Iowa team can sell 66,444 more tickets than a bad Iowa team.

The University of Iowa’s season ticket price in 2009 was $339 ($48.42 per game).  So, how much revenue did those 66,444 tickets generate?  $3,217,218.48 – with negligible marginal cost to the University.  There’s more cash where that came from, though.  Let’s estimate $750,000 ($11.29 per person) in concession stand revenue from brats, nachos, popcorn, soda, and other high margin items.

Successful teams can also tap into a larger revenue stream outside the stadium.  A team’s hard core fans will always buy t-shirts and coffee mugs, but a successful run means that more fair-weather fans (and every team has them) will jump on the bandwagon.  Then there is the issue of money from donors.  Successful teams attract considerably more money from donors.  Every dollar a donor puts toward a project is a dollar the university can save.

Kirk Ferentz is worth the money – no doubt about it.  The revenue increase more than offsets his $3 million salary.

Am I suggesting that a successful football coach has more importance in society than a university president – or, for that matter, a social worker?  No.  But from a pure economic standpoint, hiring a successful football coach can often be worth the money.

Did you find this article interesting?  You may also like my article that asks “Should College Athletes Be Paid?“

A lot of water cooler talk around the offices this week after the games this past weekend.  Today, Johnny Goodman looks to find the truth about many of the issues in College football.

Fact- Alabama and Texas will play in the BCS Championship game

Truth- yep I can’t come up with another argument here.  These are the two most deserving teams and I have no beef with that

Fact:  Alabama beat Florida soundly

Truth:  Florida really isn’t that good.  Who have they beaten or dominated all year.  Heck I think the SEC is terribly overrated this year.  A lot of good teams yes, a lot of GREAT teams?  C’mon…no way…This conference gets more verbal blow than anything and it is totally unfounded this year.  Play a bowl game or better yet a nonconference road game outside of the southeast sometime.  What is your conference record the last 51 times you have left the southeast?  25-26.  Overrated!!!!

Fact:  Mack Brown was named Big XII 2009 AP Coach of the year

Truth:  Did you watch the Texas vs. Nebraska game?  Then tell me which team imposed their will and their style of play and was :01 away from pulling off the upset as a 15 point underdog.  Coach of the year?  This guy can’t coach at all.  If Tom Osborne would have had the talent Texas gets every year in their program the Huskers would have had about five more national titles during his tenure.  Mack Brown is a average coach in arguably the easiest place to land fantastic recruits.  Saturday night was just another example of that.  His total and complete mis-management of the game clock at the end of the game almost prevented his kicker from having a shot at the game winning kick and the Horns from a shot in the BCS title game.  This guy is the luckiest coach ever…but he isn’t even in the top three coaches in his own conference.  Frankly I am surprised that Texas fans are not piling on about this right now.  After they get wood-shedded by Alabama, maybe they will be.

Fact: Cincinnati deserves to be playing in the BCS game against Alabama

Truth – you gave up a forty spot to Pittsburgh?  The argument stops there.  The Panthers are not exactly an offensive juggernaut.  Brian Kelly likely is gone to Notre Dame, and bad coaching by Wannestadt might make it a certainty now.  The Bearcats are good, but top 3 in the county???….nope.

Fact:  The refs put back one second on the clock in the Big XII title game

Truth:  They did get this one right although I hate to admit it being a Husker fan.  If time expired it would have made LSU coaching buffoon moves at the end of the game a few weeks ago look like no big deal.  The Truth also is that the #3 team was lucky to escape and was dominated by a team with a far superior defense who unfortunately for them has an offense that would barely be effective in your kids Pop Warner league.

Fact:  This year is a toss-up for the Heisman Trophy

Truth – Nebraska’s Ndamukong Suh should win the award but won’t.  Lets run down the top candidates here.  Tim Tebow – nope –  lost last game and cried on the sideline.  There is no crying in Football Timmy! – and had average statistical year, Colt McCoy, laid an egg in final game and last second (literally) gaffe almost cost team a shot at the title game.  Jimmy Clausen – hardly.  Mark Ingram – you can’t get pulled in the next to last game for being ineffective and win THIS award.  Toby Gerhart – I could see this as I think he has been most consistent – Suh –has been dominating in every big game for the Huskers defense which is very good.  He had 4.5 sacks and 12 tackles – 8 for losses – an numerous hurries in the Big XII title game.  Can you honestly say there is a better or more dominating player in the country this year?

As we had into the college bowl season, (which is coincidentally the best time of the year bar none) I have a few predictions from the cheap seats this week.

The Pac 10 conference technically does not have a championship game, but they do this year. Oregon and Oregon State play in the Civil War. The winner goes to the Rose Bowl. The loser … who the heck knows! Now I am the first to admit that huge rivalry games are tough to predict. Just look at Texas A&M giving Texas all they wanted last week, or Auburn nearly knocking off Alabama. Basically no team is safe in a huge rivalry game.

