Howling Pointlessly At the BCS Moon

The BCS is back. The nerds have run their comflabulations, and loaded up the pocket protectors. The Tandy2000s have been working overtime, and – ta da! – Texas has moved ahead of USC in the rankings.

Predictable “outrage” flowed on various sports talk shows. Yada, yada, yada. Whatever.

For one, the nerds themselves say that upcoming strength of schedule factors will correct this little “wobble” in USC’s top-dog status (providing nobody loses) in the coming weeks. For another, even if they end up #2 and undefeated, they’ll still be in the title game, just wearing different jerseys.
So, everybody chill.

What I do find laughable however, is show hosts and callers who keep thinking/wishing/dreaming that current or future “controversies” about the “system” as it exists will somehow “force” the powers that be to go to a playoff.
Ha. Right.

Let me repeat this for everybody one more time, so you are not disillusioned.

The “BCS” and it’s “raison d’etre” (look it up) is NOT to give us a good football game on New Years Night (now officially called “January 7th). The BCS has been craftily designed to MAINTAIN THE ENTRENCHED POST-SEASON FINANCIAL STRUCTURE FOR DIVISION IA SCHOOLS – FOR AS LONG AS POSSIBLE!!!

That’s it. That’s why it exists. Repeat that phrase over and over until it sinks in.

If it helps, let me put it this way. The Big 6 conferences (ACC, Big Ten, SEC, Big 12, Pac-10, and Big East) are like the “Big Six” crime families in New York. These “crime families” headed by the commissioners, have a LOCK on the “business” of post-season football.

And if you think you can F--- with their bidness, you are asking to get your head cracked.

See, works like this. These Big 6 doll out Bowl Bids and the cash that comes with them (via tickets and more importantly $$$) to their members. And everyone else, can go pound sand. (That means YOU Ball State, and every other “lower-level 1A program, NOT in the Big 6).

And as of right now, bidness is good. Very, veeerrrry good. The boys at ABC have ponied up for big $$$ to show the BCS games. The bad blazer crowd that runs bowl games and gladhands locals, don’t want change. The University Presidents don’t’ want change. And most coaches (except notables who end up screwed out of a title shot like Auburn and Tommy T) don’t want change either.

Hell, if the money is the same coaches would always rather play a meaningless “bowl” game where you can use it to recruit and put it on the cover of next year’s media guide (win or lose) rather than have to answer questions forever about “as a #1 seed in the playoffs, HOW could you lose the crappy #8 seed?”

So, things ain’t changin’ until the money starts drying up. So if you choose to go to a “Bowl” game, remember that you are simply feeding the beast. If you are a rated Nielson household, and you WATCH the games, you are feeding the beast.

The rest of us, can do nothing. But cry and whine. So shake yourself people, and pray to god that someday everyone else wakes up and starts to burn their economic house down.

End of rant.

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It’s one thing for Joe Morgan to wring his hands over the Astros not having any black players. But it’s quite another when Hank Aaron says flat out that the team “needs” to find “one or two”, especially given the size and black population in Houston.

How sad. Here’s a man that knows REAL racism, and real discrimination. He’s lived it. But this situation is so far removed from actual racism, its laughable. I’d love to know which two players Hank thinks should be let go because of his sudden desire for affirmative action?

And if this is how we’re going to go, then tell me when Team Caucasian can demand their two “courtesy spots” on various NBA rosters. And for everyone who is “dismayed” by the fact that only 9% of the majors is black, tell me what you think is the ideal percentage. If we push it up to 13%, is that enough? Will they then hold a press conference with big smiling faces and say how happy they are that this “problem” has been finally “fixed?”

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Well, you can call the current regime in Tehran a lot of nasty things, but you can’t call them phonies….

AP - President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad declared Wednesday that Israel is a "disgraceful blot" that should be "wiped off the map" — fiery words that Washington said underscores its concern over Iran's nuclear program.

Ahmadinejad also condemned Iran's neighbors which seek to break new ground in their relations with Israel. "Anybody who recognizes Israel will burn in the fire of the Islamic nation's fury," state-run television quoted him as saying.

REACT: Remember this, every time the word “negotiations” pops up in regard to Iran’s growing nuclear threat. Does this sound like a country you can “negotiate” with?

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There’s a lot of buzz now about young Miss Erin Andrews of ESPN, who has (unofficially) risen to the rank of “World’s #1 Sideline Reporter Babe” (sorry Bonnie) now that she’s doing all kinds of games and sports, like baseball.

Here’s the question I threw out to my buddies recently. When (if ever) will there be a SportsCenter anchor babe, who is attractive like Erin Andrews, but as knowledgeable as any guy?

To me, that person remains ESPN’s elusive “killer app” as they say in the software business. Somebody who would blow the needle through the red on ratings. A rare talent, that just sends the sports world into a libido-fueled tizzy.

I’d like to believe that person exists, and is out there, somewhere. But maybe not. Maybe no chick could be both that hot, and that smart about sports, and that good at being on TV.

Time will tell. But even I’ll admit, Dana Jacobsen ain’t it. I think my crush is over.

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Michael Jordan went on 60 Minutes and complained about “being used” by the Wizards.

Excuse me while I dab away a tear or two. (sniff, sniff)

Poor, Mikey. Poor, poor, Mikey. Jordan said Abe Pollin essentially screwed him. Whatever. Fact is MJ USED the Wizards as much as they used him. You will note, MJ’s two-year “moonlight goodbye” was not good enough to even crack the 8th seed in the lousy Eastern conference. All the while, his minutes retarded the normal development of other players, forced the ouster of Rip Hamilton, and took the focus on actually building a good team, and instead put it on “hey, that MJ sure is GREAT, isn’t he?”

I won’t even get into his disastrous 1-2 punch of a) Drafting Kwame Brown and b) Ruining Kwame Brown by constant ridicicule his rookie year. Good job, Mr. Nike.

One thing to remember, is when Jordan famously told Abe Pollin during the 1998 NBA lockout in a closed door negotiating session that if Abe couldn’t make money in this league with his team, then he should sell. That snub wasn’t forgotten apparently.

Paybacks are a bitch, aren’t they? Now Abe has the “poster” of himself dunking on ol’ 23 when he fired him that warm spring day in 2003, and a winning, playoff team with competent management. Hard to believe it would end up this way, but it did.