I'm coming to you LIVE from radio row in Arlington, Texas! Boy, the weather here sucks! Wait, I got confused. I'm actually coming to you live from my couch as I watch UW-Purdue on my big screen. The weather however, does in fact suck, although somehow Green Bay is missing the brunt of the blizzard that is hitting southern Wisconsin. The weather is actually not all that different here than it is in Dallas. And media people HATE it. I know because I heard local and national people bitch about it all day, and I didn't really watch or listen to that much stuff today. Here is a glimpse inside my slowly decaying mind today:
-They have awful weather in Dallas right now, and it made me think of three things: 1) It SUCKS to be one of the semi-normal people that cashed in your 401(k) to follow the Packers, only to have weather fuck up your trip. Can you imagine dropping $3k on a pair of plane tickets and then sit in the airport for two days? Jesus. Or to drive through this shit to Dallas. This is costing "normal", hard working Americans thousands of dollars they can't afford. I'm not kidding that there are probably thousands of people from this area who are putting off retiring for five years, or not paying for their kids to go to college because of this game. And many are getting fucked by mother nature right now. She is a dirty whore. Anyway, I hope you all make it safe, and you still find a way to drink 31 beers at Cowboy Stadium. The rich people that are having "difficulties" can suck my dick. Make your butler drive you there in your stretch Hummer or something. There will still be a Super Bowl for you next year (right?); 2) They are going to hold the Super Bowl at an OUTDOOR stadium in NEW YORK in FEBRUARY? This is absurd. You have been playing the Super Bowl in nice weather or domes for 45 years, and now you are going to chance a blizzard? Really NFL? Can you imagine the bitching and moaning if the media had to stand OUTSIDE in below zero weather? As much as I like January football in the elements, I'm starting to not like the idea of a Super Bowl in bad weather, because...3) I feel so fortunate that this game isn't going to be outdoors with this weather, because of the way the Packers seem to thrive, at least this team, which is by passing and timing. Weather can mess that up. I just feel more confident in controlled confines with this team. I'm not saying we couldn't win this game outdoors, I'm just happy it isn't.
-Reporter: "Did you hear from He Who Shall Not Be Named, or did you call him?", Rodgers: "No." Rodgers' tone: "Why would you ask me such a stupid fucking question. Don't you get that the guy is a prick and always has been? Are your really getting paid for this shit? If he called me, I would send him a picture of my middle finger, and then a picture of me fucking his daughter."
-Did anyone hear that the Steelers have been in Super Bowls recently? And the Packers haven't? And it pretty much means that the Steelers will win 73-0 unless Ray Nitchke comes back from the dead and plays middle linebacker? I think I've heard it enough. And I don't think it means shit. In fact, I'm going to do some research on Pro Football Reference. Here is what I did. I consider a Super Bowl team to have "experience" if they played in at least one SB in the last three years. Any longer than that means most guys on the team probably weren't around. Here is the list of Experienced v. Non-Experienced: (ED NOTE AFTER THE FACT: I honestly did not doctor these in any way to come up with a conclusion I wanted)
SBI: GB (Ex.) over KC
II: GB (Ex) over Oak
IV: KC (Ex) over Min (YEAH BITCH!)
V: Bal (Ex) over Dal
VI: Dal (Ex) over Mia
VII: Mia (Ex) over Was
VIII: Mia (Ex) over Min (HEHE)
IX: Pit over Min (Ex) (I would kill myself if the Packers lost 3 SB in 6 years)
X: Pit (Ex) over Dal
XI: Oak over Min (Ex) (Or 4 in 8)
XII: Dal (Ex) over Den
XIV: Pit (Ex) over Rams
XXII: Was over Den (Ex)
XXVI: Was over Buf (Ex)
XXVII: Dal over Buf (Ex)
XXX: Dal (Ex) over Pit
XXXII: Den over GB (Ex)
XXXIII: Den (Ex) over Atl
XXXVI: NE over Stl (Ex)
XXXVIII: NE (Ex) over Car
XXXIX: NE (Ex) over Phi
XLII: NYG over NE (Ex)
XLIV: NO over Ind (Ex)
So it has happened a lot more than I thought. 23 times in 44 years one of the teams had "experience" and the other didn't. The "experienced" team is 14-9. What I was interested in knowing, is of those 14 wins, how many times was the experienced team the favorite based on point spread? Answer: When the experienced team won, they were favored 11 times. Point spread is not a perfect indicator of who is better, but it is a pretty decent tool. To me, this means that only THREE times in Super Bowl history, did a team that was "experienced" beat a team with no experience that was better. (Super Bowls IV, V and VII). And it hasn't been done since Super Bowl VII which was in 1973.