Oregon is playing too well in my opinion, and are more two dimensional in the run and the pass compared to the Beavers. I give the edge to the Ducks and whatever horrific uniforms Nike decides to sport them in this week. Oregon 41, Oregon State 28

Texas will play host ( who is anyone kidding) to the Nebraska Cornhuskers in the Big XII title game held at Jerry’s place in Dallas. Anyone who thinks this is not a home game for the Longhorns is smoking something. The Cornhuskers have been put on a pedestal all week about how great their defense is, and how they will give the Longhorns all they want. Two things give Texas trouble … a mobile quarterback and a team that is willing to take deep shots in the passing game early and often. Nebraska has neither of these things. Even being the Husker Homer that I am, I see a woodshed job here … Texas 42, Nebraska 7

Now we go to the game that everyone in SEC country is waiting for and everyone else is tired of hearing about. Florida and Alabama. This one is close to call but the difference could be the DUI arrest of Carlos Dunlap, who is arguably one of the better defensive players Florida has. Could this be the difference? I hate to pick a winner in this game because I really don’t like either team. So I will go with the Crimson Tide, who I think has a better defense and can grind it at the Gators on the ground, in a close low scoring battle Bama 17, Florida 14

One last note, if you are sports fans are looking for an interesting read, check out Jason Peter’s book Hero of the Underground. It is graphic it is definitive and it is raw and I am guessing lightly edited straight from his mouth account of football, and his spiral in to drug use while in the NFL. It is an easy but entertaining read.

What a week of bad coaching moves in football, at least some perceived coaching moves. The one getting the most scrutiny on ESPN and all of the local talk shows was New England’s Head Coach Bill Bellicheck’s decision to go for it with a fourth and two from his own 28 yard line. Mind you the Patriots had a 6 point lead at the time. What is lost is that the guy on the other side of the ball you are punting too, Peyton Manning, has just led the Indianapolis Colts on two quick scoring drives. Manning seems to have figured it out, he is in a groove.

I don’t mind the coaches decision here although he has gotten roasted for it. If the Pats pick up the first down he looks like a genius and is heralded as a go for broke gunfighter coach with you know what made of steel. Ah, the fickle business of pleasing the masses.

In THE GAME between Yale and Harvard, there was even a worse decision. Yale decides to run a fake punt on fourth and twenty-two with a 3 point lead in the game. Yale was also the underdog in this match up. Fourth and cab fare???? Even if the fake works you have to pick up roughly a fourth of the field to get the first down. BOOOOOOO! Bad decision here that may have contributed to Yale losing the game.

The most inexcusable and worst thirty seconds of coaching I have ever witnessed took place in the LSU vs Ole Miss game. First of all they call horrible plays on second and third down and lose big yards, which take them out of potential game winning field goal range. Then the inexplicably fail to call time out and let 19 seconds run off the clock. The Tigers try a hail mary and pick up the first down and then have a measly one second left. Spiking the ball to kill the clock won’t work, not enough time. Nice job by Les throwing his QB under the bus telling him he wasn’t motioning him to spike it although television replays CLEARLY show he is motioning for this to happen from the sidelines. Where is your field goal unit read to run onto the field? Where is one of your assistants or players at while 19 seconds run off the clock and you just stand around, slowly letting it slip away, giving your team no opportunity to make a play at the end.

I am guessing LSU fans are almost as unhappy as Notre Dame fans right now, but for different reasons.

Brett Favre, Brett Favre, Brett Favre.

His name seems to be the only topic of conversation in the NFL lately.

Did the Packers end up better off, or the Vikings. The pundits will argue both teams have made off with just what they wanted. The Packers had been grooming young Aaron Rodgers to take over the QB role. He was ready. Favre was getting older and was in a continual bout of wavering about retirement. After all, Rodgers does have one of the highest passer ratings in the league in his first two years as a starter.

The Vikings had assembled a much better defense. Installing key parts such as Jared Allen. They have arguably the best running back in the league and a very good offensive line. Their receivers were nothing to write home about and the quarterback play had been marginal at best.

Enter Brett Favre.

The Vikings are 7-1 this year with their only loss coming against a tough Steelers team at their house. They have shown the ability to play great defense, and move the ball both in the air and on the ground. They are arguably the top team in the entire NFC.

The Packers? They have struggled a lot due mainly to injuries at running back, and at the offensive line. They are still trying to find continuity on offense and defensively they have been good but not great.

Lost in all of this is the Vikings really wanted the Packers all along, and the Vikings were likely prepared to give up quite a bit for him . If the Packers would have pursued a trade with the Vikings at the time, I am sure they would have been able to reap the benefits that could have brought them some additional young drafted talent, an area which in comparison to the Vikings right now, they just are flat lacking … talent overall talent.

But the Green and Gold could never trade their beloved quarterback to the hated division rival. The fans would not stand for it. The uproar would be unimaginable. Brett Favre playing for the Minnesota Vikings?

Guess it is working out pretty well for the Favre guy. The Vikings in the end have gotten what they wanted all along, and the Packer fans are still pissed off that Favre is wearing a Purple #4 now. But that is where he is, and likely where he will be for at least another year.

And in the meantime, the Viking fans love their teams chances to reach a Super Bowl.