12.12.06
Hip Hop Ode to the Double
While much of the blog-o-verse is going nutty over the new “Heizman on Dat Ho” dance, another celebratory boogie is being overlooked. The video below was shot by four upstanding youngsters, and depicts their ballerinesque tribute to one of baseball’s most overlooked joys: the double. The song and dance, aptly named “Tea Bag Dat Ho!!!” references the two-base hit in the most reverential way possible. “T bag” obviously refers to “two bag”, meaning the runner takes two bases on one mighty stroke, and “dat ho” is most likely their preference for doubles to be hit in one’s own park, i.e., “please hit that double into the gap on a pitch thrown on your home field, sir.” And although the sound quality on the short film is only slightly better than a crica 1992 cell phone, one can clearly hear the angelic voices singing about “balls,” surely those they would love to see lined into left-center. I expect to see these four young lads at more than a few MLB and little league games come spring, and I can’t wait to hear their take on “DP,” or double play for those unfamiliar with baseball lingo.
12.08.06
Bowden Talking to Alabama About Raise
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) – In the wake of Rich Rodriguez’s refusal of the University of Alabama head football coach position, and dramatic return to West Virginia, Bobby Bowden has been visiting with Alabama officials concerning a pay raise from Florida State. Although wary of the email and the eBay, Bowden thought the leak of his talks with Alabama would spur his current employer to renegotiate his current “life-time” contract. When asked about the details of his conversations with the legendary SEC school, Bowden seemed non-committal, and slightly confused, reminding Florida State fans of his recent half-time interviews:
“We met with Mal Moore and some folks at the Denny’s there in Tuscaloosa, but didn’t talk about the coaching job at Alabama,” Bowden recalled. Although Ann Bowden, his wife, thought differently. “Honey, we were still in Tallahassee, and it was at Village Inn.” “Well why’d it take so dadgum long to get there then?” Because we were stopped at a traffic light on Monroe remember?” “But I saw that damn elephant walking around in a ‘Bama sweater.” “Dangit, Bobby that was Mal’s wife Charlotte!”
Alabama officials were unavailable for comment on the story, however there are reports that they have also been talks with several other coaches looking for raises, including Mike Leach at Texas Tech, Dennis Erickson at Idaho, Rush Probst at Hoover High and, most recently, Randy Shannon at Miami.
12.06.06
Miami’s Super Secret New Head Coach…
Jaws across the college football nation dropped like testes of Lincoln High School’s freshman class this week when the immortal Bernie Kosar announced his interest in the head coaching job at his alma mater Miami. Aside from being most famous for losing big games late on dramatic plays (Flutie’s ‘Hail Mary’ and Elway’s ‘The Drive’ both happened on his watch), Kosar has exactly zero coaching experience. The AP explains it thusly:
Kosar has no coaching experience, but he often serves as a mentor to quarterbacks at Miami, where he serves as a university trustee. He retired from the NFL after a 12-year career with the Cleveland Browns, Dallas Cowboys and Miami Dolphins.
Those QBs on Kosar’s resume? Ken Dorsey, Brcok Berlin, Kyle Wright and now Kirby Freeman. One doesn’t need to press ear to the ground to hear that wonderful sound of the 10,000 hardcore Miami fans hitting the floor in one simultaneous heart attack. The AP also touts Kosar as a “fan favorite…from 1983 to 1984.” Which is coincidentally the last time the Hurricanes had fans other than Luther Campbell, Vanilla Ice and Michael Irvin.
Playoffs Revisited…
3 weeks ago we previewed the de facto playoff of the top 8 teams in the country. It was hyped (by yours truly) as potentially one of the most exciting finishes to a college football season in recent memory. How did it all work out? Let’s review each team by their rank and games played since November 18th:
#1 Ohio State: Was victorious in “Semifinal 1″ and advanced to the title game. Now OSU is given the privilege of proving that it’s the best team in the nation, and not just the best team in its conference.
#2 Michigan: Lost “Semifinal 1″ and was eliminated from the title game. Funny- that’s how it happens in a playoff system. [My 2 cents on the merits of Michigan vs. Florida: You have to go on actual resume (games played) and you have to go by wins, not by losses. Michigan has 2 wins over teams that are ranked in the final BCS top-25 (Wisconsin and Notre Dame). Those 2 teams combined for 0 wins over teams also ranked in the final 25. (For comparison sake, BYU is the only other team in the top 25 without a top 25 win.) Florida has 3 wins over teams that are ranked in the final BCS top-25 (LSU, Arkansas and Tennessee). Those 3 teams combined for 5 wins over teams also ranked in the final 25. Looks like a better resume to me.]
#3 USC: Won its “Quarterfinal 1″ against #15 Cal, and “Semifinal 2″ against #5 Notre Dame. Unfortunately, they dropped the semi-semifinal against UCLA. A huge upset to be sure, but not unlike what happens during March Madness every year.
#4 Florida: Won “Semifinal 3″ over #7 Arkansas, after winning regional game against FSU. Biggest plus here? No losses.
#5 Notre Dame: Lost “Semifinal 2″ in spectacular fashion, and was thusly dropped from title game consideration.
#6 Rutgers: Lost twice – first in the opening round to Cincinnati (which effectively ended its title chase) and then to West Virginia in “Semifinal 4″. Goodbye, Rutgers, thanks for making it interesting.
#7 Arkansas: Also lost twice – to #11 LSU in “Quarterfinal 2″, (see first Rutgers loss above) and to Florida in “Semifinal 3″.
#8 West Virginia: Was unceremoniously dropped by South Florida, also an early round upset.
To Sum: If you consider “the playoffs” began on November 18th, only 2 teams finished without a loss. And, (insanely!) those are the 2 teams playing for the national title. You may look at this as a situation unique to this season, but so are the supposed playoff fixes. A few years ago we needed an 8-team playoff, and before that, a 4-team playoff would’ve fit perfectly. Last year we didn’t need one at all, and this year all we need is a #2 v. #3 play-in to see who plays Ohio State. There is no perfect system to define who the best team is – playoff systems merely define who was best on that given day, or week, or few weeks. I’m in favor of rewarding a team as quickly as possible for having a perfect, or near-perfect season. You win, you’re in. You lose, you’re out. And that goes for every game you play, especially the ones in my mythical 8-team playoff-lite scenario this season. Next year, we’ll just need 4.