So what does this mean? It means that Green Bay is considered, based on point spread, to be the better team. Experience hasn't mattered in this situation since 1973. I think history is on Green Bay's side.
Showing posts with label The argument against this is stupid and wrong. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The argument against this is stupid and wrong. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
No Way
Also, Bill Hancock, executive director of the BCS, is an idiot. SHOCKED that he can't conceive of a way that a playoff would work. I challenge him to explain to me how Juice's Dream D-I NCAA Football Get Together is not something that could work immediately.
EagleBank Bowl Preview!
This made me laugh out loud. The bowls are much better than the Get Together. (BTW, I've got Temple +4, and Under 44.5).
PPS. Bucky 37, Miami 31
PPS. Bucky 37, Miami 31
Monday, December 14, 2009
Bowl Season and Licking the Bowl Season
Allow me to beat a dead horse for a minute. The BCS/Bowl system is horrendous. It is so horrendous that I had to join one of those bowl pick pool things in order to even consider following the bowls. Have you LOOKED at some of the matchups? I'm not even going to bother getting into all of them specifically, but there are multiple games involving (6-6) teams. Ohio (9-4) is playing Marshall (6-6) on the day after Christmas IN DETROIT!! Tell me again how this is better than Juice's Dream Division I-A Football Get Together? There is ONE game that matters, and that is the fake championship. Might some others be entertaining? Sure, but at the end of the day, are you going out of your way to watch them (unless you have money on it?) I think that THIS above all other things is why the system is so flawed and how any argument against it is stupid and wrong.
BEING FAT
The holidays suck for alot of reasons (crowds, weather, being forced to see your family, shopping, etc.). One reason the holidays are great is the food. The holidays generally give you an excuse to eat things covered in chocolate and frosting in high numbers. But almost a year ago, I made a pledge to myself that due to all of my health issues, I was going to make a concerted effort to keep around a certain weight, even if that meant deprivation. Well, this goal is making the holidays awful. My lovely wife made about 73 dozen cookies and a whole bunch of peanut butter cups. I ate approximately 8 dozen cookies and 87 peanut butter cups in a week or so last week. This lead to major weight gain. Now, I am on a diet of sorts, and assholes from all over keep bringing candy and cookies into work and force me to walk by them all day long.
"Moderation" says everyone. Well, fuck everyone. I'm not capable of moderation when it comes to anything really. Put something I like in front of me and I'm eating it until I feel sick. Give me an adult beverage and take my keys and I'm getting blacked out. I can't have one. And for this reason, I hate the holidays.
BEING FAT
The holidays suck for alot of reasons (crowds, weather, being forced to see your family, shopping, etc.). One reason the holidays are great is the food. The holidays generally give you an excuse to eat things covered in chocolate and frosting in high numbers. But almost a year ago, I made a pledge to myself that due to all of my health issues, I was going to make a concerted effort to keep around a certain weight, even if that meant deprivation. Well, this goal is making the holidays awful. My lovely wife made about 73 dozen cookies and a whole bunch of peanut butter cups. I ate approximately 8 dozen cookies and 87 peanut butter cups in a week or so last week. This lead to major weight gain. Now, I am on a diet of sorts, and assholes from all over keep bringing candy and cookies into work and force me to walk by them all day long.
