Stacey was very smart when we began the wedding planning process. I want to be very involved and help make the decisions, but there are some things I just can't get excited about. She gave me an out - whenever she asked my opinion on something, "I don't care" was an acceptable response. I think so far, I have had to use that less than 5 times. It has been a busy two months - keep in mind the normal wedding planning length is 12 months. We're doing it in 9.
Bridal Shows
I got a lot of compliments from vendors on the fact that I showed up. It's great when my mere presence earns me brownie points! It was fun to taste all of the different cakes. We're going to be at a crossroads because I personally prefer ones with fruit in the middle (especially raspberries) and Stacey doesn't. There is so much b.s. out there you can buy for your reception. I think we've done a pretty good job of deciding what we want and what crap we don't need. The most scandalous vendor was a semi-nude photoshoot that a bride can complete for a "wedding night present" for her husband. I would just be uncomfortable if I got that knowing someone was taking dirty photos of her. Anyway...
Registering
Getting to play with a scanning gun and picking out stuff for other people to buy us? I'm there. I felt a little discriminated when we went to Macy's because the woman was looking at Stacey 75% of the time and the registration sheet asked for the bride's info - the grooms was optional. Again, Stacey knows me too well - she gave me a list and let me cross off the stuff I didn't care about shopping for and picked them out herself. Picking out the bedroom and bathroom stuff was pretty difficult to decorate a house we don't have. But thee most frustrating thing about trying to decorate was that everything is chocolate brown and pastel blue.
Dress Shopping
Obviously I wasn't there while she bought the dress, but it did spend a week in my closet... in the middle of my clothes. I estimate the number of times she has tried it on so far at 6. While I wasn't there for the dress purchasing, I did venture to David's Bridal to look at bridesmaid dresses. That, by far, has the scariest part to date. It was a Sunday afternoon, which according to her bridal magazines is the busiest time of the week. Imagine approximately 30-50 bridezillas, each with a stressed out mom and/or friend, and maybe 1 other guy there. Stacey showed me the options and I approved. It also gave me the chance to make the suggestion I am most proud of - the flower girl's dress. We didn't want to have her in a white dress (someone wants to be the ONLY one in white) and the dress doesn't come in our color (serene). I recommended that we put her in a light blue dress with the serene sash and she approved. Luckily, we made it out of there before I had an anxiety attack.
Where we go from here
The good thing is we're not even close to being burnt out yet. We are very close to signing a reception place. Once that is done, we will finally be "on schedule" with the wedding planning. The next big step is booking the honeymoon. Stacey is spending the weekend getting quotes from photographers, flower places, videographers, etc. Then we have to look over the guest lists and make cuts. I think we should take what will be an uncomfortable situation and make it fun - turn it into a fantasy draft or make it into a March Madness bracket.
Friday, February 20, 2009
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Originality
I wake up this morning to peruse the sports websites. cnnsi.com and espn.com had the same exact photo of Thabeet falling over a crouched DeJuan Blair. Sports Illustrated's headline was "The Bigger They Are" and ESPN's, no joke, was "Harder They Fall". Ridiculous.
By the way, I am still not believing the hype that Pitt will make the Final Four. I just can't after how much of their kool-aid I was drinking last year.
By the way, I am still not believing the hype that Pitt will make the Final Four. I just can't after how much of their kool-aid I was drinking last year.
Monday, February 09, 2009
Alex Rodriguez is a scum, but Michael Phelps is not
That pretty much says it. Post done.
I guess I should elaborate. Let me start by saying I don't blame A-Rod for testing positive for steroids - a very large percentage of baseball players were, so why make him the lead witch in the hunt (that goes for Barry Bonds as well). However, nobody else said they didn't take steroids because they felt unmatched by any of the other players. When the report came out, he didn't admit to it, but instead told reporters they would have to speak to the union. After conferring with his legal team, PR team, and Madonna, he decided to have a "come to Jesus" moment where he feels so bad about what he did and what kids think of him. He wants to spread the word about how bad steroids are and regain our respect! He's such an ingenuine schmuck. After the affair with Madonna, "A-Fruad" story in Joe Torre's book, and now the steroid report, it is not a good year to be him. By the way, finding out yet another former Ranger was on steroids pretty much answers the question of whether or not Pudge was.
So where do we go from here? I like the idea of releasing all 104 people who tested positive in 2003 so the focus isn't solely on A-Rod, but they can't do that. Two wrongs don't make a right. Now that he's made his half-assed, scripted apology, it's time to move on. There were a lot of players in that era on steroids. We can't punish them now because there weren't rules back then. If you are a baseball reporter and you don't want to send Bonds or A-Rod to the hall of fame, then don't send anyone from this era. I hate that Jose Canseco, once again, looks like the most honest, truthful person in all of this. We need to move on from the steroids talk, though.
The other scandal right now is Michael Phelps marijuana use. I want to give credit to Mike right now who said last summer we needed to give him a free pass for whatever stupid thing he gets in trouble for this year. I can understand Kellogg's decision to pull their endorsement. If the story received too much press, that was the only option they had. However, the whole story wreaks of racism and sports bias.
Recently, Super Bowl MVP Santonio Holmes was invited to do the "I'm going to Disney World" commercial and was the guest of honor at their parade. Holmes was also cited for possession of marijuana 3 months ago. He has also been arrested several times for disorderly conduct and domestic violence. If Kellogg's felt they had to pull their endorsement due to their youth appeal, Disney CERTAINLY should have withheld theirs. It isn't unprecedented either - remember Disney used Trent Dilfer as the face of the Raven's Super Bowl win instead of Ray Lewis due to his legal disputes.
I believe Phelps and Holmes were treated differently by the companies and the media because we "expect" that black athletes and football players use marijuana because that is the "culture" that they come from. However, a white swimmer should "be a better role model". The whole story has strong undertones of prejudicial beliefs. To not hold Holmes to the same standards that we hold Phelps is saying that we don't expect as much out of him due to the color of his skin or the sport he plays. Someone like James Harrison, Ben Roethlisberger, or Hines Ward should have been used for their commercial, not Holmes.
I guess I should elaborate. Let me start by saying I don't blame A-Rod for testing positive for steroids - a very large percentage of baseball players were, so why make him the lead witch in the hunt (that goes for Barry Bonds as well). However, nobody else said they didn't take steroids because they felt unmatched by any of the other players. When the report came out, he didn't admit to it, but instead told reporters they would have to speak to the union. After conferring with his legal team, PR team, and Madonna, he decided to have a "come to Jesus" moment where he feels so bad about what he did and what kids think of him. He wants to spread the word about how bad steroids are and regain our respect! He's such an ingenuine schmuck. After the affair with Madonna, "A-Fruad" story in Joe Torre's book, and now the steroid report, it is not a good year to be him. By the way, finding out yet another former Ranger was on steroids pretty much answers the question of whether or not Pudge was.
So where do we go from here? I like the idea of releasing all 104 people who tested positive in 2003 so the focus isn't solely on A-Rod, but they can't do that. Two wrongs don't make a right. Now that he's made his half-assed, scripted apology, it's time to move on. There were a lot of players in that era on steroids. We can't punish them now because there weren't rules back then. If you are a baseball reporter and you don't want to send Bonds or A-Rod to the hall of fame, then don't send anyone from this era. I hate that Jose Canseco, once again, looks like the most honest, truthful person in all of this. We need to move on from the steroids talk, though.
The other scandal right now is Michael Phelps marijuana use. I want to give credit to Mike right now who said last summer we needed to give him a free pass for whatever stupid thing he gets in trouble for this year. I can understand Kellogg's decision to pull their endorsement. If the story received too much press, that was the only option they had. However, the whole story wreaks of racism and sports bias.
Recently, Super Bowl MVP Santonio Holmes was invited to do the "I'm going to Disney World" commercial and was the guest of honor at their parade. Holmes was also cited for possession of marijuana 3 months ago. He has also been arrested several times for disorderly conduct and domestic violence. If Kellogg's felt they had to pull their endorsement due to their youth appeal, Disney CERTAINLY should have withheld theirs. It isn't unprecedented either - remember Disney used Trent Dilfer as the face of the Raven's Super Bowl win instead of Ray Lewis due to his legal disputes.
I believe Phelps and Holmes were treated differently by the companies and the media because we "expect" that black athletes and football players use marijuana because that is the "culture" that they come from. However, a white swimmer should "be a better role model". The whole story has strong undertones of prejudicial beliefs. To not hold Holmes to the same standards that we hold Phelps is saying that we don't expect as much out of him due to the color of his skin or the sport he plays. Someone like James Harrison, Ben Roethlisberger, or Hines Ward should have been used for their commercial, not Holmes.
Friday, January 23, 2009
espn.com Boycott
I am officially beginning my boycott of ESPN.com. I am sick of their slow website that makes me watch an ad every time I want to see a new page. It will be hard, but there won't really be anything to miss except Bill Simmons. Instead, I will try to rely on cnnsi.com. I challenge you both to do the same.
So let me get this straight: we just hired a defensive coordinator who was 31st in YPG Allowed (ahead of only Detroit) and 29th in PPG Allowed. Then, we hired a guy whose team was 24th in Yards Per Game and 28th in Points Per Game last year as our offensive coordinator. This is going to be awesome.
So let me get this straight: we just hired a defensive coordinator who was 31st in YPG Allowed (ahead of only Detroit) and 29th in PPG Allowed. Then, we hired a guy whose team was 24th in Yards Per Game and 28th in Points Per Game last year as our offensive coordinator. This is going to be awesome.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Book Report
"Moneyball" Michael Lewis
Far and away the best sports book I've ever read. It cronicals a season with Billy Beane paired with chapters on the development of statistical analysis in baseball. The structure was similar to the way Moby Dick alternated between chapters of the novel and the history of whaling. It was interesting to read it years after it was written with the knowledge of each player's success or failure. For example, they discuss that year's draft class with players such as Nick Swisher and Jeremy Bonderman. I felt like he was very sympathetic to Beane, but still painted a fairly honest picture of him. The best part of the book were the behind the scenes trade negotiations.
"The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game" Michael Lewis
I really enjoy Michael Lewis as a writer, so I figured this one would be good as well. Blind Side is the story of Michael Oher's introduction to football. Oher is a left tackle at Ole Miss and projected top 15 pick in this year's draft. The book not only serves to tell his story, but also explain how left tackles are paid as well as QBs and on occasion, even better (a fact I didn't know beforehand). It follows the same structure as Moneyball, but less dramatically. While Moneyball followed two intertwined story archs, Blind Side doesn't follow a strict timeline of how left tackles grew in importance. Oher was a very quiet, poor, black kid from Memphis who ended up being adopted by a rich white family. He never really attended school until his junior year and had never played football until that point either. The family that took Oher in seems very noble and honest, but I still question their intentions. At one point, Oher asks himself whether they would have taken him in had he not been athletically gifted and I feel like that question is still unresolved. I definitely recommend reading it before the draft to learn the interesting story behind one of the top picks.
"God Save the Fan: How Preening Sportscasters, Athletes Who Speak in the Third Person, and the Occasional Convicted Quarterback Have Taken the Fun Out of Sports (And How We Can Get It Back)" Will Leitch
Yep, that's really the title. If you've ever been to the website deadspin.com, this guy is the creator. It isn't surprising that the writer is a blogger since the chapters are fairly short and random. I feel like he took some of his favorite posts and tried to combine them to make this book. While many of them were funny, he lacks focus - at some points, it is just a collection of rants. He divides the book into Players, Owners, Media, and Fans. He is the most vengeful about ESPN, which is understandable because as a website owner, they are his primary competition. I agree that ESPN is kind of the Walmart of the sports industry and there are a lot of things that are wrong with them. But he comes off as a know it all and a sports elitist. Overall, it's funny, but definitely not worth buying. He does get the title for best cover. It's a foam hand with the middle finger sticking up.
