BCS National Championship: The Huge Asterisk

Well Folks,

I know I am not the first person to complain and question this but when is there going to be college football playoffs? I have been watching college football more than usual this season due to BS’s love for the Texas Longhorns. I, myself,  am a fan of USC but find no harm in rooting for Texas until our teams meet each other in the National Championship. (This is not an invitation to talk about the 2005 BCS game…).

When USC lost to Washington, they were knocked from being the #3 team to the #12 team. If all I was talking about was some power rankings that writers from the different sports media outlets give out,  then this wouldn’t be a big deal. However, this 1 loss, this 1 bad night of football changes everything. If Florida, Texas or Alabama go undefeated then USC has no chance of getting to the National Championhip. Why? Because they had 1 bad night of play?

If we look to the NFL and to the 2008 Super Bowl champs, The New York Giants, this was a team that wasn’t even 1st of their division the entire regular season until the Wild Card game of which they were the wild card. Had we used the College Football logic, the Giants should not have even been allowed in the Super Bowl. However, throughout the playoffs the Giants beat all of the other teams and made it to the Super Bowl and beat the thought to be unbeatable New England Patriots.

Why not afford this right to the college teams? They do it for College Basketball.  The truth is the media can be in love with Florida or any team, as this isn’t an issue for this year, this is an inherent problem of the system, but for them to really be the best and show they are the best then they need to play teams that actually are the best, not ones that are determined by some computer system. Everyone has a bad night. No one is perfect in their job 100% of the time and the penalty in the College Football for not being perfect is so extreme.

I hear the argument that there is so much money in the bowl games that playoffs will never happen. Well, I say to that, the National Championship should be played with a giant asterisk next to the winner every single year. Currently the number 1 team is Florida, 2 is Texas and 3 is Alabama. I’m not saying these 3 teams aren’t the 3 best teams in college football (they are all undefeated), however, I can definitely say that until they play in a playoff series with the other top teams  then who cares what they do in the regular season. Again, please let’s look at the 2008 New York Giants.

They played against a team that went undefeated the whole regular season. It didn’t even seem conceivable that the Patriots could lose, let alone lose to a team that had lost 6 games during the regular season. However, as the season and playoffs played on, the Giants kept improving and then out played the Patriots and won the Super Bowl. No asterisk.

I just want the college football program to be as fair as possible and right now, it is so arbitrary. Let the top teams really prove they are the top teams. What is the harm in that? Loss of money? Money has no value on a system that is inherently tainted.

 

A classless exit

I was driving down to North Carolina when the semi-final match between Serena Williams and Kim Clijsters was being played so what I am about to comment on I did not see live but rather I have read about and watched video on the incident.  From what I gather the foot fault call that the line judge called on Williams was a bad call. Again, I didn’t watch this live but from what I’ve read this seem to be the consensus. That being said, there is absolutely no excuse for the verbal bashing Williams  gave the line judge. To threaten anyone, ever, is completely unacceptable. To yell at someone, “I’m going to shove this ball down your f—— throat”, is behavior that warrants the penalty that the U.S. Open enforced. Williams lost a point, which in turn lost her the match, which in turn lost her the semi-finals. She was on her way out and as Chris Chase from Busted Raquet said:

“The explosive end is sure to obscure the fact that Serena probably would have lost the match without the foot fault. Clijsters was playing great and Serena couldn’t win a point on her second serve. The end was coming, Serena’s outburst merely hastened its arrival. Maybe that was the point.”

I will state for the record that I have never been a Serena Williams fan. I have always felt she has lacked a sportsmanship that in a sport like tennis and truly any professional sport you need to exude. I remember in Wimbledon when she lost in the finals against her sister Venus she couldn’t even be congratulatory towards her own sister. Look, I understand that this is your job, this is what you work tirelessly for and to lose after coming so far has to be such a deep disappointment, but thats what good sportsmanship is, losing gracefully.(If you need to see evidence of how to do this please rewatch the Andy Roddick-Roger Federer 2009 Wimbledon match) I believe in order to do that you need to have class and this is something time and time again Serena has proven she doesn’t have.

It is incredibly unfortunate her run in in this U.S. Open ended because of the what started as a bad call but the reason her trip to this Open ended was because of her actions after wards.  I suggest she look to her older sister Venus for how to professionally bow out of a series and how to become a true professional sportsman.

 

Let the real season begin!

So the NFL season starts tomorrow night and I couldn’t be more excited.  Labor day has come and gone, the weather has cooled off, and my fantasy teams have been drafted.  I’m ready for some football.  Now I know we’ve had football on TV for the past several weeks, in fact football has been on Primetime, Saturday and Sunday nights taking over the TVs at bars all over the city.  I think preseason is important.  Coaches need to see their players in action to help narrow down the team, or finalize a starting quarterback.  Players need to it so they can start playing together in real competition, and get into a rhythm.  But what the preseason doesn’t need is all the hype of the regular season.  I’ll follow my team during the preseason, but until the season starts I still want to be watching baseball at the bars.  Preseason is hyped up by the TV networks.  I saw numerous commercials for the “much anticipated Super Bowl rematch” between the NY Giants and New England Patriots, only to see Eli play 3 downs and Tom Brady not make an appearance on the field.  Preseason football is really about the starters playing only a couple downs, letting the rookies make the team, and praying that your star players don’t get hurt.  Please stop advertising it like it’s the Super Bowl.