"Moderation" says everyone. Well, fuck everyone. I'm not capable of moderation when it comes to anything really. Put something I like in front of me and I'm eating it until I feel sick. Give me an adult beverage and take my keys and I'm getting blacked out. I can't have one. And for this reason, I hate the holidays.
Monday, November 23, 2009
Road to The Get Together Top 32: Week 12
Rank, Team, Record, Last Week, BCS Rank
(1) Alabama (11-0) (1) 2
(2) TCU## (11-0) (3) 4
(3) Texas (11-0) (2) 3
(4) Florida (11-0) (5) 1
(5) Boise St (11-0) (7) 6
(6) Georgia Tech (10-1) (4) 7
(7) Cincinnati (10-0) (6) 5
(8) Ohio St## (10-2) (8) 10
(9) Oregon (9-2) (9) 8
(10) BYU (9-2) (10) 19
(11) Iowa (10-2) (11) 11
(12) Penn St (10-2) (17) 13
(13) Houston (9-2) (14) 23
(14) Utah (9-1) (16) 21
(15) Central Michigan (9-2) (23) NR
(16) Virginia Tech (8-3) (18) 14
(17) Pitt (9-1) (13) 9
(18) Oklahoma St. (9-2) (21) 12
(19) Temple (9-2) (22) NR
(20) LSU (8-3) (12) 15
(21) Miami (8-3) (20) 17
(22) USC (7-3) (15) 20
(23) Cal (8-3) (30) 22
(24) Oregon St. (8-3) (28) 16
(25) Nebraska (8-3) (26) NR
(26) Troy## (8-3) (27) NR
(27) Stanford (7-4) (19) NR
(28) Clemson (8-3) (29) 18
(29) Ole Miss (8-3) NR 25
(30) Nevada (8-3) (31) NR
(31) Northwestern (8-4) NR NR
(32) East Carolina* (7-4) (32) NR
*= projected autobid, would not qualify without conference title
##= clinched automatic bid
ON THE BUBBLE (HOWEVER UNLIKELY SOME MAY BE):
South Florida (7-3), Wisconsin (8-3), Navy (8-3), Idaho (7-4), Fresno St. (7-4), William & Mary (9-2), West Virginia (7-3), Auburn (7-4), Richmond (10-1), Notre Dame (6-5), South Carolina (6-5), Kentucky (7-4), Texas Tech (7-4), Georgia (6-5), Missouri (7-4), Villanova (10-1), North Carolina (8-3), Arizona (6-4), Oklahoma (6-5), Arkansas (7-4), Uconn (5-5), Boston College (7-4), UCLA (6-5), Rutgers (7-3), Florida St. (6-5)
ANALYSIS
Just a reminder of how this works. Each conference champion gets an automatic bid. And not just BCS conferences. All of them. Top 8 seeds will host regional on their campuses, with the possibility of hosting the first two rounds. Quarterfinals and Semifinals are at various bowl sites. Title game is at the Rose Bowl, because the Rose Bowl kicks ass.
According to the T-3000, it appears that the Florida/Alabama winner will be the number one overall seed barring any huge upset to either prior to the SEC title game. It will be tight between TCU, Texas and the Florida/Alabama loser for number two, especially if Florida beats Alabama. Texas has the built in advantage of the conference title game, while TCU is not interested in making extra cash and tiring themselves out before the Get Together. They will take their two homes games and an extra week off. The T-3000 has been doing this both publicly and not for about 4 years now, so that I can bitch about the BCS, and it has had the same top 2 as the BCS every year, even when all the crazy shit happens in the last week of college football, like is going to happen in the next two weeks.
On a side note, if we have FIVE undefeated teams. Can we seriously stop making up bullshit to defend the BCS??? It is one thing if you are talking about one undefeated against a slew of one loss, or even a slew of one loss teams, on the theory that if you lose a game you can't bitch. But to go unbeaten and be barred from a title shot is a crime. ESPECIALLY, if you are a team like Cincinnati, who might go unbeaten in a BCS conference, and get fucked. Not that anyone getting fucked is right, but the BCS goes out of its way to favor those from big conferences.