"The Education of a Coach" David Halberstam
This is the Bill Belichik book. It's horrible. Absolutely horrible. More boring than you'd think. I don't feel like I know Belichik any more than I did before. I only read about half of it because I couldn't force myself to read the rest.
Far and away the best sports book I've ever read. It cronicals a season with Billy Beane paired with chapters on the development of statistical analysis in baseball. The structure was similar to the way Moby Dick alternated between chapters of the novel and the history of whaling. It was interesting to read it years after it was written with the knowledge of each player's success or failure. For example, they discuss that year's draft class with players such as Nick Swisher and Jeremy Bonderman. I felt like he was very sympathetic to Beane, but still painted a fairly honest picture of him. The best part of the book were the behind the scenes trade negotiations.
"The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game" Michael Lewis
I really enjoy Michael Lewis as a writer, so I figured this one would be good as well. Blind Side is the story of Michael Oher's introduction to football. Oher is a left tackle at Ole Miss and projected top 15 pick in this year's draft. The book not only serves to tell his story, but also explain how left tackles are paid as well as QBs and on occasion, even better (a fact I didn't know beforehand). It follows the same structure as Moneyball, but less dramatically. While Moneyball followed two intertwined story archs, Blind Side doesn't follow a strict timeline of how left tackles grew in importance. Oher was a very quiet, poor, black kid from Memphis who ended up being adopted by a rich white family. He never really attended school until his junior year and had never played football until that point either. The family that took Oher in seems very noble and honest, but I still question their intentions. At one point, Oher asks himself whether they would have taken him in had he not been athletically gifted and I feel like that question is still unresolved. I definitely recommend reading it before the draft to learn the interesting story behind one of the top picks.
"God Save the Fan: How Preening Sportscasters, Athletes Who Speak in the Third Person, and the Occasional Convicted Quarterback Have Taken the Fun Out of Sports (And How We Can Get It Back)" Will Leitch
Yep, that's really the title. If you've ever been to the website deadspin.com, this guy is the creator. It isn't surprising that the writer is a blogger since the chapters are fairly short and random. I feel like he took some of his favorite posts and tried to combine them to make this book. While many of them were funny, he lacks focus - at some points, it is just a collection of rants. He divides the book into Players, Owners, Media, and Fans. He is the most vengeful about ESPN, which is understandable because as a website owner, they are his primary competition. I agree that ESPN is kind of the Walmart of the sports industry and there are a lot of things that are wrong with them. But he comes off as a know it all and a sports elitist. Overall, it's funny, but definitely not worth buying. He does get the title for best cover. It's a foam hand with the middle finger sticking up.
"The Education of a Coach" David Halberstam
This is the Bill Belichik book. It's horrible. Absolutely horrible. More boring than you'd think. I don't feel like I know Belichik any more than I did before. I only read about half of it because I couldn't force myself to read the rest.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Fun With NBA Salaries
I am working on a different post, but I wanted to post a little NBA Salary quiz. I love that they post this information on the Team Roster pages on ESPN's website. Completely unnecessary. Anyway, DON'T Cheat!
The highest paid player on the OKC Thunder has the smallest salary compared to the top earner from every other team. How much do they make?
Bonus Point: Who is it?
Half point: name two members of the Thunder other than Kevin Durant (It's ok - I couldn't)
Who is the highest paid player in the NBA?
Who is the highest paid player on the Cavs?
Of these 4 Pistons, who has the highest salary - Rodney Stuckey, Jason Maxiell, Antonio McDyess, Walter Herrmann?
Danny Granger is averaging 26.5 PPG for the Indiana Pacers. Mike Dunleavy comes off the bench to replace Granger. How many Danny Grangers does it take to equal the salary of 1 Mike Dunleavy (rounded to the nearest whole number)?
Last year’s #1 overall pick, Derrick Rose, makes roughly the same amount of money as which of these present or former Piston veterans? Mehmet Okur, Grant Hill, Darko Milicic, Kwame Brown, Tayshaun Prince
Bonus point: To the nearest 100,000, how much does Derrick Rose make?
The highest paid player on the OKC Thunder has the smallest salary compared to the top earner from every other team. How much do they make?
Bonus Point: Who is it?
Half point: name two members of the Thunder other than Kevin Durant (It's ok - I couldn't)
Who is the highest paid player in the NBA?
Who is the highest paid player on the Cavs?
Of these 4 Pistons, who has the highest salary - Rodney Stuckey, Jason Maxiell, Antonio McDyess, Walter Herrmann?
Danny Granger is averaging 26.5 PPG for the Indiana Pacers. Mike Dunleavy comes off the bench to replace Granger. How many Danny Grangers does it take to equal the salary of 1 Mike Dunleavy (rounded to the nearest whole number)?
Last year’s #1 overall pick, Derrick Rose, makes roughly the same amount of money as which of these present or former Piston veterans? Mehmet Okur, Grant Hill, Darko Milicic, Kwame Brown, Tayshaun Prince
Bonus point: To the nearest 100,000, how much does Derrick Rose make?
Friday, December 12, 2008
Bowl Mania **UPDATE**
**********UPDATE***************
With my confidence picks, I am abysmal 3-5 heading into the BS National Championship Game. My other picks are a very weak 13-12, so I need Florida to win just to break even. So here are the new rules:
-Always go against the team that was "left out of the BCS" (Texas Tech and Boise St in this case). I think the BCS commissioner pays off the refs to make it look like they got the teams right.
-Don't pick the ACC over the SEC (Georgia Tech, BC)
Predictions in order of my confidence level (most confident first)
Georgia over MSU
I know our team the best and I hate to say it, but we haven't played competitively against a good team all year. We barely beat two ok teams (Wisconsin and Iowa). Georgia has underperformed against lofty preseason expectations and the game is a short drive for their fans. Plus, their QB likely will use this game as the final shining moment for his draft resume. Remember BC last year?
Texas Tech over Ole Miss
I really hope they take it out on Ole Miss.
USC over Penn St
Adding to the "Big 10 is a weak conference argument"...
Texas over OSU
And putting an exclamation point on it. We have some of the toughest match ups for the top of our conference. I think it is funny to hear Buckeyes rationalizing that their team hasn't been a big game embarrassment for the past few years.
Boise St over TCU
Why are they still letting Boise St play a weak ass schedule and still go undefeated every year?
Hawaii over Notre Dame
I think they're trying to express the termination process for Charlie Weis.
Alabama over Utah
I hate Nick Saban. Enough said.
Florida over Oklahoma
As much as the BCS sucks, I think they really did get it right - these are the two best teams in the country, even if Texas beat Oklahoma. It's going to be an exciting game.
Cincinnati over Virginia Tech
Really? We're still allowing the ACC and Big East BCS games?
And the rest nobody cares about...
Ball St over Tulsa
Connecticut over Buffalo
ECU over Kentucky
Clemson over Nebraska
Iowa over South Carolina
Georgia Tech over LSU
Minnesota over Kansas
BC over Vanderbilt
Oregon St over Pittsburgh
Houston over Air Force
Oklahoma St over Oregon
Rice over Western Michigan
Nevada over Maryland
Missouri over Northwestern
Rutgers over NC State
Louisiana Tech over Northern Illinois
Cal over Miami
Florida St over Wisconsin
West Virginia over North Carolina
Central Michigan over Florida Atlantic
Troy over Southern Miss
BYU over Arizona
South Florida over Memphis
Fresno St over Colorado St
Wake Forest over Navy
With my confidence picks, I am abysmal 3-5 heading into the BS National Championship Game. My other picks are a very weak 13-12, so I need Florida to win just to break even. So here are the new rules:
-Always go against the team that was "left out of the BCS" (Texas Tech and Boise St in this case). I think the BCS commissioner pays off the refs to make it look like they got the teams right.
-Don't pick the ACC over the SEC (Georgia Tech, BC)
Predictions in order of my confidence level (most confident first)
Georgia over MSU
I know our team the best and I hate to say it, but we haven't played competitively against a good team all year. We barely beat two ok teams (Wisconsin and Iowa). Georgia has underperformed against lofty preseason expectations and the game is a short drive for their fans. Plus, their QB likely will use this game as the final shining moment for his draft resume. Remember BC last year?
Texas Tech over Ole Miss
I really hope they take it out on Ole Miss.
USC over Penn St
Adding to the "Big 10 is a weak conference argument"...
Texas over OSU
And putting an exclamation point on it. We have some of the toughest match ups for the top of our conference. I think it is funny to hear Buckeyes rationalizing that their team hasn't been a big game embarrassment for the past few years.
Boise St over TCU
Why are they still letting Boise St play a weak ass schedule and still go undefeated every year?
Hawaii over Notre Dame
I think they're trying to express the termination process for Charlie Weis.
Alabama over Utah
I hate Nick Saban. Enough said.
Florida over Oklahoma
As much as the BCS sucks, I think they really did get it right - these are the two best teams in the country, even if Texas beat Oklahoma. It's going to be an exciting game.
Cincinnati over Virginia Tech
Really? We're still allowing the ACC and Big East BCS games?
And the rest nobody cares about...
Ball St over Tulsa
Connecticut over Buffalo
ECU over Kentucky
Clemson over Nebraska
Iowa over South Carolina
Georgia Tech over LSU
Minnesota over Kansas
BC over Vanderbilt
Oregon St over Pittsburgh
Houston over Air Force
Oklahoma St over Oregon
Rice over Western Michigan
Nevada over Maryland
Missouri over Northwestern
Rutgers over NC State
Louisiana Tech over Northern Illinois
Cal over Miami
Florida St over Wisconsin
West Virginia over North Carolina
Central Michigan over Florida Atlantic
Troy over Southern Miss
BYU over Arizona
South Florida over Memphis
Fresno St over Colorado St
Wake Forest over Navy
Sunday, November 30, 2008
College Football Review - aka Annual BCS Complaint
Everyone is upset with the BCS, again. Instead of posting a rant (thanks Mike!), I wanted to break it down and provide my suggestions for fixing ALL of college football's problems, not just the BCS. First, let's look at why it is ridiculous that Oklahoma is going to the Big 12 Championship.
1. The obvious - Texas beat Oklahoma
2. Texas was ranked ahead of Oklahoma last week - They both won this week, so why is Oklahoma now better than Texas?
3. Oklahoma has choked in BCS Bowls - If the Big 10 is going to be penalized by OSU's back-to-back choke jobs (Penn State only has 1 loss but is not included in any national championship discussion), why isn't Oklahoma? They've lost 4 straight BCS games, including 2 National Championships, by an average score of 42-26.
4. The BCS is not intended to decide conference championship teams - The BCS standings was the final tiebreaker between Texas, Oklahoma, and Texas Tech to represent the Big 12 South in the Big 12 Championship game. However, according to the official BCS website, the 3 purposes of the BCS standings are: 1. Selecting the teams that will participate in the national championship game, 2. Determining any other automatic qualifiers (to the BCS games), 3. Establishing the pool of eligible teams for at-large selection.
What will make things REALLY interesting would be if Oklahoma somehow loses to Missouri. Of course they would send Texas, but how can they justify sending yet another team to the National Championship game that didn't win their own conference??