But now that the preseason is over….lets play some football!

 

It’s just the beginning…

Well Folks,

What a weekend! With the 3rd round of the U.S. Open today and the beginning weekend of college football, I don’t really know where to throw my attention. Throughout today I have been watching the Oudin vs Sharapova match and the USC vs San Jose State game.

At the point I am writing this today we are at 2 hours and 45 minutes for the womens’ tennis match. Oudin the the American newcomer who’s surprising win brought her to play the 2006 U.S. Open and Wimbledon champion, Sharapova. Listening to the commentary of the game everyone is commenting on Oudin’s positive attitude, and knowing that sports comes down to the mental state of the player I have to believe she wearing Sharapova down. Although Oudin, only 17 years old has given up some crucial break points she is making Sharapova fight hard for her comeback. The 29 ranked former champion has been hoping for the U.S. Open to be her comeback stage but with 22 double fault serves (this was the number at the time of post) and a series of lost break points, one wonders if the mental state of the 17 year old Oudin is outweighing Sharapova’s experience.

On the other screen I have the USC-San Jose State game. I am a USC fan, after all that is Los Angeles’ (my hometown) NFL team. With Matt Barkley taking on the Quarterback roll after Matt Sanchez has entered the NFL, USC has taken a slightly conservative approach to his first  game. At the time of writing there is 30 seconds left in the half. Barkley has 9 yards and no touchdowns, yet USC is winning 28-3 due to 3 rushing touchdowns. If this is an indication of the Trojan season then I hope to see you in the National Championship.

UPDATE: Since writing the 1st paragraph Melanie Oudin has beaten Maria Sharapova in a surprising upset after a 2 hour and 58 minute game play. She will advance to the 4th round. After someone who’s goal was to make it to the U.S Open and to the top 50, it looks like she is well on her way to achieving much more. Congratulations Melanie!

 

Masterful Footwork

I have fond memories of my oldest brother playing tennis growing up. He is 6 years older than me and I remember watching him play his tournaments and matches at the tennis center down the street from our school. I have always had an interest in tennis because of him, strictly as a spectator. With the U.S. Open Tournament in full swing I find myself, probably like many others, closely watching Roger Federer. I find his sportsmanship and his graceful execution of plays a joy to watch.

I received an email from my brother today about an examination of Federer’s footwork. It’s a short video, but really interesting into the art of play of the World’s greatest tennis player.

I encourage you all to watch the breakdown of his moves.

New York Times

“Federer’s Footwork: Artful and Efficient”

 

Crucial Commentary Features: East Potomac Park

This is a new feature on Crucial Commentary. I attend sporting events and go to different sporting areas throughout the year so here is a great venue to highlight them.

East Potomac Park is in Washington, D.C. tucked away off 395 and overlooking the Potomac River. This is a perfect setting for golf. I am not a golfer nor do I have anything to compare this place with but over the last month or so I have been going to the driving range with the intention of learning what I believe is the classiest sport out there.

A few have said they do not prefer East Potomac Park because you go into a stall like setting that made them feel like cattle. Maybe it’s because I have just begun my golfing journey but I like the privacy. In my attempt to not clock anyone within 10 feet of me, I think I’m going to continue my training here and then perhaps venture out where walls don’t protect those around me.

In the meantime, I’ll see you out at the range and keep you updated on my golf progress!

East Potomac Park can be found at
972 Ohio Drive, SW | Washington, DC 20024

 

What’s in a name…

Well Folks,
Fantasy season is beginning and what is almost as nerve-wracking as the draft is choosing the fantasy football team name. When I first began my Fantasy career I had a name that defined my hatred of my rival team…Gibbs is a Pansy. Over the course of the next three years I did variations on that name, and then when Gibbs was gone my name became Gibbs is a goner.

It was time to retire my beloved Gibbs bashing era. This of course left me stressed out and unsure as to where to begin next. I have decided to go the root of obscure viral video. A few months ago, I came across this video which to this day I still find in my top 3 funniest videos of all time. This clever work has given me endless pleasure as well as those I have shared it with and I even got my fantasy name out of it…Mullet with Headlights.

I have included it in the post. Feel free to watch and laugh and leave wondering what exactly were people thinking in the 80s.

Good luck with Fantasy this season everyone, I look forward to meeting you on the cyber field!

 

Oh how the mighty have fallen…a Brett Favre story

Well Folks,
I can’t say I was surprised, but I am left to wonder, is anyone loyal to anything or anyone anymore? Two years ago one would have said that Brett Favre embodied that down home All-American feeling we get every Sunday when we sit in front of our TVs watching football with friends and family. Two years ago I think anyone, no matter what team you root for would have loved to go out back and throw the football around with Brett Favre and drink a nice cold beer…but not today. Now I just see a man who has strung his fans and America along through a media showcase. I boldly say, I have lost respect.