But really, it is a perfect system and should not be destroyed.
(1) Alabama (11-0) (1) 2
(2) TCU## (11-0) (3) 4
(3) Texas (11-0) (2) 3
(4) Florida (11-0) (5) 1
(5) Boise St (11-0) (7) 6
(6) Georgia Tech (10-1) (4) 7
(7) Cincinnati (10-0) (6) 5
(8) Ohio St## (10-2) (8) 10
(9) Oregon (9-2) (9) 8
(10) BYU (9-2) (10) 19
(11) Iowa (10-2) (11) 11
(12) Penn St (10-2) (17) 13
(13) Houston (9-2) (14) 23
(14) Utah (9-1) (16) 21
(15) Central Michigan (9-2) (23) NR
(16) Virginia Tech (8-3) (18) 14
(17) Pitt (9-1) (13) 9
(18) Oklahoma St. (9-2) (21) 12
(19) Temple (9-2) (22) NR
(20) LSU (8-3) (12) 15
(21) Miami (8-3) (20) 17
(22) USC (7-3) (15) 20
(23) Cal (8-3) (30) 22
(24) Oregon St. (8-3) (28) 16
(25) Nebraska (8-3) (26) NR
(26) Troy## (8-3) (27) NR
(27) Stanford (7-4) (19) NR
(28) Clemson (8-3) (29) 18
(29) Ole Miss (8-3) NR 25
(30) Nevada (8-3) (31) NR
(31) Northwestern (8-4) NR NR
(32) East Carolina* (7-4) (32) NR
*= projected autobid, would not qualify without conference title
##= clinched automatic bid
ON THE BUBBLE (HOWEVER UNLIKELY SOME MAY BE):
South Florida (7-3), Wisconsin (8-3), Navy (8-3), Idaho (7-4), Fresno St. (7-4), William & Mary (9-2), West Virginia (7-3), Auburn (7-4), Richmond (10-1), Notre Dame (6-5), South Carolina (6-5), Kentucky (7-4), Texas Tech (7-4), Georgia (6-5), Missouri (7-4), Villanova (10-1), North Carolina (8-3), Arizona (6-4), Oklahoma (6-5), Arkansas (7-4), Uconn (5-5), Boston College (7-4), UCLA (6-5), Rutgers (7-3), Florida St. (6-5)
ANALYSIS
Just a reminder of how this works. Each conference champion gets an automatic bid. And not just BCS conferences. All of them. Top 8 seeds will host regional on their campuses, with the possibility of hosting the first two rounds. Quarterfinals and Semifinals are at various bowl sites. Title game is at the Rose Bowl, because the Rose Bowl kicks ass.
According to the T-3000, it appears that the Florida/Alabama winner will be the number one overall seed barring any huge upset to either prior to the SEC title game. It will be tight between TCU, Texas and the Florida/Alabama loser for number two, especially if Florida beats Alabama. Texas has the built in advantage of the conference title game, while TCU is not interested in making extra cash and tiring themselves out before the Get Together. They will take their two homes games and an extra week off. The T-3000 has been doing this both publicly and not for about 4 years now, so that I can bitch about the BCS, and it has had the same top 2 as the BCS every year, even when all the crazy shit happens in the last week of college football, like is going to happen in the next two weeks.
On a side note, if we have FIVE undefeated teams. Can we seriously stop making up bullshit to defend the BCS??? It is one thing if you are talking about one undefeated against a slew of one loss, or even a slew of one loss teams, on the theory that if you lose a game you can't bitch. But to go unbeaten and be barred from a title shot is a crime. ESPECIALLY, if you are a team like Cincinnati, who might go unbeaten in a BCS conference, and get fucked. Not that anyone getting fucked is right, but the BCS goes out of its way to favor those from big conferences.
But really, it is a perfect system and should not be destroyed.