The BCS is philosophically flawed - last week, MSU was ranked 19th. They didn't play a game and 4 teams ranked higher than us lost. Where are we this week? Two spots lower (19 to 21). How did we get worse? While I recognize the change in ranking is meaningless to us, it is more proof that the rankings don't make sense.
The Big 10 has a competitive disadvantage because we don't have a conference championship game (and therefore end the season earlier). On the flip side, it's not fair that in some stronger conferences, like the SEC and Big 12, have 12 teams fighting for one, possibly two, spots while the very weak Big East has 8 teams fighting for one guaranteed spot. This year, Cincinnati and Boston College/Virginia Tech will have BCS games while Texas Tech won't. Neither will Boise St and Ball St because they play in the wrong conference. So here's what we need to do to solve all of the issues.
1. Missouri is added to the Big 10, which can now have a conference championship game.
Missouri would fit in as a mid-upper tier football team and a mid-lower tier basketball team. I would arrange the two divisions as such:
Big 10 North
Michigan
Michigan State
Wisconsin
Minnesota
Illinois
Northwestern
Big 10 South
Ohio State
Penn State
Purdue
Indiana
Missouri
Iowa
2. Boise St is added to the Big 12 to replace Missouri.
They have demonstrated year after year that they can compete. Instead of listening them whine about not having a chance at a national championship, lets put them in a real conference and see how they perform. Their crazy offenive plays bring a lot of excitement to the Big 12 - remember the Fiesta Bowl against Oklahoma?
3. Utah and Hawaii are added to the Pac 10 to make it a 12 team conference so a championship game is created.
4. Notre Dame is forced to join the Big East, like it is in basketball.
5. Temple is moved to the Big East, leaving the MAC East with the proper number of 6 teams.
6. Two other random teams are added to the Big East so they have 12 teams and a conference championship game as well.
7. FBS (Division I-A) teams are no longer allowed to play FCS (Division I-AA) teams.
8. Each team plays the other 5 teams in their division, 3 other teams in their conference, 3 non-conference games, and 1 bye week. If we followed this system this year, conference championships could have taken place the weekend of Nov 22nd.
9. BCS rankings are no longer released until the end of the regular season.
10. An 8 team playoff system, consisting of the top 8 ranked teams at the end of the season, is created. Since each conference would have a Championship game, the conference champions would receive a natural boost in the rankings since they won a game after the regular season ended. They would not be guaranteed a playoff spot, however. Under this plan, Big East Champion Cincinnati would not be in the playoffs and they don't deserve to be. If this was in place this year, the first round would have been Thanksgiving weekend. The second round could either be this weekend or on January 1st. The championship game would remain where it is.
Now here's why they would never agree to this. And I promise the real answer has NOTHING to do with their players' academic schedules.
a. While no fan would miss a game versus the directional schools, the universities would miss out on a lot of revenue.
b. Under any kind of playoff system, they will lose sponsorship revenue. How could FedEx/Citi/AllState/Tostitos sponsor individual playoff games with the same effectiveness as the BCS games? Lost sponsorship revenue equals lost revenue for the universities in those games.
c. Right now they have over a month to sell upwards of 70,000 expensive tickets to fans and alumni for one bowl game. A playoff system makes it more difficult to mobilize fans, unless the playoff games take place at one of the universities. If that's the case, good luck coordinating a game in Columbus or Ann Arbor in December/January. Plus, the cities that host the BCS games would lobby hard to keep the games and the tourism boost that comes with it.
d. There's still the issue of getting the television network that owns the rights to the BCS games to switch to a playoff system. For them, the system isn't broke because the ratings are great. So why would they want to risk changing that?
e. Finally, people who are anti-playoff will always argue that no matter how many teams you include, there will be controversy over who was left out of the playoff.
As you can tell, I believe it's all about the money. The people in charge of the system are making a great deal off of the BCS games, so until someone can convince them that they can make more money from a playoff system, it's not going to change. I just don't want to be around when we're the team that gets shorted.
(Side note: keep in mind, Division 1-A, or FBS, is the only NCAA sport without a playoff system and is the only one, therefore, where an "NCAA Championship" is not awarded. It's the "BCS National Championship" with the ugly, crystal, insert-some-company-name-trophy.)
1. The obvious - Texas beat Oklahoma
2. Texas was ranked ahead of Oklahoma last week - They both won this week, so why is Oklahoma now better than Texas?
3. Oklahoma has choked in BCS Bowls - If the Big 10 is going to be penalized by OSU's back-to-back choke jobs (Penn State only has 1 loss but is not included in any national championship discussion), why isn't Oklahoma? They've lost 4 straight BCS games, including 2 National Championships, by an average score of 42-26.
4. The BCS is not intended to decide conference championship teams - The BCS standings was the final tiebreaker between Texas, Oklahoma, and Texas Tech to represent the Big 12 South in the Big 12 Championship game. However, according to the official BCS website, the 3 purposes of the BCS standings are: 1. Selecting the teams that will participate in the national championship game, 2. Determining any other automatic qualifiers (to the BCS games), 3. Establishing the pool of eligible teams for at-large selection.
What will make things REALLY interesting would be if Oklahoma somehow loses to Missouri. Of course they would send Texas, but how can they justify sending yet another team to the National Championship game that didn't win their own conference??
The BCS is philosophically flawed - last week, MSU was ranked 19th. They didn't play a game and 4 teams ranked higher than us lost. Where are we this week? Two spots lower (19 to 21). How did we get worse? While I recognize the change in ranking is meaningless to us, it is more proof that the rankings don't make sense.
The Big 10 has a competitive disadvantage because we don't have a conference championship game (and therefore end the season earlier). On the flip side, it's not fair that in some stronger conferences, like the SEC and Big 12, have 12 teams fighting for one, possibly two, spots while the very weak Big East has 8 teams fighting for one guaranteed spot. This year, Cincinnati and Boston College/Virginia Tech will have BCS games while Texas Tech won't. Neither will Boise St and Ball St because they play in the wrong conference. So here's what we need to do to solve all of the issues.
1. Missouri is added to the Big 10, which can now have a conference championship game.
Missouri would fit in as a mid-upper tier football team and a mid-lower tier basketball team. I would arrange the two divisions as such:
Big 10 North
Michigan
Michigan State
Wisconsin
Minnesota
Illinois
Northwestern
Big 10 South
Ohio State
Penn State
Purdue
Indiana
Missouri
Iowa
2. Boise St is added to the Big 12 to replace Missouri.
They have demonstrated year after year that they can compete. Instead of listening them whine about not having a chance at a national championship, lets put them in a real conference and see how they perform. Their crazy offenive plays bring a lot of excitement to the Big 12 - remember the Fiesta Bowl against Oklahoma?
3. Utah and Hawaii are added to the Pac 10 to make it a 12 team conference so a championship game is created.
4. Notre Dame is forced to join the Big East, like it is in basketball.
5. Temple is moved to the Big East, leaving the MAC East with the proper number of 6 teams.
6. Two other random teams are added to the Big East so they have 12 teams and a conference championship game as well.
7. FBS (Division I-A) teams are no longer allowed to play FCS (Division I-AA) teams.
8. Each team plays the other 5 teams in their division, 3 other teams in their conference, 3 non-conference games, and 1 bye week. If we followed this system this year, conference championships could have taken place the weekend of Nov 22nd.
9. BCS rankings are no longer released until the end of the regular season.
10. An 8 team playoff system, consisting of the top 8 ranked teams at the end of the season, is created. Since each conference would have a Championship game, the conference champions would receive a natural boost in the rankings since they won a game after the regular season ended. They would not be guaranteed a playoff spot, however. Under this plan, Big East Champion Cincinnati would not be in the playoffs and they don't deserve to be. If this was in place this year, the first round would have been Thanksgiving weekend. The second round could either be this weekend or on January 1st. The championship game would remain where it is.
Now here's why they would never agree to this. And I promise the real answer has NOTHING to do with their players' academic schedules.
a. While no fan would miss a game versus the directional schools, the universities would miss out on a lot of revenue.
b. Under any kind of playoff system, they will lose sponsorship revenue. How could FedEx/Citi/AllState/Tostitos sponsor individual playoff games with the same effectiveness as the BCS games? Lost sponsorship revenue equals lost revenue for the universities in those games.
c. Right now they have over a month to sell upwards of 70,000 expensive tickets to fans and alumni for one bowl game. A playoff system makes it more difficult to mobilize fans, unless the playoff games take place at one of the universities. If that's the case, good luck coordinating a game in Columbus or Ann Arbor in December/January. Plus, the cities that host the BCS games would lobby hard to keep the games and the tourism boost that comes with it.
d. There's still the issue of getting the television network that owns the rights to the BCS games to switch to a playoff system. For them, the system isn't broke because the ratings are great. So why would they want to risk changing that?
e. Finally, people who are anti-playoff will always argue that no matter how many teams you include, there will be controversy over who was left out of the playoff.
As you can tell, I believe it's all about the money. The people in charge of the system are making a great deal off of the BCS games, so until someone can convince them that they can make more money from a playoff system, it's not going to change. I just don't want to be around when we're the team that gets shorted.
(Side note: keep in mind, Division 1-A, or FBS, is the only NCAA sport without a playoff system and is the only one, therefore, where an "NCAA Championship" is not awarded. It's the "BCS National Championship" with the ugly, crystal, insert-some-company-name-trophy.)
Sunday, November 23, 2008
What?!
Let me be the first to say it: that 24 "movie" was crap. It was boring and it didn't tell us anything. I thought it was supposed to tell us what happened to Jack between last season (which by my recollection was in 1996) and the next. So what did it tell us? Jack hid in a fake African country playing missionary worker. I guarantee you that 90% of what you saw tonight will be ignored and forgotten after the first 20 mins of the next season.
The thing that bothers me is that they are committing the same errors as before by introducing characters, trying to get you to care about them, and then killing them off.
I'm about ready to give up.
The thing that bothers me is that they are committing the same errors as before by introducing characters, trying to get you to care about them, and then killing them off.
I'm about ready to give up.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
FF Analysis Part 1
DISCLAIMER: This post is a compilation of my research based on Mike's Fantasy Football post. Reading some of this information may upset you, especially if you're Mike. This post is not intended to boast about my team's performance this season, so don't call me a dick. This is part one of my two part analysis. The next part will attempt to analyze each person's skill.
Since I had the least amount of "Fantasy Points Against", I assumed that means that I had the easiest "strength of schedule". I wanted to see how every other team would have handled my schedule. Not surprising, Mike's record would have improved the most. I am proud to say, while 4 people would have improved their record, nobody would have had as many wins as I have.
(Side note: Even though I am comparing each person's weekly fantasy score against the score of my opponent for that week, I kept each person's result against me the same. So, for example, I played Canadian Beasters in week 1. He scored 70.98 points and I won. Therefore, week one counts as a loss for him. Wicked Weasels beat me in week 3, so that counts as a win for him. Sorry if that's too confusing.)
Week 1 was the only week where the results would have been the exact same. There were two weeks (2 and 6) that I won, but would have lost had I played anyone else. In week 3, I lost and would have lost to anyone since I was lowest in points that week. I lead the league in scoring in week 7. Below are the rankings in order of how many more wins each person would have gained.
