My Newest Obsession: Soccer

Baseball is up and running, the NBA Playoffs just started this weekend, but for some reason I'm disinterested in both. Over the last couple of years my sport of choice has been soccer, and I blame David Beckham.

I know most people think the Becks/Galaxy experiment was a bust in the States, but I'm one of those that really started to pay attention to Major League Soccer after he joined the L.A. side. Sure, MLS still isn't on par with the NFL, MLB, or the NBA, but I do think the league was able to turn casual fans into more die-hards.

Now, I'm much more interested in watching a Philadelphia Union/Toronto FC match than a Yankees/Red Sox game. I used to be a big Spurs fan, but I'd rather get tickets to an Austin Aztex/Portland Timbers game than heading down to San Antonio. If anything involving the UEFA Champions League or the EPL comes on the TV, I'll stop what I'm doing to catch up on European football, but I could careless about the upcoming NFL Draft. Don't get me started on the World Cup. I kind of feel un-American thanks to my soccer obsession.

Soccer will always be a niche sport in the States, which is a shame, but maybe someday it will become a bigger part of our sport culture. You never know, soccer might even over take hockey in terms of popularity in the U.S. (although playoff hockey is amazing to watch).

My Getaways: America's Past-Time

With today being Opening Day of the 2010 Major League Baseball season, I couldn't help but be reminded of one of the earliest goals that I set for myself, which was visiting all of the Major League ballparks. I know that this is not a dream unique to just myself since many have reached this feat before, but it's still something I'd love to do. The thing is this goal has lost some of its luster since most of the old school parks have been replaced with state of the art stadiums, but there are a few I'd like to see sooner rather than later:

5. Oriole Park at Camden Yards: Baltimore Orioles

For some reason, I will always see Camden Yards as the forerunner of the modern day ballpark, and according to some sources, it's the blueprint that so many other organizations have copied. I just remember the opening of Oriole Park at Camden Yards being such a big deal, and it's always stuck with me, which is why it's one the short list of stadiums I want to see now. Plus, it has one of the best names in baseball because it's simple and void of commercialism. Good job Baltimore.

4. AT&T Park: San Francisco Giants

While on my roadtrip home from Oregon to Texas, I spent a few days in San Francisco, and while I didn't actually go into AT&T Park, I did get to drive by it. Even from the outside, I could tell that it was a nice park. You know that it's a modern park with some old school charm. Also, the idea of McCovey Cove is brilliant, and I wouldn't mind spending a few games just floating around waiting for home run balls.

3. U.S. Cellular Field: Chicago White Sox

To be honest, I could careless about the stadium (which has lost some of its appeal when it changed names from Comiskey Park to its current moniker), but I've always been a fan of the Chicago White Sox, so I would love to watch a home game on the South Side of Chicago. I'm still glad that it was the Chi-Sox that beat my beloved Astros during the World Series. I wouldn't have had it any other way.

2. Wrigley Field: Chicago Cubs

Since I'm a White Sox fan, I have no desire to support the Cubs (plus they're in the NL Central, which makes them divisional rivals of the Houston Astros), but I have to admit that seeing Wrigley Field would be an amazing experience. The old school parks are becoming a rare breed, and Wrigley is one of the few still around. I need to see the ivy-covered wall and the rooftop seats before the Cubbies decide to follow in the footsteps of every other club.

1. Fenway Park: Boston Red Sox

The only team I like less than the Chicago Cubs and the New York Yankees is the Boston Red Sox. I really don't have any ill-will towards the franchise, but their fans are insufferable (even more so now that they've actually started winning championships). With that being said, I'd love to watch a home game amongst them because any baseball fan has to. I'm pretty sure for many going to a game at Fenway is a religious experience, and it's one that I'd like to partake in while I still can. Plus, I really want to sing "Sweet Caroline" during the 8th. You don't get to do that just anywhere.

So, there you have it, the top five ballparks that I'd love to see. Sure, I wouldn't mind seeing dumps like Tropicana Field (Tampa Bay Rays) and Sun Life Stadium (Florida Marlins) someday, but these five parks are the cream of the crop in my opinion, and I need to experience them before it's too late.

I can just smell the hot dogs...

My March Blahness

I can understand why March Madness is so popular, but I've always found it to be overrated. I'm more of a college football kind of person.

With that being said, of course I'm going to hope that Texas A&M wins, Texas loses, and we get some great upsets. Plus, anytime Notre Dame loses (way to go Old Dominion!) is aces in my book.