Monday, November 9, 2009
More B#*ching
You wanna know what pisses me off even more than the fact that our team is a mess? Try reading the comments below this ProFootballTalk.com review of the game. Are people fucking serious? What the fuck does He Who Shall Not Be Named have to do with this??!?!?!!? Jesus Fucking Christ. Get the fuck over it.
Anyone who thinks we win that game (or any game for that matter, really) with a He Who Shall Not Be Named instead of Rodgers, is a fucking idiot. Does He possess some magic ability to disappear, or levitate and fly over the top of the three defenders running free at the QB?
Could we be a little better with Him? Today, maybe. Was it worth mortgaging the next 10 to 15 years to stroke His ego? NO. So fucking get your goddamn Viking fan asses off of our fucking bandwagon you pieces of shit! And don't come back! Would we be better with 1989 Joe Montana? How about 2006 Tom Brady? Really, Really, Really fucking bothers me.
You want to blame Thompson for the questionable talent and depth on most of the roster at most positions, I'm there. But QB is NOT even close to our biggest problem. Looking forward to the $10 tickets to next week's game, since obviously there is a large contingent of morons that will be giving up thier season tickets because the guy who was the highest rated QB IN THE WHOLE FUCKING NFL, had one terrible game, and wasn't wearing a number 4. /end rant
Anyone who thinks we win that game (or any game for that matter, really) with a He Who Shall Not Be Named instead of Rodgers, is a fucking idiot. Does He possess some magic ability to disappear, or levitate and fly over the top of the three defenders running free at the QB?
Could we be a little better with Him? Today, maybe. Was it worth mortgaging the next 10 to 15 years to stroke His ego? NO. So fucking get your goddamn Viking fan asses off of our fucking bandwagon you pieces of shit! And don't come back! Would we be better with 1989 Joe Montana? How about 2006 Tom Brady? Really, Really, Really fucking bothers me.
You want to blame Thompson for the questionable talent and depth on most of the roster at most positions, I'm there. But QB is NOT even close to our biggest problem. Looking forward to the $10 tickets to next week's game, since obviously there is a large contingent of morons that will be giving up thier season tickets because the guy who was the highest rated QB IN THE WHOLE FUCKING NFL, had one terrible game, and wasn't wearing a number 4. /end rant
Monday, October 5, 2009
"I'm Done"
Things are getting out of hand in GB. Here is an actual message (edited to protect the innocent) I received from my wife about an hour ago:
"I am going to leave work early cuz if I have to listen to one more dumb bitch talk about how much they love (He Who Shall Not Be Named) I am going to punch someone in the face."
"I told my boss that I was going to leave purely for this reason, she agrees that is cuz they are women and the majority of women r stupid."
"I just can't focus (on work)"
"I am so stressed out I am sweating"
You can all now congratulate me for how lucky I am.
Also, at least I am not Richard today. And I'm praying for a Packer win because if it doesn't happen, I think I'm going to need a plane ticket to attend his funeral, and those fuckers are expensive.
(UPDATE) I told my boss about what my wife said and his response is "Boy you guys have a hangup on this (He Who Shall Not Be Named Thing)." Then I stabbed him in the neck with a pen, called his daughter a whore, and said: "What the fuck do you mean?" Anxiety level is now a 9.5 out of 10.
"I am going to leave work early cuz if I have to listen to one more dumb bitch talk about how much they love (He Who Shall Not Be Named) I am going to punch someone in the face."
"I told my boss that I was going to leave purely for this reason, she agrees that is cuz they are women and the majority of women r stupid."
"I just can't focus (on work)"
"I am so stressed out I am sweating"
You can all now congratulate me for how lucky I am.
Also, at least I am not Richard today. And I'm praying for a Packer win because if it doesn't happen, I think I'm going to need a plane ticket to attend his funeral, and those fuckers are expensive.
(UPDATE) I told my boss about what my wife said and his response is "Boy you guys have a hangup on this (He Who Shall Not Be Named Thing)." Then I stabbed him in the neck with a pen, called his daughter a whore, and said: "What the fuck do you mean?" Anxiety level is now a 9.5 out of 10.