+5 Cumming from Behind 6-4
+2 Wicked Weasels 6-4
+1 Kevinexorable 7-3
+1 WooHoo Still Last 4-6
e I Miss Aaron Rowand 6-4
e Zoo Tycoons 5-5
-1 Canadian Beasters 6-4
Looking at these results, I thought if Dave had fewer wins by playing my schedule, perhaps his schedule was easier than mine. Perhaps I could even be 9-1 with his schedule! So I ran the numbers again with his schedule.
+6 Cumming from Behind 7-3
+2 Zoo Tycoons 7-3
+1 Wicked Weasels 5-5
e I Miss Aaron Rowand 6-4
e WooHoo Still Lost 3-7
-1 Kevinexorable 5-5
-2 Boston Massacre 6-4
Ok, so I was wrong - I had the easiest schedule since it benefitted 4 people compared to 3 and lead to a net gain of 8 wins versus a net gain of 6 with Dave's schedule. Obviously the most interesting thing about this difference is that Mike would have EVEN MORE wins with Dave's schedule and would be in 3rd place right now in our league. I think it is also interesting that Kevin would benefit by my schedule, but would be worse off with Dave's. Finally, while there are 2 teams in each scenario that would not result in a net gain or loss of wins, only Amber's team would have won and lost the exact same games under Dave's schedule.
Since I had the least amount of "Fantasy Points Against", I assumed that means that I had the easiest "strength of schedule". I wanted to see how every other team would have handled my schedule. Not surprising, Mike's record would have improved the most. I am proud to say, while 4 people would have improved their record, nobody would have had as many wins as I have.
(Side note: Even though I am comparing each person's weekly fantasy score against the score of my opponent for that week, I kept each person's result against me the same. So, for example, I played Canadian Beasters in week 1. He scored 70.98 points and I won. Therefore, week one counts as a loss for him. Wicked Weasels beat me in week 3, so that counts as a win for him. Sorry if that's too confusing.)
Week 1 was the only week where the results would have been the exact same. There were two weeks (2 and 6) that I won, but would have lost had I played anyone else. In week 3, I lost and would have lost to anyone since I was lowest in points that week. I lead the league in scoring in week 7. Below are the rankings in order of how many more wins each person would have gained.
+5 Cumming from Behind 6-4
+2 Wicked Weasels 6-4
+1 Kevinexorable 7-3
+1 WooHoo Still Last 4-6
e I Miss Aaron Rowand 6-4
e Zoo Tycoons 5-5
-1 Canadian Beasters 6-4
Looking at these results, I thought if Dave had fewer wins by playing my schedule, perhaps his schedule was easier than mine. Perhaps I could even be 9-1 with his schedule! So I ran the numbers again with his schedule.
+6 Cumming from Behind 7-3
+2 Zoo Tycoons 7-3
+1 Wicked Weasels 5-5
e I Miss Aaron Rowand 6-4
e WooHoo Still Lost 3-7
-1 Kevinexorable 5-5
-2 Boston Massacre 6-4
Ok, so I was wrong - I had the easiest schedule since it benefitted 4 people compared to 3 and lead to a net gain of 8 wins versus a net gain of 6 with Dave's schedule. Obviously the most interesting thing about this difference is that Mike would have EVEN MORE wins with Dave's schedule and would be in 3rd place right now in our league. I think it is also interesting that Kevin would benefit by my schedule, but would be worse off with Dave's. Finally, while there are 2 teams in each scenario that would not result in a net gain or loss of wins, only Amber's team would have won and lost the exact same games under Dave's schedule.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Return to the Randomness
I just saw an ad on the Big 10 Network that said "Where the Big Moments live". The clip they showed was a 50 yard game winning touchdown run that a Purdue player made with only a minute left in the game. The opponent was Central Michigan. Really Big 10 Network?
http://sports.espn.go.com/chat/sportsnation/rank?versionId=2&listId=92
How does Billy Donovan make this list and Izzo doesn't??? If we convinced the Flintstones to return for another year (plus snuck Mateen in somehow), they would have won the National Championship in 01 as well.
Speaking of Izzo, I may be committing blasphemy, but I think I might like Mark Dantonio more than him right now. That's not a knock on Izzo, but praise for Dantonio. He seems fully committed to the program (unlike Saban) and is very respectable (unlike John L) and brings great discipline to the team (unlike Bobby Williams). Wait, Izzo is all of those things and won us a championship. So it may be going overboard to like him more than Izzo, but I really respect his leadership and dedication. He has a Belichik solemnity to him minus the arrogance.
during the U-M game, my sister (who is a U-M convert due to her husband) texted me to gloat after U-M went up 21-14, my response text was "Pride comes before the fall". I'm sure she didn't know what that meant, but I love when he said that during last year's postgame press conference. I fully admit I thought it was a very questionable move to bring a guy that went slightly over .500 at Cincinnati to MSU, but he has proved me wrong. Seeing the contrast between him and the very slimey Rich Rodriguez makes me appreciate his devotion to tradition and respect. Ok, enough of my mancrush.
I think AOL has had the biggest demise of any person, thing, business, or country in the past 10 years. It's almost completely useless and yet it's still popular - it's the Paris Hilton of the internet. I don't know too many people who still Instant Message and there are many ISPs that are cheaper. I'm annoyed with it because I have tried many times to delete my aol e-mail account, but they make it impossible.
Me: "Whenever I would say something was "so weird" my old roommates would respond "how weird is it?" like you were setting up a joke. Then if you don't tell a joke, they always respond "I don't get it".
My Co-worker: "Wow... that's annoying. How long did you live with them again?"
Me: "Two years"
I miss many things about living with you guys, but that is not one of them.
Girl wearing a jersey at a game - cute
Girl wearing a jersey at the bar - acceptable
Girl wearing a football jersey around the mall - kinda trashy
Girl wearing a Bengals jersey around the mall - super trashy
Facebook is going to be very awkward once our generation starts to die. It's going to be like virtual memorials. How would someone else delete your account?
The Thanksgiving Day game has the potential to feature the undefeated Titans against the completely defeated Lions, although it will not come down to that. The Lions will defeat the Tampa Bay Bucs on the 23rd. It is more likely that the Titans will be undefeated, although I'm not confident they get past the Jags on the 16th. What concerns me more is that we may be 2-3 years away from losing the Thanksgiving game. The "why does Detroit own Thanksgiving" argument keeps creeping up earlier and earlier. It used to start that week, but now it is coming up on sports radio at the beginning of November. If we continue to lose, we will lose Thanksgiving. We're to the point now that home games are blacked out because we can't sell enough tickets. And the NFL isn't that devoted to tradition. After all, the Cleveland Browns are in Baltimore because the Colts are in Indianapolis. Notice that NOBODY questions why America's team is owed the other game. It's because when Dallas is bad, it is only for a season or two. By the way, I predict the Lions finish 2-14 with wins over the Bucs and Vikings.
http://sports.espn.go.com/chat/sportsnation/rank?versionId=2&listId=92
How does Billy Donovan make this list and Izzo doesn't??? If we convinced the Flintstones to return for another year (plus snuck Mateen in somehow), they would have won the National Championship in 01 as well.
Speaking of Izzo, I may be committing blasphemy, but I think I might like Mark Dantonio more than him right now. That's not a knock on Izzo, but praise for Dantonio. He seems fully committed to the program (unlike Saban) and is very respectable (unlike John L) and brings great discipline to the team (unlike Bobby Williams). Wait, Izzo is all of those things and won us a championship. So it may be going overboard to like him more than Izzo, but I really respect his leadership and dedication. He has a Belichik solemnity to him minus the arrogance.
during the U-M game, my sister (who is a U-M convert due to her husband) texted me to gloat after U-M went up 21-14, my response text was "Pride comes before the fall". I'm sure she didn't know what that meant, but I love when he said that during last year's postgame press conference. I fully admit I thought it was a very questionable move to bring a guy that went slightly over .500 at Cincinnati to MSU, but he has proved me wrong. Seeing the contrast between him and the very slimey Rich Rodriguez makes me appreciate his devotion to tradition and respect. Ok, enough of my mancrush.
I think AOL has had the biggest demise of any person, thing, business, or country in the past 10 years. It's almost completely useless and yet it's still popular - it's the Paris Hilton of the internet. I don't know too many people who still Instant Message and there are many ISPs that are cheaper. I'm annoyed with it because I have tried many times to delete my aol e-mail account, but they make it impossible.
Me: "Whenever I would say something was "so weird" my old roommates would respond "how weird is it?" like you were setting up a joke. Then if you don't tell a joke, they always respond "I don't get it".
My Co-worker: "Wow... that's annoying. How long did you live with them again?"
Me: "Two years"
I miss many things about living with you guys, but that is not one of them.
Girl wearing a jersey at a game - cute
Girl wearing a jersey at the bar - acceptable
Girl wearing a football jersey around the mall - kinda trashy
Girl wearing a Bengals jersey around the mall - super trashy
Facebook is going to be very awkward once our generation starts to die. It's going to be like virtual memorials. How would someone else delete your account?
The Thanksgiving Day game has the potential to feature the undefeated Titans against the completely defeated Lions, although it will not come down to that. The Lions will defeat the Tampa Bay Bucs on the 23rd. It is more likely that the Titans will be undefeated, although I'm not confident they get past the Jags on the 16th. What concerns me more is that we may be 2-3 years away from losing the Thanksgiving game. The "why does Detroit own Thanksgiving" argument keeps creeping up earlier and earlier. It used to start that week, but now it is coming up on sports radio at the beginning of November. If we continue to lose, we will lose Thanksgiving. We're to the point now that home games are blacked out because we can't sell enough tickets. And the NFL isn't that devoted to tradition. After all, the Cleveland Browns are in Baltimore because the Colts are in Indianapolis. Notice that NOBODY questions why America's team is owed the other game. It's because when Dallas is bad, it is only for a season or two. By the way, I predict the Lions finish 2-14 with wins over the Bucs and Vikings.
Saturday, October 18, 2008
OH - WELL
This is what I heard all day.
This is how I felt after the game.
Then I remembered this BS.
And I remembered why I love that Mark Dantonio is our coach.
We won't need this to beat U-M next week.
This is how I felt after the game.
Then I remembered this BS.
And I remembered why I love that Mark Dantonio is our coach.
We won't need this to beat U-M next week.
Friday, October 10, 2008
Big Business
I love books on business and business philosophy. After I read the autobiography of one of the top businessmen in the past few decades, Jack Welch (GE), I was excited to read a negative take on business. I picked up "Consumed: How Markets Corrupt Children, Infantilize Adults, and Swallow Citizens Whole" by Benjamin Barber.
Before I give my thoughts, you can understand the book much more by watching his appearance on the Colbert Report.
His writing is very dense and he comes across as elitist and arrogant, but he does make a few good points. His arguments trail off on many tangents; I think he wanted to show off how many philosophers he could reference. It was hard for me to keep focused, so I rushed through skimming the rest of the book. Which is ironic since the first passage I came to argued that we want things to be "easy" with instant gratification rather than taking the time to appreciate things.
For example, when bashing fast food, he argues:
"But dining is about sociability, eating as ritual and food as symbol, with the dining table as a kind of secular altar to the family home and hearth. Today, the TV or the computer screen have taken over the ritual function of the household altar, and eating is solitary and passive."
Again, the irony is that I ate McDonalds for lunch and I am discussing this on a computer instead of over a phone call or in person. I agree with his romantic outlook on socializing; we should only use fast food in moderation not only for the health benefits, but because it makes us lazy and takes away from the important socializing that occurs at a family dinner table. But I blame the family that is not taking the time to communicate, cook regular dinners, or exercise - not the corporation.