I'll check out some of the games if I don't have anything better to do, but I'm sure things would be different if I had filled out a bracket.

My Super Blog XLIV

I think I'm un-American or something because I'm really not that excited about tonight's Super Bowl game between the Indianapolis Colts and the New Orleans Saints (I think it's because I wanted it to be the Minnesota Vikings vs. the New York Jets), but knowing me I'll still watch it, or at least most of it.

As always, I'm going to be cheering for the Saints because they are the underdogs (the same reason I rooted for the Cardinals last year), and it'd be nice to see New Orleans celebrate a Super Bowl victory after everything the city has been through.

I do hope it's at least a competitive game, on par with last year's because blow-outs are never fun to watch.

UPDATE:
So far, the game has only been OK, but I am glad that the Saints are playing like the scrappy underdogs that they are. I hope they can hold on...

UPDATE 2:
Geaux Saints! It's going to be a crazy night in the French Quarter tonight!

My Two-Cents on the Brian Kelly Drama

Man, it looks like Notre Dame can't help but cause drama when it comes to its head coaches.  Former-Cincinnati head coach Brian Kelly has been named the new head coach of the Irish, and it's apparently pissed off some Bearcat players and fans.

My feeling is this...get over it! If UC wants to be taken seriously as a big time college football program, then they need to realize that this comes with the territory.  A successful head coach is a hot commodity, and when the Irish call, you listen.  If they give you the job, you jump on it no questions asked.

I think that it's laughable that some people think Coach Kelly held the cards when it came to his negotiations with ND.  I'm sure he would have loved to finish up the season with Cincy, but if Notre Dame wanted him ASAP, then he had to do what he had to do.  Unfortunately, the Bearcats are too short-sighted to understand.

I admit that Kelly could have handled things better, but I don't blame him at all.  Cincinnati  needs to realize that they were a mediocre team without Kelly, be happy that he helped them get to where they are, and wish him luck.  Again, this is a problem you face when your football program hits the big time, and maybe this is an indicator that UC is not ready to be one of the big boys because their players and fans are acting like babies.

My Two-Cents on the 2009-2010 Bowl Season

Let me preface this post by saying that I'm still bitter about Nebraska choking away what would have been an epic Big XII Championship upset.  The Huskers took the lead, and apparently forgot about fundamentals, which left the window cracked for the Longhorns to sneak in and steal the game back.  To be honest, I'm not a Cornhusker fan, but I wanted them to win for two reasons.  First, it would have screwed over Texas, and I'm always in favor of that.  It would have also thrown a massive monkey wrench into the whole BCS system.  Instead of having TCU or Cincinnati face Alabama, we get the boring Bama-Texas match up.

Last night, the rest of the BCS and college football bowl games were announced, and I thought I'd share my two cents on the matchup.

BCS National Championship Game: (1) Alabama vs. (2) Texas
I'm glad that Alabama was able to get into the National Title game over Florida, but other than that, I really could care less about this game mostly because the matchup was so predictable.  We knew going in that the SEC Champion would take on Texas, but the possible matchups would have been more interesting had Texas lost.  We could have seen the underdog Horned Frogs or Bearcats take on the big boys to prove that it can be done.  Potential flaws in the BCS could have been exposed (yet again), and maybe we would be one step closer towards a playoff.  Instead, we get the same old stuff.

Like I said earlier, I really don't have much interest in this game because I'm not invested in either team.  Since I'm so anti-Longhorns, I'm naturally going to pull for the Crimson Tide, but that's more out of hatred than loyalty.  With that being said, I'm predicting Texas to win the game and the National Championship.

Orange Bowl: (9) Georgia Tech vs. (10) Iowa
This has to be one of the most boring BCS games this season.  Both the ACC and the Big Ten are mediocre conferences, and this matchup doesn't have much draw for those that are not Yellow Jackets or Hawkeyes.

If I had to pick the winner, I'd go with Georgia Tech just because I've heard the analysts slurp on them more than they have Iowa.  Regardless, this is going to be another Orange Bowl that I skip due to indifference.