Getting Paid To Blog?
Well, not actually, but I got a free book from Acme Packing Company for commenting on one of their articles/playing in a fantasy football league. $16 value! I should take a picture of it and hang it above the front door of this shithole or something to signify the first dollar made.
There may very well be a football game on tonight. Speaking of which, I had a neighborhood golf outing (which I somehow won despite the fact that I am a shitty golfer and I was the best golfer on my team, +12!!!! in a best ball!!!)/cookout thing on Saturday. Even though it was the absolute last thing I wanted to talk about (see religion/politics) the topic of tonight's game came up. I have an asshole (not really) neighbor who is one of the last two people on earth that is trying to justify straddling the fence on this one. Earlier in the week, he tried to tell me it is like being a kid when your parent's get divorced. I told him that I could see that, except that the next year your dad proceeded to rape your sister in front of you while the media hails him as a hero, and he plays his "Aw shucks, I just love pussy" card. I even warned him not to bring the shit up. Of course he did, and he is one of those guys who has to make his opinion heard, even when it is fucking idiotic. He and like two women were in agreement. 95% of the people agreed with me but didn't want to be assholes and cause a rift in the neighborhood (again, see religion/politics). I seriously wanted to tip over the picnic table and all the shit on it and storm off. I was so fucking pissed. It made me feel better than when one of the other neighbors, who is like 75 and a high school football coach kind of nudged me and said "He's not a Packer fan." I'm at about a 9 on the anxiety level today and fully plan on getting nothing accomplished.
Also, I'm putting the clock radio in the living room (which I NEVER do) and listening to Wayne Larivee and Larry McCarren tonight because I can't handle Gruden sucking He Who Shall Not Be Named's cock every time he throws a two yard out.
Great upcoming sports week though. Fucking Twinkies somehow got into a one game playoff which is tomorrow, followed by playoff baseball every night the rest of the week. Should be pretty great. It just occurred to me that we could either get some Championship Series (like games 6 and 7) or get no playoff baseball while in Vegas.
There may very well be a football game on tonight. Speaking of which, I had a neighborhood golf outing (which I somehow won despite the fact that I am a shitty golfer and I was the best golfer on my team, +12!!!! in a best ball!!!)/cookout thing on Saturday. Even though it was the absolute last thing I wanted to talk about (see religion/politics) the topic of tonight's game came up. I have an asshole (not really) neighbor who is one of the last two people on earth that is trying to justify straddling the fence on this one. Earlier in the week, he tried to tell me it is like being a kid when your parent's get divorced. I told him that I could see that, except that the next year your dad proceeded to rape your sister in front of you while the media hails him as a hero, and he plays his "Aw shucks, I just love pussy" card. I even warned him not to bring the shit up. Of course he did, and he is one of those guys who has to make his opinion heard, even when it is fucking idiotic. He and like two women were in agreement. 95% of the people agreed with me but didn't want to be assholes and cause a rift in the neighborhood (again, see religion/politics). I seriously wanted to tip over the picnic table and all the shit on it and storm off. I was so fucking pissed. It made me feel better than when one of the other neighbors, who is like 75 and a high school football coach kind of nudged me and said "He's not a Packer fan." I'm at about a 9 on the anxiety level today and fully plan on getting nothing accomplished.
Also, I'm putting the clock radio in the living room (which I NEVER do) and listening to Wayne Larivee and Larry McCarren tonight because I can't handle Gruden sucking He Who Shall Not Be Named's cock every time he throws a two yard out.
Great upcoming sports week though. Fucking Twinkies somehow got into a one game playoff which is tomorrow, followed by playoff baseball every night the rest of the week. Should be pretty great. It just occurred to me that we could either get some Championship Series (like games 6 and 7) or get no playoff baseball while in Vegas.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Thundersnow, FNL and the Queens
Thought I should throw up a post about a few things I've heard/thought/saw in the past few days between my 12 hours shifts as a desk jockey.