The next part I stopped on was extremely relevant for the current economic crisis. He argues that the "infantilist ethos" conditions Americans to spend more and more and the banking system takes advantage of that.
"Even the savings banks from whom we might expect to receive encouraging messages about the public benefits of saving have grown schizophrenic, peddling credit and debit cards rather than savings accounts, joining in the chorus of infantilizing voices instructing people to spend - spend beyond what they have... And so...producers pursue their rational individual interests as sellers, consumers pursue their interests as buyers, and presto, consumer capitalism flourishes right up till the moment the national economy fails, and with it, capitalism itself."
He offers many statistics about how credit card companies and loan officers take advantage of people with poor credit by offering them high interest loans and credit cards despite their risk. People, like Sarah Palin during the VP debate, have placed blame on what they call "predatory lending". But I think people need to exercise more personal responsibility. I am very careful about my money and I don't spend more than I can afford. The blame should go to the individuals (and to some extent the banks for making bad investments) but not the marketers for trying to create desire for their products.
In the interview he bashes bottled water, a "manufactured need" for Americans, when people in 3rd world countries period. I agree that some people confuse needs with wants and don't appreciate what they have and companies play a part in that because their goal is to create need for their products. But what about the philanthropic programs that some bottled water companies fund, with part of their profits, to help provide those 3rd world countries with water? Evian, for example, has the "Evian Water Protection Institute" to "foster knowledge on the sustainable management of water resources and help the world's populations preserve their wetlands." (www.evian.com)
One chapter is devoted to brand identities.
"Branded lifestyles are not merely superficial veneers on deeper identities but have to some degree become subsitute identities - forms of acquired character that have the potential to go all the way down to the core. They displace traditional ethnic and cultural traits and overwhelm the voluntary aspects of identity we choose for ourselves."
Some people definitely let brand identity replace their own identity - they are called superficial teenagers and yuppies. He quotes someone who despises these consumers who "sip double-tall, nonfat lattes, chat on cell phones, and listen to NPR while driving their immaculate SUVs to Pottery Barn to shop for $48 titanium spatulas." I know people like this; they are superficial and materialistic. But those people would be that way regardless because that is their personality. More power to the marketers of those companies for doing their job and making those people buy overpriced spatulas!
For normal people, though, brand identities do play a small role. Starbucks is one of my favorite comfort foods - I get a mocha (fake coffee for people who don't like real coffee) whenever I'm having a really bad day at work or when I take a sick day, like today. There's something specific about the whole experience, not just the mocha itself, that is enjoyable. There's relaxing classical or jazz music playing, the cushioned chairs are deep and comfortable, the cup has a sophisticated appearance that makes it seem more like a special treat. That's all branding and it definitely affects the product - and I like it. That doesn't supercede my own identity, though. I am a caring, liberal, catholic, intelligent, forgetful, hard working person. Not a "Starbucks drinker".
My overall thought on the book is this: I agree with him that markets have created manufactured needs, developed poor spending habits in people, and implanted certain brand identities in our society. I place the blame, however, on the people with the poor spending habits or superficial attitudes because they allowed themselves to be "consumed". Now, not all businesses are honest and virtuous. But don't blame the marketers because they are just doing their job: differentiating their product, creating a brand, and establishing a need for their company in the market place.
Before I give my thoughts, you can understand the book much more by watching his appearance on the Colbert Report.
His writing is very dense and he comes across as elitist and arrogant, but he does make a few good points. His arguments trail off on many tangents; I think he wanted to show off how many philosophers he could reference. It was hard for me to keep focused, so I rushed through skimming the rest of the book. Which is ironic since the first passage I came to argued that we want things to be "easy" with instant gratification rather than taking the time to appreciate things.
For example, when bashing fast food, he argues:
"But dining is about sociability, eating as ritual and food as symbol, with the dining table as a kind of secular altar to the family home and hearth. Today, the TV or the computer screen have taken over the ritual function of the household altar, and eating is solitary and passive."
Again, the irony is that I ate McDonalds for lunch and I am discussing this on a computer instead of over a phone call or in person. I agree with his romantic outlook on socializing; we should only use fast food in moderation not only for the health benefits, but because it makes us lazy and takes away from the important socializing that occurs at a family dinner table. But I blame the family that is not taking the time to communicate, cook regular dinners, or exercise - not the corporation.
The next part I stopped on was extremely relevant for the current economic crisis. He argues that the "infantilist ethos" conditions Americans to spend more and more and the banking system takes advantage of that.
"Even the savings banks from whom we might expect to receive encouraging messages about the public benefits of saving have grown schizophrenic, peddling credit and debit cards rather than savings accounts, joining in the chorus of infantilizing voices instructing people to spend - spend beyond what they have... And so...producers pursue their rational individual interests as sellers, consumers pursue their interests as buyers, and presto, consumer capitalism flourishes right up till the moment the national economy fails, and with it, capitalism itself."
He offers many statistics about how credit card companies and loan officers take advantage of people with poor credit by offering them high interest loans and credit cards despite their risk. People, like Sarah Palin during the VP debate, have placed blame on what they call "predatory lending". But I think people need to exercise more personal responsibility. I am very careful about my money and I don't spend more than I can afford. The blame should go to the individuals (and to some extent the banks for making bad investments) but not the marketers for trying to create desire for their products.
In the interview he bashes bottled water, a "manufactured need" for Americans, when people in 3rd world countries period. I agree that some people confuse needs with wants and don't appreciate what they have and companies play a part in that because their goal is to create need for their products. But what about the philanthropic programs that some bottled water companies fund, with part of their profits, to help provide those 3rd world countries with water? Evian, for example, has the "Evian Water Protection Institute" to "foster knowledge on the sustainable management of water resources and help the world's populations preserve their wetlands." (www.evian.com)
One chapter is devoted to brand identities.
"Branded lifestyles are not merely superficial veneers on deeper identities but have to some degree become subsitute identities - forms of acquired character that have the potential to go all the way down to the core. They displace traditional ethnic and cultural traits and overwhelm the voluntary aspects of identity we choose for ourselves."
Some people definitely let brand identity replace their own identity - they are called superficial teenagers and yuppies. He quotes someone who despises these consumers who "sip double-tall, nonfat lattes, chat on cell phones, and listen to NPR while driving their immaculate SUVs to Pottery Barn to shop for $48 titanium spatulas." I know people like this; they are superficial and materialistic. But those people would be that way regardless because that is their personality. More power to the marketers of those companies for doing their job and making those people buy overpriced spatulas!
For normal people, though, brand identities do play a small role. Starbucks is one of my favorite comfort foods - I get a mocha (fake coffee for people who don't like real coffee) whenever I'm having a really bad day at work or when I take a sick day, like today. There's something specific about the whole experience, not just the mocha itself, that is enjoyable. There's relaxing classical or jazz music playing, the cushioned chairs are deep and comfortable, the cup has a sophisticated appearance that makes it seem more like a special treat. That's all branding and it definitely affects the product - and I like it. That doesn't supercede my own identity, though. I am a caring, liberal, catholic, intelligent, forgetful, hard working person. Not a "Starbucks drinker".
My overall thought on the book is this: I agree with him that markets have created manufactured needs, developed poor spending habits in people, and implanted certain brand identities in our society. I place the blame, however, on the people with the poor spending habits or superficial attitudes because they allowed themselves to be "consumed". Now, not all businesses are honest and virtuous. But don't blame the marketers because they are just doing their job: differentiating their product, creating a brand, and establishing a need for their company in the market place.
Wednesday, October 01, 2008
Allow me to reintroduce myself
"I can't wait until September is over" - Me, on the middle of August
"Wake me up when September ends." - that Green Day song
I was the happier going into work today than any other morning for the past month. Work is starting to settle down a little, so I have the energy to finish every post I've started for the past 3 weeks. And here they are - as random as I can be!
My TV Show Power Rankings
1. The Office - I am glad that they are willing to have Jim and Pam get engaged instead of stretching it out... for now
2. I Love Money - Best guilty pleasure since the Hills started, my money is on Hoopz
3. Lost - It's not even on until February and it's STILL good enough to make this list
4. Heroes - it's starting off ok, but there are too many characters
5. How I Met Your Mother - An episode about searching for a burger? Come on and DO SOMETHING
6. Jon & Kate Plus 8 - Stacey's favorite, it's growing on me
7. Biggest Loser - There was a couple named Stacey and Adam! And they got kicked off the first week
8. The Hills - I haven't watched too much, but the argument with Spencer and Heidi's mom was great - the show is completely scripted, though
9. Amazing Race - eh, same old same old
379. Dancing with the Stars - There is NOTHING that would make me watch that show
Interesting Numbers
2004: 47, 72
2005: 69, 71
2006: 83, 95
2007: 95, 88
2008: 138, 74
Take a second and think about what those numbers mean. You may have guessed it already, but the first number is the salary, in millions, of the Detroit Tigers. The second is the number of wins that season. Do you think the Tigers are gonna cut some payroll next year?? Finding this from the Detroit Free press made me think. Game plan for the Tigers' off-season
I agree, let's talk about how the Tigers can turn things around. Obviously, the biggest need begins with a P and rhymes with bitching. Here are my suggestions:
- Top priority: Closer Second priority: Starting pitcher
- Don't pick up the club option on Edgar Renteria (they accomplished this yesterday -I swear I wrote that sentence two weeks ago)
- Don't resign Kyle Farnsworth (we get it, you don't want to play in Detroit. Did you have to go from a 3.65 ERA to a 4.48 to prove it?)
- Resign Fernando Rodney, but keep him as a late relief pitcher, not a closer.
- Resign Marcus Thames, Bobby Seay, Joel Zumaya, Zach Miner, Ryan Rayburn, Brent Clevlen, Armando Galarraga, Matt Joyce, and Clete Thomas (we don't need to completely overhaul the team)
- Sign Orlando Cabrera to Short (I know it won't happen, but I like his defense)
- Just sign anyone at Catcher - we don't need a good hitter
The opening day roster should look something like this:
C: Anyone
1B: Miguel Cabrera
2B: Polanco
SS: Orlando Cabrera
3B: Inge
LF: Matt Joyce
CF: Granderson
RF: Ordonez
DH: Sheffield
SP: Verlander, Free agent, Bonderman (in May), Galarraga, Robertson
Getting Political
Let me preface the following with this: I will be voting for Barack Obama... because I can't vote for Hillary Clinton. And because the thought of Sarah Palin being that close to the presidency scares me. But in my opinion, I've heard much better quotes in favor of the Republicans lately. Here are a few quotes that are very telling about the current situation.
George Stephanopolous: "You were asked 'Is he (Barack Obama) ready?', you said 'I think he can be ready, but right now I don't believe he is. The presidency is not something that lends itself to on the job training.'"
Joe Biden: "I think I stand by this statement"
"I would be honored to run with or against John McCain. I think the country would be better off." - Joe Biden
"I know Senator McCain has a lifetime of experience that he will bring to the White House and Senator Obama has a speech he gave in 2002." - Hillary Clinton
"Now, our opponents tell us not to worry about their tax increases. They tell you they're not going to tax your family. No, they're just going to tax 'businesses.' So, unless you buy something from a business, like groceries or clothes or gasoline - or unless you get a paycheck from a business, a big business or a small business, don't worry, it's not going to affect you!" - Fred Thompson
Back to Baseball
How did we do with our predictions?