Fiesta Bowl: (4) Texas Christian vs. (6) Boise State
One of the best bowl games last season, the Poinsettia Bowl, gets a rematch but this time the venue is much grander.  The two Cinderellas have the chance to prove to the BCS that they belong, but unfortunately they have to take on one another.  Some think this matchup is great because we get to see two non-automatic qualifying teams in a BCS game, while others would have preferred to see TCU and Boise State in two different BCS games (the Fiesta & Sugar for example).  The latter scenario could have ensured that four teams could have finished the season with perfect records, which could have added fuel to the anti-BCS fire.  This matchup pretty much cuts that number down to three, and a lot less controversy.

This is the only BCS bowl game that I care about, mostly because I've been pulling for TCU all season, and have been a fan of Boise State since they upset Oklahoma a few years back.  It's a shame that they'll be taking on one another rather than playing with the big boys, but I'm sure the fat checks they'll be earning will ease some of their pain.  While I love both teams, I'll be rooting on the Horned Frogs this time around.

Sugar Bowl: (3) Cincinnati vs. (5) Florida
I guess when it comes to the big picture, Texas' win wasn't a total disaster because it looks like Cincy would have snuck into the BCS Title Game had the Horns lost instead of TCU.  While I'm a fan of the little guys, I'd much rather see the Frogs take on the Tide than the Bearcats.  The main reason I would've been anti-UC is because the Big East is an overrated conference that should have left the BCS once Miami, Virginia Tech, and Boston College left for the ACC.  The Big East hasn't been a major BCS factor once the Canes & Hokies switched conferences, so they should have their AQ status revoked.

The only highlight for me in regards to the Sugar Bowl is the fact that Florida was knocked off their pedestal, and will not be playing for their 2nd straight National Title.  Really, it's nothing against Florida as a school or program.  I'm just tired of hearing about them and Tim Tebow.  UF is going to stick around as a dominant football program, and I see them beating Cincy pretty easily.

Rose Bowl: (7) Oregon vs. (8) Ohio State
I'm glad that we're getting a traditional Big 10 vs. Pac-10 Rose Bowl since it's this game that's really keeping us from a playoff system.  The Rose Bowl is always a fun game to watch mostly due to the tradition and pageantry, and this year's game should be a good one.  It's also the only other game that I have a horse in, and I'm hoping that Oregon will destroy the overrated Buckeyes.  Seriously, the only school I dislike as much as Texas is Ohio State, and I'm glad that they were not able to sneak into another BCS Championship game.

While I was living up in Oregon, the Ducks were the team I cheered for more often than not, and I don't see that changing this time around.  I'm impressed with how UofO was able to rebound from a devastating start in Boise, and they really deserve being in the Rose Bowl.  Let's hope the Quack Attack stops on some nuts on January 1.

Other Notable Bowl Games


Poinsettia Bowl - Utah vs. California: Two really good teams on the cusp of being great teams, and this game should be a fun one to watch.  My loyalties are kind of torn because I tend to be a Golden Bear fan, but I love it any time Utah beats a major conference team.  It seems like the Poinsettia Bowl is becoming a pretty decent minor bowl game when you combine this year's game with last season's TCU/Boise State matchup.

Independence Bowl: Texas A&M vs. Georgia: I'm happy that my Aggies became bowl eligible this season after last year's disappointing record.  Unfortunately, Texas A&M has never been a strong bowl team since I've been a fan, and I don't think that's going to change this year. I'm expecting for UGA to win this one.  I just hope it's not a blowout.

Holiday Bowl - Arizona vs. Nebraska: The Holiday Bowl is another one of those non-BCS bowl games that is usually a good game to watch.  This year's Arizona/Nebraska matchup should be no exception.  It's not as glossy as some games in the past, but it should be a good one.  As always, I'll be rooting for the underdog, which could be hard to determine between these two, so I'll just stick with the Wildcats.

I know that the hopes for a playoff system will never come to fruition, but that doesn't stop me from playing "what-if", and putting together a mythical playoff bracket that I may post here later.  Then again, bowl games can be fun to watch.  It's just too bad that big time college football refuses to join the times.

My Pilots

Apparently, the University of Portland's basketball team is off to its best start in some time, and they just knocked off UCLA and No. 16 Minnesota.  Add to this the fact that Portland State's basketball team has made the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament the past two seasons.  It looks like Portland is becoming a hotbed for men's basketball.  Not to mention women's soccer.

My BCS Clusterfrick, Pt. 2

I know that I've already ranted about the Bowl Championship Series, and its flaws, but I read a post I read online riled me up all over again. Here is the reply I shared:

This post officially turned me into an anti-BCS person mostly because of the "student athlete" argument. That load of junk has to be the most worn out, nonsensical argument ever crafted to defend the BCS.