- I drove through the worst snowstorm in my entire life on Thursday. I grew up in Wisconsin, lived here all my life except for the three years that I lived in Omaha and made routine drives across Iowa in the middle of blizzards. I went to college in La Crosse, and drove across Wisconsin to my parent's house near Green Bay in the middle of blizzards. So I've driven in the snow A LOT. But this storm was unreal on Thursday. It was so fast and so intense that you could not see the road you were driving on at all. It was just white nothingness in the country, and you just had to aim where you thought the road was and hoped you made it. There were drifts more than two feet high, and had I not decided to take my wife's truck, I would have never made it. Oh, and there was fucking THUNDER AND LIGHTNING. It was insane.
- Friday Night Lights is getting more and more ridiculous. J.D. McCoy's dad is going to murder his son because he cares for him so much. He is like Todd Marinovich's dad. That lesbian in Landry's band is smoking hot. Street cannot just decide to take his high school diploma, his wheel chair, and his high school success as a QB (except for the whole getting crippled thing) and just decide to become a sports agent. It is a lot harder than that dude. It is sort of the equivalent of deciding you are going to be an accomplished author because you write on a shitty blog that three people read. You need to have connections, and probably a college degree. I don't know why that pissed me off.
-I heard our friend Doug Gottlieb on ESPN Radio the other night (and I say "friend" because he once called Brian Butch a pile of shit, and he is no longer welcomed in the state of Wisconsin) talking about the Viqueens trade for Sage Rosenfels and how it now makes them a Super Bowl contender. Really? How is Sage fucking Rosenfels any better than the dudes they already have? How many Pro Bowls or Super Bowls has Sage fucking Rosenfels been to? How many playoff caliber teams has he started for? I'll save you the research and let you know the following: 7 years in the NFL, 2 teams (Miami, Houston), 32 games played, 7 starts, 4-3 record, 30 TD, 29 INT, started one year in college where he threw 8 TD passes and 12 INTs. So I guess I should backtrack, apologize, and admit that the Vikings are now clearly the prohibitive favorites in the NFL. Start planning the parade.
- I drove through the worst snowstorm in my entire life on Thursday. I grew up in Wisconsin, lived here all my life except for the three years that I lived in Omaha and made routine drives across Iowa in the middle of blizzards. I went to college in La Crosse, and drove across Wisconsin to my parent's house near Green Bay in the middle of blizzards. So I've driven in the snow A LOT. But this storm was unreal on Thursday. It was so fast and so intense that you could not see the road you were driving on at all. It was just white nothingness in the country, and you just had to aim where you thought the road was and hoped you made it. There were drifts more than two feet high, and had I not decided to take my wife's truck, I would have never made it. Oh, and there was fucking THUNDER AND LIGHTNING. It was insane.
- Friday Night Lights is getting more and more ridiculous. J.D. McCoy's dad is going to murder his son because he cares for him so much. He is like Todd Marinovich's dad. That lesbian in Landry's band is smoking hot. Street cannot just decide to take his high school diploma, his wheel chair, and his high school success as a QB (except for the whole getting crippled thing) and just decide to become a sports agent. It is a lot harder than that dude. It is sort of the equivalent of deciding you are going to be an accomplished author because you write on a shitty blog that three people read. You need to have connections, and probably a college degree. I don't know why that pissed me off.
-I heard our friend Doug Gottlieb on ESPN Radio the other night (and I say "friend" because he once called Brian Butch a pile of shit, and he is no longer welcomed in the state of Wisconsin) talking about the Viqueens trade for Sage Rosenfels and how it now makes them a Super Bowl contender. Really? How is Sage fucking Rosenfels any better than the dudes they already have? How many Pro Bowls or Super Bowls has Sage fucking Rosenfels been to? How many playoff caliber teams has he started for? I'll save you the research and let you know the following: 7 years in the NFL, 2 teams (Miami, Houston), 32 games played, 7 starts, 4-3 record, 30 TD, 29 INT, started one year in college where he threw 8 TD passes and 12 INTs. So I guess I should backtrack, apologize, and admit that the Vikings are now clearly the prohibitive favorites in the NFL. Start planning the parade.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Instant Replay?