AL East
Pre-season: Red Sox
Mid-season: Red Sox
Mike: Yankees
AL Central
Pre-season: Indians
Mid-season: Tigers (my quote: "yes, I gave up on them a month ago and now I'm drinking the kool-aid again")
Mike: Indians
AL West
Pre-season: LA Angels
Mid-season: LA Angels
Mike: Mariners
AL Wild Card
Pre-season: Tigers
Mid-season: Rays
Mike: Red Sox
NL East
Pre-season: NY Mets
Mid-season: Phillies
Mike: Mets
NL Central
Pre-season: Brewers
Mid-season: Brewers
Mike: Cardinals
NL West
Pre-season: Diamondbacks
Mid-season: Diamondbacks
Mike: Padres
NL Wild Card
Pre-season: Cubs
Mid-season: Cubs
Mike: Dodgers
If you give 1 point for getting it correct, and a half point for mixing up a division winner and wild card, the final tally is:
ME: 2.5
MIKE: 2
KEVIN: 0
I will leave you with our ominous comments...
Mike: Before the Royals even swept the Tigers these last three games, did anyone else have a gut feeling that this year won't be that special? There's something deep down that is keeping me from being that excited about this Tiger's team.
Kevin: I don't know why, but I was more excited about last year's team than I am about this year's team.
Mike: Yes! I have that same exact feeling...Something is amiss...
"Wake me up when September ends." - that Green Day song
I was the happier going into work today than any other morning for the past month. Work is starting to settle down a little, so I have the energy to finish every post I've started for the past 3 weeks. And here they are - as random as I can be!
My TV Show Power Rankings
1. The Office - I am glad that they are willing to have Jim and Pam get engaged instead of stretching it out... for now
2. I Love Money - Best guilty pleasure since the Hills started, my money is on Hoopz
3. Lost - It's not even on until February and it's STILL good enough to make this list
4. Heroes - it's starting off ok, but there are too many characters
5. How I Met Your Mother - An episode about searching for a burger? Come on and DO SOMETHING
6. Jon & Kate Plus 8 - Stacey's favorite, it's growing on me
7. Biggest Loser - There was a couple named Stacey and Adam! And they got kicked off the first week
8. The Hills - I haven't watched too much, but the argument with Spencer and Heidi's mom was great - the show is completely scripted, though
9. Amazing Race - eh, same old same old
379. Dancing with the Stars - There is NOTHING that would make me watch that show
Interesting Numbers
2004: 47, 72
2005: 69, 71
2006: 83, 95
2007: 95, 88
2008: 138, 74
Take a second and think about what those numbers mean. You may have guessed it already, but the first number is the salary, in millions, of the Detroit Tigers. The second is the number of wins that season. Do you think the Tigers are gonna cut some payroll next year?? Finding this from the Detroit Free press made me think. Game plan for the Tigers' off-season
I agree, let's talk about how the Tigers can turn things around. Obviously, the biggest need begins with a P and rhymes with bitching. Here are my suggestions:
- Top priority: Closer Second priority: Starting pitcher
- Don't pick up the club option on Edgar Renteria (they accomplished this yesterday -I swear I wrote that sentence two weeks ago)
- Don't resign Kyle Farnsworth (we get it, you don't want to play in Detroit. Did you have to go from a 3.65 ERA to a 4.48 to prove it?)
- Resign Fernando Rodney, but keep him as a late relief pitcher, not a closer.
- Resign Marcus Thames, Bobby Seay, Joel Zumaya, Zach Miner, Ryan Rayburn, Brent Clevlen, Armando Galarraga, Matt Joyce, and Clete Thomas (we don't need to completely overhaul the team)
- Sign Orlando Cabrera to Short (I know it won't happen, but I like his defense)
- Just sign anyone at Catcher - we don't need a good hitter
The opening day roster should look something like this:
C: Anyone
1B: Miguel Cabrera
2B: Polanco
SS: Orlando Cabrera
3B: Inge
LF: Matt Joyce
CF: Granderson
RF: Ordonez
DH: Sheffield
SP: Verlander, Free agent, Bonderman (in May), Galarraga, Robertson
Getting Political
Let me preface the following with this: I will be voting for Barack Obama... because I can't vote for Hillary Clinton. And because the thought of Sarah Palin being that close to the presidency scares me. But in my opinion, I've heard much better quotes in favor of the Republicans lately. Here are a few quotes that are very telling about the current situation.
George Stephanopolous: "You were asked 'Is he (Barack Obama) ready?', you said 'I think he can be ready, but right now I don't believe he is. The presidency is not something that lends itself to on the job training.'"
Joe Biden: "I think I stand by this statement"
"I would be honored to run with or against John McCain. I think the country would be better off." - Joe Biden
"I know Senator McCain has a lifetime of experience that he will bring to the White House and Senator Obama has a speech he gave in 2002." - Hillary Clinton
"Now, our opponents tell us not to worry about their tax increases. They tell you they're not going to tax your family. No, they're just going to tax 'businesses.' So, unless you buy something from a business, like groceries or clothes or gasoline - or unless you get a paycheck from a business, a big business or a small business, don't worry, it's not going to affect you!" - Fred Thompson
Back to Baseball
How did we do with our predictions?
AL East
Pre-season: Red Sox
Mid-season: Red Sox
Mike: Yankees
AL Central
Pre-season: Indians
Mid-season: Tigers (my quote: "yes, I gave up on them a month ago and now I'm drinking the kool-aid again")
Mike: Indians
AL West
Pre-season: LA Angels
Mid-season: LA Angels
Mike: Mariners
AL Wild Card
Pre-season: Tigers
Mid-season: Rays
Mike: Red Sox
NL East
Pre-season: NY Mets
Mid-season: Phillies
Mike: Mets
NL Central
Pre-season: Brewers
Mid-season: Brewers
Mike: Cardinals
NL West
Pre-season: Diamondbacks
Mid-season: Diamondbacks
Mike: Padres
NL Wild Card
Pre-season: Cubs
Mid-season: Cubs
Mike: Dodgers
If you give 1 point for getting it correct, and a half point for mixing up a division winner and wild card, the final tally is:
ME: 2.5
MIKE: 2
KEVIN: 0
I will leave you with our ominous comments...
Mike: Before the Royals even swept the Tigers these last three games, did anyone else have a gut feeling that this year won't be that special? There's something deep down that is keeping me from being that excited about this Tiger's team.
Kevin: I don't know why, but I was more excited about last year's team than I am about this year's team.
Mike: Yes! I have that same exact feeling...Something is amiss...
Sunday, September 07, 2008
Restore the Roar
Yesterday's monumental loss to the Falcons (down 21-0 against a QB who barely beat MSU 9 months ago???) inspired me to write about the travails of being a Lions fan. Call me a fairweather fan, but I have already begun to think about the top available players in the 2009 NFL Draft (Michael Crabtree, here we come!). Then I read this from Mitch Albom today in the Free Press and realized I'm not alone...
Somebody knock me out. Wake me up when this is over, if this -- meaning the 2008 Lions season -- is going to be as bad as it was in Atlanta on Sunday afternoon.
Before a half-empty stadium, in a city that has no expectations, against a rookie quarterback, against a rookie coach, against a team whose former star passer sits in a jail cell, the Lions had their butts handed to them.
By the Falcons? Somebody slap me. Atlanta is arguably the worst team in the NFL, but that argument has a new contender today. The Lions have no claim to being any better than worst. Not until they prove it.
"Don't be trying to write us off," defensive captain Cory Redding warned, after the 34-21 loss. "We're good. We just didn't show up today."
We didn't show up today. We're really talented and could win 10+ games. We're going to surprise everyone. I'm sick of the excuses and unfulfilled promises. A few weeks ago, Lions fans were named the 2nd to worst in the league (thanks Cardinals!). The article is here if you missed it: NFL Fan Rankings How can you blame us? The "Fire Millen" campaign died 2 years ago - and he's still there!! They have been trying to restore the roar since 1957, which gives them the 2nd longest championship drought in the NFL (thanks again Cardinals!)
Despite being one of the historically worst teams in the league, we have not had the top overall pick since 1980 - and that has hurt us. Since then, 16 different teams had the first pick (including 4 by the Baltimore/Indianapolis Colts). 7 of those teams went on to win a Super Bowl (the Browns did it as the Ravens in 2001). Another 6 of those teams have played in (and lost) the Super Bowl sometime in those 28 years. The 3 remaining teams, by the way, are the Saints, Jets, and Texans. The Saints got as far as the 2006/07 NFC Championship game. The Jets now have Brett Favre, and Brett Favre is Brett Favre. And the Jets have possibly taken over as the best team in the AFC East overnight (anyone disagree??) The Texans are really new, but have shown glimpses of improvement.
We haven't had any number 1 picks since 1980, but we have had 6 Top 5 picks in that period. In fact, below are all of our top 5 picks since 1967. Just to dig the knife in further, I included some other 1st round picks we left on the board.
2007 - 2nd - Calvin Johnson Adrian Peterson, Patrick Willis
2003 - 2nd - Charles Rogers If we had finished 1 spot worse, we'd have Carson Palmer, not his backup
2002 - 3rd - Joey Harrington Dwight Freeney, Donte' Stallworth
1997 - 5th - Bryant Westbrook Tony Gonzalez, Warrick Dunn
1989 - 3rd - Barry "Our Savior" Sanders
1988 - 3rd - Bennie Blades Michael Irvin
1980 - 1st - Billy Sims
Ouch. Too many misses (everyone but Sanders and Sims). Jury is still out on Calvin, of course, but he can't help our O-Line stop anyone nor can he keep Kitna for throwing into coverage. It seems like we get top picks in the weaker drafts (1988, 1997, 2002, 2003, 2007).
The best selection was Sanders (obviously) - nobody blamed him when he left. In fact, most fans felt bad for him for being on a team that would never give him a championship shot. We all were ok with him leaving for greener pastures and would have proudly rooted him on if he did make it to the Super Bowl.
We may be Hockeytown. We may play DEEETROIT BAAASKETBAAALLLL. But the only team that looks like it can restore the roar anytime soon are the Detroit Tigers.
Somebody knock me out. Wake me up when this is over, if this -- meaning the 2008 Lions season -- is going to be as bad as it was in Atlanta on Sunday afternoon.
Before a half-empty stadium, in a city that has no expectations, against a rookie quarterback, against a rookie coach, against a team whose former star passer sits in a jail cell, the Lions had their butts handed to them.
By the Falcons? Somebody slap me. Atlanta is arguably the worst team in the NFL, but that argument has a new contender today. The Lions have no claim to being any better than worst. Not until they prove it.
"Don't be trying to write us off," defensive captain Cory Redding warned, after the 34-21 loss. "We're good. We just didn't show up today."
We didn't show up today. We're really talented and could win 10+ games. We're going to surprise everyone. I'm sick of the excuses and unfulfilled promises. A few weeks ago, Lions fans were named the 2nd to worst in the league (thanks Cardinals!). The article is here if you missed it: NFL Fan Rankings How can you blame us? The "Fire Millen" campaign died 2 years ago - and he's still there!! They have been trying to restore the roar since 1957, which gives them the 2nd longest championship drought in the NFL (thanks again Cardinals!)
Despite being one of the historically worst teams in the league, we have not had the top overall pick since 1980 - and that has hurt us. Since then, 16 different teams had the first pick (including 4 by the Baltimore/Indianapolis Colts). 7 of those teams went on to win a Super Bowl (the Browns did it as the Ravens in 2001). Another 6 of those teams have played in (and lost) the Super Bowl sometime in those 28 years. The 3 remaining teams, by the way, are the Saints, Jets, and Texans. The Saints got as far as the 2006/07 NFC Championship game. The Jets now have Brett Favre, and Brett Favre is Brett Favre. And the Jets have possibly taken over as the best team in the AFC East overnight (anyone disagree??) The Texans are really new, but have shown glimpses of improvement.