Sure, it's a fact, but every NCAA sport is comprised of student athletes, but we still have March Madness, the Div I-AA-Div III Football playoffs, and so forth and so on. This argument pretty much says that Div I-A football athletes should be treated differently because they're either special or they're not bright enough to handle a playoff schedule like every other student athlete.

Granted, football does not have the same demands as basketball, volleyball, baseball, etc., but if Div I-AA schools can manage, some of which are larger, more prestigious, and more demanding than some Div. I-A schools, then why can't it work for the big boys?

Of course, the answer always comes back to one thing and that's money. The BCS bowls bring in tons of cash for the schools, the cities, the sponsors, etc. off of the blood, sweat and tears of the same student athletes that the system is built to "protect".  We can get into the debate about whether student athletes should receive a stipend, but that's a whole different can of worms.

I'd have more respect for the pro-BCSers if they just came out and said that it's all about making money, rather than trying to dupe us into believing that the broken system is in place to help the student athletes. If the NCAA really cared about these young adults, they'd be doing more to raise graduation rates rather than defending the BCS.

The whole "every team has the chance to become national champions" argument is a joke too because this very post admits that not every school is on the same level or playing field, so those that are not in one of the six BCS conferences really don't have the same opportunities. Any system that punishes a team for going undefeated by denying them a chance to play for the National Title is just illogical.

Plus, playoffs make sports great.  I know that comparing college football to the NFL is dicey at best, but could you imagine a world where the top AFC team automatically played the top NFC team? We wouldn't have those great underdog stories to share. It would just be the same hand full of teams playing one another over and over again. Without playoffs, a small market team like the San Antonio Spurs or the Tampa Bay Rays would probably never be taken seriously and kept out of the championship picture all together.

Let's just look at college sports. I cannot tell you which team won the NCAA Basketball Title last season, but I sure as heck remember George Mason making it to the Final Four because the little guy was given the chance to take on the big boys. Sure, it didn't result in a national title for GMU, but at least they were there.

Again, comparing Div. I-A football to any other sport is very much an apples and oranges situation, but if playoffs are such a bad idea, then why does EVERY other sport in America utilize them. Oh yeah, because we're taught in America that everyone should have the chance to reach their goals...unless you're TCU, Utah, or Boise State.

My Two-Cents on the Charlie Weis Drama

Let me start off by saying that I have no ill will towards Charlie Weis. I'm not a New England Patriots hater, and to be honest I really didn't know much about him before he went to Notre Dame.  With that being said, I'm ready for him to be ousted from South Bend.

For those out of the loop, Coach Weis has been on the hot seat at ND for some time due to a less than stellar record.



To be honest, I'm giddy about the fact that ND football has been struggling as of late. Again, it has nothing to do with Weis, rather it has everything to do with Notre Dame. Before Weis took over the program, Coach Tyrone Willingham was abruptly fired even though he had a winning record at South Bend.

Sure, Coach Willingham didn't take the Irish program to the same heights that it's been used to, and his record at Washington may have been for ND to say, "I told you so", but he wasn't given the chance to really shine, and I still think he's firing was uncalled for.

So, I was rooting against Coach Weis from Day 1 because I was unhappy with how Notre Dame treated Coach Willingham. I was even more miffed when people were rejoicing about how Weis took the Irish to a 19-6 record with two BCS Bowl appearances, all done with Willingham's recruits. He was the second coming of Lou Holtz...until his players took the field.

The past three seasons have been lackluster to say the least (16-20 with one trip to the Hawaii Bowl), and he needs to be judged with the same scrutiny that ND showed Willingham. Again, I have no personal ill will towards Weis, but fair is fair.

My Two-Cents on MLS Cup 2009

Real Salt Lake bested the top ranked Los Angeles Galaxy to win the team's first MLS Cup, and the first major sports championship for the state of Utah.  Under normal circumstances, I'd be happy for RSL because I always cheer for the underdog, but this season I really wanted David Beckham to help the Galaxy win their third championship.

Becks has taken some unwarranted heat ever since he came to the United States.  Most of his critics rag on him because MLS has not seen the growth in popularity that was expected when he crossed the pond.  Then there was the whole AC Milan fiasco which pissed some fans off, and just gave his naysayers more ammunition to throw his way.  While I agree that Becks hasn't made the MLS a league that rivals even the NHL or even NASCAR, he did bring some excitement to some casual soccer fans like myself.  A win tonight would have shut up some of his detractors.  It would have validated his move to the U.S.