About 5 times a year or so there is a media uprising for instant replay in Major League Baseball because the Yankees or Red Sox got screwed out of (or into) a home run. It happened again last night with A-Rod's homerun that was not called. There is always two talking heads screaming at each other about it. One guy is the old school guy who is against it, and one is the younger guy who is for it.
The major arguments against instant replay are: 1)It would ruin the integrity of the game; 2)They didn't need it when Babe Ruth played, why do they need it now?; 3)It would add time to games that are already too fucking long; 4) We couldn't make it perfect, so we should rely on 4 guys (with Coke bottle glasses) randomly positioned 150 ft away from a 9 inch sphere, moving 125 mph, and two men running 15 mph to decide plays that can come down to a fraction of an inch and could eventually cost people millions of dollars.
The major arguments for it: 1)They do it in football and it seems to work OK; 2)Technology exists today that didn't exist 75 years ago, so we should use it (and fuck Babe Ruth); 3) Too many calls are blown that cost teams runs directly, and therefore games; 4) Too much money is riding on the outcome of these games to leave them to chance; 5)When a call is close, they already waste 3 to 5 minutes arguing with players/managers, and by that time the TV booth already knows whether the call was blown or not.
I think it is pretty clear what I think of this. While I admit there is some charm to baseball and the way it is officiated, I think it is stupid to let the umps make the calls, but then show the replay of an obviously blown call on a jumbotron and have the umps pretend they are still right. There are about a million different proposals for instant replay in baseball (much like a college football playoff, and not unsurprisingly, the likelihood of either happening is about as likely as Bear's first born not having fur, sharp teeth and a taste for salmon). Last year, MLB refused to consider even an instant replay of only close HR calls (the only play that ALWAYS changes the scoreboard).
So here is how I would do it:
1) ALL plays would be fair game. I'm talking any play on any base, HR's, close catches/traps in the field, fair/foul, balls and strikes.
2) Each manager gets 3 "challenges" per game. This is similar to the NFL rule. Manager comes out of the dugout or throws a flag or something.
3) There is an independent replay person in the booth at every game. This would not be expensive or time consuming. The cameras are already in place at every game.
4) Balls and strikes would be called base on a standard strike zone (which they are supposed to use anyway). Waist to knees or whatever it technically is. If ESPN/Fox/TBS can put the "K-zone" thing up 5 seconds after a pitch, surely a replay person can have the same technology.
5) I think the largest issue would be: what would happen if a ball that was actually fair was called foul and reversed, or a ball that was ruled an out on a diving catch that was actually trapped was reversed? What happens to the base runners? I think what needs to happen is like old school "lazy-man" baseball. (i.e. The hit would have to automatically be ruled a single, and the runner on base would advance one spot). Obviously, this is still screwing the team that had to challenge. But, a single is better than an out or a foul ball that could later lead to an out.
6) Time wise, this would avoid the manager arguments, ejections, etc. I 
actually think this could cut time off of a game. I also don't think you would have a big problem with challenging balls and strikes because there are so many calls in a game, I doubt many managers (except Dusty Baker) would waste challenges on those.
actually think this could cut time off of a game. I also don't think you would have a big problem with challenging balls and strikes because there are so many calls in a game, I doubt many managers (except Dusty Baker) would waste challenges on those.7)Umpires would still be integral, but would actually be held accountable in the game for messing up.
I personally don't think it would be that hard to implement, and it would have a great positive effect on the game. Limiting the challenges would avoid a team arguing on every close call, and saving them for key moments. Umpiring would improve, games could be shortened, strike zones would be the same for every pitcher/hitter/umpire. And we wouldn't have to listen to Sox/YanksCenter bitch about another missed HR call.
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