We haven't had any number 1 picks since 1980, but we have had 6 Top 5 picks in that period. In fact, below are all of our top 5 picks since 1967. Just to dig the knife in further, I included some other 1st round picks we left on the board.
2007 - 2nd - Calvin Johnson Adrian Peterson, Patrick Willis
2003 - 2nd - Charles Rogers If we had finished 1 spot worse, we'd have Carson Palmer, not his backup
2002 - 3rd - Joey Harrington Dwight Freeney, Donte' Stallworth
1997 - 5th - Bryant Westbrook Tony Gonzalez, Warrick Dunn
1989 - 3rd - Barry "Our Savior" Sanders
1988 - 3rd - Bennie Blades Michael Irvin
1980 - 1st - Billy Sims
Ouch. Too many misses (everyone but Sanders and Sims). Jury is still out on Calvin, of course, but he can't help our O-Line stop anyone nor can he keep Kitna for throwing into coverage. It seems like we get top picks in the weaker drafts (1988, 1997, 2002, 2003, 2007).
The best selection was Sanders (obviously) - nobody blamed him when he left. In fact, most fans felt bad for him for being on a team that would never give him a championship shot. We all were ok with him leaving for greener pastures and would have proudly rooted him on if he did make it to the Super Bowl.
We may be Hockeytown. We may play DEEETROIT BAAASKETBAAALLLL. But the only team that looks like it can restore the roar anytime soon are the Detroit Tigers.
Tuesday, September 02, 2008
Help Me Argue Against Stacey
Stacey and I FINALLY splurged and bought a 52" TV, surround sound speakers, and a tv stand on Sunday. I resisted my temptation to be cheap. We went to a local place that negotiates deals and it was well worth it - we got a ridiculous deal on all of it. Watching football is SO different. I found myself watching a repeat of the PSU vs. Coastal Carolina just to watch a football game. By the way, Lou Holtz is SCARY in HD.
I bring this up not to gloat, but because we had an interesting conversation while we were buying said TV. Stacey just got her full time job at the zoo (yay Stacey!) and that's partially why we're getting the TV now. It's also our Christmas present to each other (Merry Labor Day!). I mentioned to her how this is each of our first big purchase, but then realized my car would have actually been that first big purchase. Stacey argued that since I am leasing my car, it couldn't count as a "big purchase". I need your help with defeating her in this argument.
I feel it is a purchase because I decided to get a new car, did research on different models, and signed an agreement for 2 years on a car. I feel like for those 2 years, I own that car. I am responsible for anything that happens to it and nobody else is allowed to drive it. Stacey argued that under that logic my rent should be considered my first big purchase. I said that if I wanted to live on my own, it is a necessity to pay rent and that I share the building with other people. She doesn't think any of that should count as my first big purchase. I need your help - now argue!
I bring this up not to gloat, but because we had an interesting conversation while we were buying said TV. Stacey just got her full time job at the zoo (yay Stacey!) and that's partially why we're getting the TV now. It's also our Christmas present to each other (Merry Labor Day!). I mentioned to her how this is each of our first big purchase, but then realized my car would have actually been that first big purchase. Stacey argued that since I am leasing my car, it couldn't count as a "big purchase". I need your help with defeating her in this argument.
I feel it is a purchase because I decided to get a new car, did research on different models, and signed an agreement for 2 years on a car. I feel like for those 2 years, I own that car. I am responsible for anything that happens to it and nobody else is allowed to drive it. Stacey argued that under that logic my rent should be considered my first big purchase. I said that if I wanted to live on my own, it is a necessity to pay rent and that I share the building with other people. She doesn't think any of that should count as my first big purchase. I need your help - now argue!
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Complete College Football Predictions
My football attention span may have been focused solely on our Fantasy Football draft last week, but today is the rebirth of my favorite sport – college football. There may have been games on Thursday, but college football doesn’t start until I see College Gameday. College students with stupid signs and Lee Corso putting on a mascot head – gotta love it. I love the analysis they bring from across the country, even though it is often small-sighted. Case in point: “It’s 87 degrees today in Pittsburgh – that’s an advantage for Pitt”. Really? They’re playing Bowling Green, which is only about 2-3 hours west. Their climates can’t be that different.
Nevertheless, I bring to you my complete predictions for college football – the best sport in the land. Last year was extremely exciting with App St over U-M and#1 and #2 changing hands week after week. Adding to my excitement today: I have no less than 6 channels to watch games on today (including the Big 10 Network) and one of the first things Stacey said this morning was “honey, do you want to go shopping for tvs tomorrow?” I love this woman. Enough talk – here’s my thoughts.
MSU Results
at Cal L
E Mich W
Fl Atl W
ND W
at Ind W
Iowa W
at NW L
OSU L
at Mich W
Wisc L
Purd W
at PSU L
MSU’s schedule will be tough. I know this sounds ridiculous with EMU and Florida Atlantic on the schedule, but the key is the stretch from NW to PSU. In that stretch, their 3 easiest games are on the road. They also play 4 of the 5 teams that they lost to during the regular season last year in a row (NW, OSU, U-M, Wisco). The highlight of the year will be defeating U-M for the first time since 2001. They don’t improve at all from last year, but they don’t take a step back and that’s important.
Big 10 Final Standings:
1. OSU
2. Wisconsin
3. Penn St
4. Illinois
5. Michigan
6. MSU
7. Purdue
8. Northwestern
9. Indiana
10. Iowa
11. Minnesota
Heisman
1. Tim Tebow, QB Florida – becomes first repeat Heisman since Archie Griffin
2. Sam Bradford, QB Oklahoma – very accurate – he may not have too much buzz now, but he will by the end of the season
3. BeanieWells, RB Ohio St – best back in the country
4. Michael Crabtree, WR Texas Tech – ridiculous talent – will be a top 5 pick in next year’s draft
5. Knowshon Moreno, RB Georgia – I don’t know too much about him, but Georgia is getting all of the hype right now
(Side note: Literally, as I typed this, Beanie Wells went down with a foot injury on my tv in the background. I don’t care – I’m sticking with this list!)
BCS Conference Champions
ACC: Virginia Tech
Big 10: Ohio State
Big East: Pittsburgh
Pac 10: USC
Big 12: Oklahoma
SEC: Florida
I ranked each of the conferences from top to bottom in terms of how competitive each will be. I know Mike hates to hear it and will completely disagree, but the SEC has the most elite teams. Only 3 of the 12 teams had non-winning records last year (compared to 3 in the Big 10 and Big East; and 5 in the Big 12, ACC, and Pac-10). They had the highest percentage of winning teams last season of any BCS conference. Argue that! Sorry, I got a little excited.
Here it goes - my NCAA Championship Game prediction. Don't kill me.
National Championship Game: Ohio State over Oklahoma
I swear, I am NOT turning into a Buckeye fan and I am not being a homer by saying this. They return the most talent from last year while playing in a weaker conference. They have a solid defense and a new weapon on offense in Terrelle Pryor. This year was the year that they have been admittedly targeting for years and they will finally win the National Championship.
Nevertheless, I bring to you my complete predictions for college football – the best sport in the land. Last year was extremely exciting with App St over U-M and#1 and #2 changing hands week after week. Adding to my excitement today: I have no less than 6 channels to watch games on today (including the Big 10 Network) and one of the first things Stacey said this morning was “honey, do you want to go shopping for tvs tomorrow?” I love this woman. Enough talk – here’s my thoughts.
MSU Results
at Cal L
E Mich W
Fl Atl W
ND W
at Ind W
Iowa W
at NW L
OSU L
at Mich W
Wisc L
Purd W
at PSU L
MSU’s schedule will be tough. I know this sounds ridiculous with EMU and Florida Atlantic on the schedule, but the key is the stretch from NW to PSU. In that stretch, their 3 easiest games are on the road. They also play 4 of the 5 teams that they lost to during the regular season last year in a row (NW, OSU, U-M, Wisco). The highlight of the year will be defeating U-M for the first time since 2001. They don’t improve at all from last year, but they don’t take a step back and that’s important.
Big 10 Final Standings:
1. OSU
2. Wisconsin
3. Penn St
4. Illinois
5. Michigan
6. MSU
7. Purdue
8. Northwestern
9. Indiana
10. Iowa
11. Minnesota
Heisman
1. Tim Tebow, QB Florida – becomes first repeat Heisman since Archie Griffin
2. Sam Bradford, QB Oklahoma – very accurate – he may not have too much buzz now, but he will by the end of the season
3. BeanieWells, RB Ohio St – best back in the country
4. Michael Crabtree, WR Texas Tech – ridiculous talent – will be a top 5 pick in next year’s draft
5. Knowshon Moreno, RB Georgia – I don’t know too much about him, but Georgia is getting all of the hype right now
(Side note: Literally, as I typed this, Beanie Wells went down with a foot injury on my tv in the background. I don’t care – I’m sticking with this list!)
BCS Conference Champions
ACC: Virginia Tech
Big 10: Ohio State
Big East: Pittsburgh
Pac 10: USC
Big 12: Oklahoma
SEC: Florida
I ranked each of the conferences from top to bottom in terms of how competitive each will be. I know Mike hates to hear it and will completely disagree, but the SEC has the most elite teams. Only 3 of the 12 teams had non-winning records last year (compared to 3 in the Big 10 and Big East; and 5 in the Big 12, ACC, and Pac-10). They had the highest percentage of winning teams last season of any BCS conference. Argue that! Sorry, I got a little excited.
Here it goes - my NCAA Championship Game prediction. Don't kill me.
National Championship Game: Ohio State over Oklahoma
I swear, I am NOT turning into a Buckeye fan and I am not being a homer by saying this. They return the most talent from last year while playing in a weaker conference. They have a solid defense and a new weapon on offense in Terrelle Pryor. This year was the year that they have been admittedly targeting for years and they will finally win the National Championship.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Breaking Down the Draft
With the draft now complete, I wanted to give my favorite picks in each round. I swear I was modest.
Round 16 - 4th and Goal - Fred Taylor - Usually underrated, a solid last round pick
Round 15 - Zoo Tycoons - Bernard Berrian - supposed to be a key in the "hot pick" offense
Round 14 - I Miss Aaron Rowand - Seattle - always have a favorable schedule
Round 13 - Cumming From Behind - Chester Taylor - if anything happens to Petersen...
Round 12 - Kevinexorable - Michael Turner - someone has to score on Atlanta's team, right?
Round 11 - Me - Laurence Maroney - if nothing else, good trade bait
Round 10 - Wicked Weasels - Santana Moss - fairly consistent from one season to another
Round 9 - I Miss Aaron Rowand - Darren McFadden - reports from training camp have been great, remember what AP did last year?
Round 8 - Zoo Tycoons - Jake Delhomme - last year was an off-year, with more weapons and the way the NFC South changes so much he could be due for a big year
Round 7 - Kevinexorable - Santonio Holmes - should continue to improve and take over as Pitt's #1 go-to guy
Round 6 - Canadian Beasters - Willie Parker - I don't think injuries will be an issue
Round 5 - Me - Matt Hasselbeck - overlooked nationally, not as flashy but consistent
Round 4 - Cumming From Behind - Brandon Marshall - despite being out for 2 weeks, he will be top 2 among the other 7 WRs drafted this round
Round 3 - Cumming From Behind - Ben Roethlisberger - not too many questions about him this year
Round 2 - Kevinexorable - Reggie Wayne - least amount of doubt compared to all other WRs drafted that round (Moss, TO, Edwards)
Round 1 - push - the round went pretty much as expected except for 1 slot
Here's how it all shakes out...