Unfortunately, the PKs did not go the Galaxy's way, and people are probably going to find a way to pin it on Becks even though he made his kick.  Hopefully, Becks will be heading back to the States after his stay in Italy, so he can have another shot at winning the MLS Cup.  Until then, congratulations Real Salt Lake.

My BCS Clusterfrick

I've been torn about the Bowl Championship Series. On one hand, it's better than the old system where the number 1 team in the rankings would be crowned National Champion. Since we have multiple ranking systems, we inevitably ran the chance of having more than one National Champion. The BCS was created to crown one true NC...in theory.

For the most part the BCS has done its job by pitting the top two teams in the nation in one final game. The championship is determined on the field, which is what most people want, but it's figuring out which two teams deserve the spots that has created so much controversy.

I admit a system that penalizes a team for going undefeated by keeping them out of the National Championship game is counterintuitive. In a perfect world, teams like Boise State, TCU, and Utah should have all had their chance to win the title, but of course college football is far from perfect.

So, we get to watch the two best teams play for the National Title, but are the teams really the top two? I love seeing the championship determined on the field, but I also think a team should have the chance to be the champions if they win all of their games. Such a dilemma.

I do enjoy the BCS overall because it causes so much drama every year, and it gives us something to talk about. If we had a playoff, things would unfold so logically, which wouldn't be much fun. It's this craziness that I'm hoping for this season.

The recent BCS Rankings has Florida, Alabama, and Texas as the top three teams, but underdog TCU has creeped up to No. 4. It's almost a given that the winner of the SEC Title game between Florida & Alabama will fill one of the two BCS Title Game spots, but it's determining which team is number two is where things could get interesting.

Hypothetically, Texas could be knocked out of the BCS Title picture if they lose a game. For example, if Texas loses to Baylor, Kansas, or Texas A&M (fingers crossed) they could lose the number two spot, which could open up the door for TCU to shock the world if they run the table.

Unfortunately, the powers that be will more than likely not let TCU prove itself even if they go undefeated. Knowing the BCS, Alabama could sneak back into the title game if Texas loses one more regular season game and the Big 12 Championship game. Texas could get a chance to play for the National Championship if they lose one regular season game, but still wins the Big 12.  Even Cincinnati could get into the BCS Title Game if they run the table and win the inferior Big East.

For my own enjoyment, I'd love to see TCU play for the BCS National Championship, but their snub could be equally as entertaining.

My Vikings

Woody Paige picked my Portland State Vikings to upset Xavier in the NCAA Tournament. It's cool that the Viks got a shout out on national TV.

My Two-Cents on Becks

I've always had this odd fascination with soccer, and I've been a quiet supporter of Major League Soccer since its inception, so I was pumped when David Beckham joined the L.A. Galaxy a few years back.

For those out of the loop, Becks was loaned out to AC Milan so he can be eligible to play for England in the 2010 World Cup, but sports writers and fans knew that he'd want to stay in Italy for good, and they were right.

After some drama, it was decided that Beckham will play out the rest of the season in Italy before heading back to the States to play for LA. There are going to be critics who slam Beckham for doing this and claim that his time in America was a failure, but I don't think they really understand the importance of playing soccer in Europe. ESPN gave Becks the chance to state his case:



Now, whether or not Beckham's time in the US was a failure cannot be determined just yet. People come out to see him play, and he created some buzz by coming over, so while he didn't make the biggest impact in the world, he did make a splash. I'm glad he'll be coming back for a bit, and if he decides to play the rest of his career in Europe, I'm not going to hold it against him because I enjoyed watching him in the MLS.

My Double Dutch

This is why sports are a great thing...

My Spulazers

I'm spending my Sunday evening watching the Blazers-Spurs game on TV. I could have been at the game live, but all of the people I wanted to go with were not available. Sure, I could've found someone else, but I really didn't want to go with just anyone. Ah well.

Really, I'm not upset that I'm not at the game mostly because both teams are not at 100%. Greg Oden (Portland) is out with a knee injury, while Manu Ginobli (San Antonio) is injured as well. I wasn't expecting Tim Duncan (San Antonio) to be playing, but apparently he is. It would have been fun to watch Tony Parker (San Antonio) take on Brandon Roy and Rudy Fernandez, but I'm sure I'll have the chance to see these two teams face off some time in the future.