When Favre retired from the Packers you could understand why, he was coming off a season no one expected him to have at his age. The Packers became the ultimate underdog in a division full of talented, inexperienced, young blood. What a way to exit.

…or so we thought.

I then read Favre decided to come out of his 2 month retirement and he signed with New York Jets. What? This was hard to stomach. After all Favre was the Green Bay Packers but the Packers had to make a decision and they had decided to put their backing to their new quarterback who didn’t retire. This decision was understandable and expected. The Packers needed to rebrand themselves on the field and the Favre era had ended.

Onto the Jets. Favre had a good year with the Jets. The Jets sure needed that boost and although it was strange to see him in the uniform you could respect the guy for saying, I couldn’t give up the game yet. That is fair. You spend your life building a career and then just stop. It had to be tough. It seemed he needed one more season to get it out of his system. He retired.

…or so we thought.

Brett Favre is the quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings. What? I can’t help but think this was his plan all along after coming back from retirement the first time but rather than go to a die-hard rivals team immediately he played the media and he played us with these retirement tactics. Is there no loyalty with him? I am so frustrated with him that a man just two years ago I was ready to track down and buy a cold one, I now am pulling for a losing season. What about the loyalty to the fans of Green Bay, to the people of Green Bay who own the team? Why can’t you stand up and say what it is you were really doing, once Green Bay didn’t take you back after coming out of your first retirement you wanted to go to the Vikings instead of pulling this ridiculous retirement charade?

I wonder how the Packers reacted when they heard. They have moved on, good for them, I hope Aaron Rodgers can really make a name for himself there, but I wonder if this was hit a little too below the belt that even the classiest team is bound to double over a bit and catch their breath.

We will see how long Favre lasts in the NFL, one this is for sure though his loyalty to his fans, to the media and to football in general is tainted and unfortunately for him, it is often the last things you do that leave lasting impressions and overshadow the work of a great career.

 

Dear Buffalo Bills

Dear Buffalo Bills,

You may not be one of the NFL’s sexiest teams, but you now have one of the NFL’s most controversial players. For over a decade you have been a low profile franchise, and now you have perhaps the NFL’s most attention grabbing player. I believe TO ending up on your roster was even a surprise to most of your high level management, and now you have to make sure you make the most of this opportunity. You’re going to have TO (one of the top TD scoring WRs of all time) on one side and Lee Evans on the other, so make sure you have a playbook a QB who will get them the ball. Trent Edwards had some great games last year, but you need to make sure he is ready to shine.

Here you go, as promised. i tried to put it on the website, but I guess I wasn’t doing something right, so you’re going to have to show me how tomorrow. Hope you had fun at wing night tonight and with Brent, i’ll talk to you tomorrow

-Mike

 

League Review

Well Folks,
A lot has happened in the last couple of weeks that I have been delinquent on reporting, but here I am with all the news. So the theme of this NFL season seems to be injury, injury, injury and Dallas is the most recent victim. After a heart-wrenching loss to the Arizona Cardinals in overtime, Dallas will be without their quarterback Tony Romo for up to 4 weeks with a broken pinky on his throwing hand. Ouch! Could not come at a worse time. With the NFC East so strong, this could be disastrous to their season. Is it time to look to the ’09 season? Brad Johnson, the veteran Quarterback who led his team to a Super Bowl Championship in 2000 is going to step up and work with this team to keep them competitive. I think Dallas is in fragile place and it’s going to take Sunday’s game to really solidify where I think they will end up this year.

Some firsts happened this week as well. The Rams won their 1st game against the Redskins. What?? I don’t think this is an indication of the Redskins taking a nosedive, i think they were on a high from 2 huge on the road wins that they thought this was a gimme. I wouldn’t expect this to happen again from them, the NFC East is competitive and will remain that way. The other first was the Giants lost against the Browns on Monday night Football. Now, unlike the Redskins, one might need to worry about the Giants. Eli was back to his old ways and as the commentators were saying all night, the Browns looked more like the Giants then the Giants did. I think perhaps the Giants needed a wake-up call but fans beware, I see old Eli rearing his ugly head…or ugly throws.

Is San Diego back? They played an amazing game on Sunday night. I can’t even lie and say I watched the whole thing, what was the point? They were steamrolling. I think we’re going to see San Diego get back into action and be what we thought they all would be. This also goes for the Colts. I think it’s safe to say They’re back!

I want to throw a shout out to Daryl, who I watched the Saints/Oakland game with on his birthday (or at least birthday celebration) and being a native from New Orleans let’s just say the blow out was the perfect birthday present!

So folks, are injuries going to dictate this season? Did we write off some teams too quickly? Who is in trouble? Let’s get this blog back and rolling….2 weeks gone is just too long