Plus, the Spurs are playing kind of sloppy, so it might not have been the best game to watch this season, but it's obvious that this rivalry is the changing of the guard because the younger Blazers are giving the veteran Spurs fits. I'll be happy regardless of which team wins, but I'd be slightly happier if the Spurs end up with the W.

My Roid Indifference

So, it's only been about two weeks since the A-Rod steroids debacle was brought to our attention, but it feels like it's been going on for months because of the non-stop media attention, and to be honest, I really don't care one way or the other.

The only thing that has been getting on my nerves is how some members of the media are complaining that Rodriguez didn't do enough, or he was lying, or this or that. Stop it already! I'll admit that A-Rod didn't totally absolve himself, but he's done more than Roger Clemens has, and Barry Bonds, and Mark McGwire. It may not have been up to everyone's standards, but he fessed up and admitted he made a mistake, but some people will never be happy (mostly Jay Mariotti on Around the Horn). He would've been judged and damned by the press either way.

The main reason I think the media is ready to put Rodriguez through the wringer is because they feel betrayed by A-Rod. Everyone had him anointed as the heir apparent to the home run throne, and he was going to do it clean, so he'd remove the stain left by Bonds...whoops. Now, the golden boy who was supposed to restore baseball's honor is tarnished himself, and people are kicking themselves for being duped.

In all honesty, I don't think the fans really care too much about this new steroids hoopla because it's been going on for so long now. It's getting old, and I'm willing to bet that most fans weren't surprised by the news. People are still going to spend money to watch A-Rod, sure they'll boo the crap out of him, but most fans were going to do that regardless.

Major League Baseball is also adding to the silliness of this whole debacle by entertaining the idea of resetting the home run records back to Hank Aaron's career number of 755, and Roger Maris' single season record of 61. Now, I'm not saying that the steroids-era has to be ignored, but having the records restored is not the answer because while not everyone was juicing, I'm sure a lot were, so the numbers will never be accurate. Plus, if these numbers are reversed, then no one will break them...ever! The next closest to Aaron's 755 is Ken Griffey Jr. at 611, and I don't see him hitting 145 home runs in Seattle. Albert Pujols might do it someday, but he's just at 319. MLB needs to acknowledge that the records were set during the steroids-era and move on. Plus, who is to say that whomever breaks the records down the road are going to do it clean too. Let's face it, the league will never get rid of the steroids cloud.

So, I'm over the whole A-Rod thing, and I'm praying that the rest of the world (i.e. ESPN) does the same. I'll never say that Rodriguez was a saint, but he's taking his lumps, which is more than most of those who were suspected of juicing can say. Let's just drop it already.

My Super Blog XLIII

I missed the first half of Super Bowl XLIII, but apparently it wasn't all that important. Fortunately, I did get to see the greatest play in Super Bowl history (the James Harrison INT/TD), and that's when the game became interesting.

Now, I was pulling for the Arizona Cardinals, and some may claim that I am not a true fan, but I've been a quiet supporter of them for some years now (around the time Emmitt Smith became a Cardinal), so my heart was broken slightly once the Pittsburgh Steelers re-took the lead.

At the end of the night, Super Bowl XLIII was one of the best championship games I've seen in a long time (although Super Bowl XXXIV - St. Louis/Tennessee was pretty good too), and Ben Roethlisberger and Larry Fitzgerald solidified themselves as the future of the NFL. Seriously, how cluth are those guys?

Sure, I wish the outcome was a little bit different, and I didn't care for all of the calls/no-calls made by the refs, but it was a pretty amazing game.

Other than the 2nd half, Super Bowl weekend was uneventful. I'm over watching the commericals, and I stopped paying attention to The Office, so my evening ended fairly early.

My Season of Bowling

It's kind of hard to believe that the college bowl season starts this Saturday. This fall just flew by! I know that the it thing in college football is to clamor for a Division 1-A Playoff, but we all know that is NEVER going to happen. I'm in the minority because I actually like the bowl games, and I like the Bowl Championship Series. Say what you will, but the BCS makes November an exciting month due to all of the controversies...plus, the BCS screwed Texas out a National Championship, which is always aces in my book.

Now, the bowl season is far from perfect but it does create some buzz because it allows some unique matchups that we may not have a chance to see otherwise, and 30+ teams have a chance to go out on top. Of course, I do have some problems with the bowls:

1. Lack of Creativity
We still have good old fashioned bowl games who have a sense of identity and creativity like the Cotton Bowl. You hear "Cotton Bowl" and you know the game's taking place in Texas. How about the Gator Bowl, that just screams Florida. Unfortunately the current trend is to take away all of the creativity from the bowls. Now, we have the New Orleans Bowl (guess where that one takes place), the Texas Bowl (Houston), the Las Vegas Bowl, the Hawai'i Bowl (Honolulu), the New Mexico Bowl (Albuquerque), and the St. Petersburg Bowl (sure the Rays finally started winning, but do they deserve a bowl) to name a few. Where's the originality? It's just plain lazy.

2. Corporate Takeover
Corporations and naming rights have ruined sports from the top down. I hate it that major sports facilities have to be named after a company. It's just sickening. Of course the almighty dollar has always had an impact on college football, and now companies have their own bowl games like: the Capital One Bowl (formally the Tangerine/Florida Citrus Bowl), the Chik-fil-A Bowl (formally the Peach Bowl), the Emerald Bowl (formally the San Francisco Bowl), Meineke Car Care Bowl (formally the Queen City Bowl), and the Papajohns.com Bowl (the worst name ever). It's hard to take a football game seriously when it's named after a pizza company's website. Despite my hatred for corporation tie-ins, I do think it'd be funny if the Alamo Bowl was renamed to the Taco Cabana Bowl.

3. Too Many Bowls
Maybe the lack of naming creativity is because we have way too many bowl games. There are 34 bowl games, meaning 68 teams received bids...there are only 119 D-IA teams, which means over half of the teams go to a bowl. We have teams who don't even have a winning record (ahem...Notre Dame) going to games. It just reminds me of kiddie soccer where everyone gets a trophy just for showing up. Only the best teams and matchups should be showcased in a bowl game, not anyone who managed to go 6-6. Seriously, who wants to see Florida Atlantic vs. Central Michigan or Ohio State vs. Texas (I kid...sorta)?

Despite all of the flaws, I do love bowl season more than any other time of the sports year. I'm really excited to see Boise State vs. TCU in the Poinsettia Bowl, a classic Rose Bowl (Penn State vs. USC), and Florida & Oklahoma in the BCS National Championship game. Good times! Enjoy all of the football!

My Loyalties are Torn

The 2008-2009 NBA season starts in less than a week, and I'm trying to decide which team to throw my support behind. For years now I've been a Spurs fan, and I still am, but there's another team vying for my fanaticism...the Portland Trail Blazers.

Now, it might seem like I'm nothing but a homer since I've lived in San Antonio and Portland, but that's not the case. Both teams have great potential. First, the Spurs are an established team with four NBA Championships, so they're always in the mix to win it all (especially since this is an odd numbered year). The thing with the Spurs is they're getting older by the minute, and it doesn't seem like they did anything to get younger.

On the other hand, the Blazers are a young and up-and-coming team. Greg Oden's healthy, they've added Rudy Fernandez, and they already had Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge. That's a stacked roster, albeit a young one. I'm not saying that the Blazers are going to win it all this season, but they're on their way.

So, the question is who to support -- a team on the downslide of its dynasty, or a the young guns with a really bright future? It's going to be an interesting season.

My Aggies

My poor Aggies are really sucking it up this season. Now, being a Texas A&M football fan has never been an easy task, especially the last couple of seasons, but I had some high hopes for this seasons team. Yes, I thought the team that is 2-5 would be doing a lot better. Wishful thinking I suppose.

So, I'm convinced that Texas A&M is cursed because of a poor decision that was made almost 6 years ago. In 2002 Texas A&M decided to fire Head Coach R.C. Slocum, who had been one of the most successful coaches in Aggie history. The school was fed up because he was not taking the team to where they thought they should be. That may have been true, but Coach Slocum was far from a failure in College Station. Coach Slocum was 123-47-2, with 11 bowl appearances, during his 14 seasons with the Aggies. He never had a losing season. Compared to many college coaches, Slocum was very successful, but Texas A&M decided to let him go. Since then, the Aggies have gone 34-33 under Franchione and Sherman. Sure, Coach Sherman may turn things around, but it's not looking good.

I feel the way R.C. Slocum was treated towards the end of his tenure created some bad mojo for the Aggies, and I usually don't believe in curses. Then again, it is Aggie football.