4th and Goal - 1
Wicked Weasels - 1
Canadian Beasters - 1
I Miss Aaron Rowand - 2
Zoo Tycoons - 2
Me - 2
Kevinexorable - 3
Cumming from Behind - 3
After looking at everyone's team, I have to give Kevin credit. We have turned mocking his past teams into a pasttime and I am sure it can't be fun to watch his roster turn into the injury report. I really like his wide receivers and his running backs are solid (if Gore works out for you, I'll be pissed). I have to rip you for drafting Vince Young though. He had almost TWICE as many INTs as TDs!!!
I like a lot of Mike's picks, but I think you chose a 2004 fantasy team in some cases (Warner, Holt, Driver, Williams, Shockey). You have to let me know how you got that championship belt to show up on your team helmet.
Round 16 - 4th and Goal - Fred Taylor - Usually underrated, a solid last round pick
Round 15 - Zoo Tycoons - Bernard Berrian - supposed to be a key in the "hot pick" offense
Round 14 - I Miss Aaron Rowand - Seattle - always have a favorable schedule
Round 13 - Cumming From Behind - Chester Taylor - if anything happens to Petersen...
Round 12 - Kevinexorable - Michael Turner - someone has to score on Atlanta's team, right?
Round 11 - Me - Laurence Maroney - if nothing else, good trade bait
Round 10 - Wicked Weasels - Santana Moss - fairly consistent from one season to another
Round 9 - I Miss Aaron Rowand - Darren McFadden - reports from training camp have been great, remember what AP did last year?
Round 8 - Zoo Tycoons - Jake Delhomme - last year was an off-year, with more weapons and the way the NFC South changes so much he could be due for a big year
Round 7 - Kevinexorable - Santonio Holmes - should continue to improve and take over as Pitt's #1 go-to guy
Round 6 - Canadian Beasters - Willie Parker - I don't think injuries will be an issue
Round 5 - Me - Matt Hasselbeck - overlooked nationally, not as flashy but consistent
Round 4 - Cumming From Behind - Brandon Marshall - despite being out for 2 weeks, he will be top 2 among the other 7 WRs drafted this round
Round 3 - Cumming From Behind - Ben Roethlisberger - not too many questions about him this year
Round 2 - Kevinexorable - Reggie Wayne - least amount of doubt compared to all other WRs drafted that round (Moss, TO, Edwards)
Round 1 - push - the round went pretty much as expected except for 1 slot
Here's how it all shakes out...
4th and Goal - 1
Wicked Weasels - 1
Canadian Beasters - 1
I Miss Aaron Rowand - 2
Zoo Tycoons - 2
Me - 2
Kevinexorable - 3
Cumming from Behind - 3
After looking at everyone's team, I have to give Kevin credit. We have turned mocking his past teams into a pasttime and I am sure it can't be fun to watch his roster turn into the injury report. I really like his wide receivers and his running backs are solid (if Gore works out for you, I'll be pissed). I have to rip you for drafting Vince Young though. He had almost TWICE as many INTs as TDs!!!
I like a lot of Mike's picks, but I think you chose a 2004 fantasy team in some cases (Warner, Holt, Driver, Williams, Shockey). You have to let me know how you got that championship belt to show up on your team helmet.
Saturday, August 16, 2008
What Else
There's only 10 days until THE day - I think we're sufficiently dorky enough to know what I'm referring to. I sat down a few days ago with some buffalo wings, the Sportscenter mock draft and had 2 mock drafts of my own. It was great. I learned one things: I'm overrating Larry Johnson. I know this because I was the one to draft him in both leagues.
All of this built up to my single best draft ever. Let's take a minute and review my ridiculous team and how it came about.
QB: Tom Brady, Jeff Garcia
WR: Terrell Owens, Plaxico Burress, Jerricho Cotchery, Donald Driver, Ted Ginn Jr
RB: Jamal Lewis, Laurence Maroney, Selvin Young, Julius Jones
TE: Tony Gonzalez, Donald Lee
K: David Akers
DEF: Baltimore
...and I picked 8th.
1. By ignoring RBs, I was able to stay ahead of everyone else.
This year's RB crop is LT, 5 guys, and everyone else. If I'm picking 8th, do I really want top pick of "everyone else"? By passing on RB early, I was able to draft the first QB and 2nd WR. The next 3 RBs taken after I took TO were Larry Johnson (I resisted the urge), Brandon Jacobs, and Ryan Grant. The next 3 WRs taken after I finally took Jamal Lewis were Torry "shows up to the game" Holt, Chad Johnson, and Brandon Marshall (automatically out 3 games due to suspension).
2. Once everyone transitioned over to QB/WR, I was still able to get top tier RBs in round 3 and 5.
After I picked TO in round 2, there were only 4 RBs taken before I picked Jamal Lewis 15 picks later and only another 4 before I picked Maroney 20 picks later. Again, the talent of QBs and WRs was declining much quicker than RBs at that point.
3. I waited on TE, DEF, and K.
Gates and Witten went in round 4 while I was still trying to fill my WR and RB needs. After I took 2 RBs and WRs, I knew it was time to get a decent TE in Tony Gonzalez in round 6. Unfortunately, I couldn't take Dallas Clark because of bye week issues. The first defense was taken in round 6 (San Diego). I was the last person to draft a defense, but was able to get Baltimore in round 12. Same thing for kicker, when I drafted Akers in the last round. There just isn't enough difference between kickers.
4. I took a mix of everyone else
With my bench players, I took a mix of people who should have great years due to roster changes (Cotchery, Selvin Young, Ginn Jr.) and players with something to prove after the Favre saga (Driver, Garcia).
I can't wait until a week from Tuesday to do it all over again.
All of this built up to my single best draft ever. Let's take a minute and review my ridiculous team and how it came about.
QB: Tom Brady, Jeff Garcia
WR: Terrell Owens, Plaxico Burress, Jerricho Cotchery, Donald Driver, Ted Ginn Jr
RB: Jamal Lewis, Laurence Maroney, Selvin Young, Julius Jones
TE: Tony Gonzalez, Donald Lee
K: David Akers
DEF: Baltimore
...and I picked 8th.
1. By ignoring RBs, I was able to stay ahead of everyone else.
This year's RB crop is LT, 5 guys, and everyone else. If I'm picking 8th, do I really want top pick of "everyone else"? By passing on RB early, I was able to draft the first QB and 2nd WR. The next 3 RBs taken after I took TO were Larry Johnson (I resisted the urge), Brandon Jacobs, and Ryan Grant. The next 3 WRs taken after I finally took Jamal Lewis were Torry "shows up to the game" Holt, Chad Johnson, and Brandon Marshall (automatically out 3 games due to suspension).
2. Once everyone transitioned over to QB/WR, I was still able to get top tier RBs in round 3 and 5.
After I picked TO in round 2, there were only 4 RBs taken before I picked Jamal Lewis 15 picks later and only another 4 before I picked Maroney 20 picks later. Again, the talent of QBs and WRs was declining much quicker than RBs at that point.
3. I waited on TE, DEF, and K.
Gates and Witten went in round 4 while I was still trying to fill my WR and RB needs. After I took 2 RBs and WRs, I knew it was time to get a decent TE in Tony Gonzalez in round 6. Unfortunately, I couldn't take Dallas Clark because of bye week issues. The first defense was taken in round 6 (San Diego). I was the last person to draft a defense, but was able to get Baltimore in round 12. Same thing for kicker, when I drafted Akers in the last round. There just isn't enough difference between kickers.
4. I took a mix of everyone else
With my bench players, I took a mix of people who should have great years due to roster changes (Cotchery, Selvin Young, Ginn Jr.) and players with something to prove after the Favre saga (Driver, Garcia).
I can't wait until a week from Tuesday to do it all over again.
Sunday, August 03, 2008
It's like Christmas Eve
In a few hours, football comes out of hibernation. I see great things this season: the Fantasy title belt returning home to me, the Lions winning 13 games, and a continuation of the Brett Favre drama.
And because it needs to be posted again...
NFC East
Dallas Cowboys
Philadelphia Eagles
NY Giants
Washington Redskins
I see the Giants having a stereotypical letdown season after winning the Super Bowl - only to 7-9, but out of the playoffs. I think the Cowboys are too talented to not win 12-13 games again this season.
NFC North
Minnesota Vikings
Green Bay Packers
Detroit Lions
Chicago Bears
Keep in mind these standings are under the assumption Favre goes to Minnesota. If he doesn't, it will be a toss-up between Minnesota and Green Bay for the division.
NFC South
New Orleans Saints
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Carolina Panthers
Atlanta Falcons
I REALLY like the Saints this year - you'll see how much in just a bit. I think they have a huge bounce back year.
NFC West
Arizona Cardinals
Seattle Seahawks
St Louis Rams
San Francisco 49ers
I think the surprise of the season will be the Cardinals. The Seahawks have been dominant in this division for a while, but they are starting to age - kind of like the Pistons. I have a lot of confidence that Matt Leinart will step up this year - he should with as many offensive weapons as they have.
AFC East
New England Patriots
NY Jets
Buffalo Bills
Miami Dolphins
Patriots continue to dominate in a weak division. Next...
AFC North
Pittsburgh Steelers
Cincinnati Bengals
Cleveland Browns
Baltimore Ravens
Everyone LOVES the Browns, but I last year was a special blip. I say they go 6-10 or 7-9 in what will once again be a competitive division with a tough schedule (they play the NFC East and the AFC South).
AFC South
Indianapolis Colts
Houston Texans
Jacksonville Jaguars
Tennessee Titans
I also see the Jaguars to regress after last year. I don't think they have the offensive talent to win week after week.
AFC West
San Diego Chargers
Denver Broncos
Oakland Raiders
Kansas City Chiefs
I think this division will have improved from last year - word out of training camp is that Darren McFadden is progressing very quickly.
AFC Wild Card: Denver Broncos, Cincinnati Bengals
NFC Wild Card: Philadelphia Eagles, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
AFC Champions: New England Patriots
NFC Champions: New Orleans Saints
Super Bowl Champions: New England Patriots
I've heard some people say that they will play all season with a chip on their shoulder because they lost the Super Bowl last year. I like that reasoning, but I like their talent even more. I think they are too stacked to not win it all this year.
Fantasy Players I Like
Well, let's not give away all of my thoughts. That would just be silly.
And because it needs to be posted again...
NFC East
Dallas Cowboys
Philadelphia Eagles
NY Giants
Washington Redskins
I see the Giants having a stereotypical letdown season after winning the Super Bowl - only to 7-9, but out of the playoffs. I think the Cowboys are too talented to not win 12-13 games again this season.
NFC North
Minnesota Vikings
Green Bay Packers
Detroit Lions
Chicago Bears
Keep in mind these standings are under the assumption Favre goes to Minnesota. If he doesn't, it will be a toss-up between Minnesota and Green Bay for the division.
NFC South
New Orleans Saints
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Carolina Panthers
Atlanta Falcons
I REALLY like the Saints this year - you'll see how much in just a bit. I think they have a huge bounce back year.
NFC West
Arizona Cardinals
Seattle Seahawks
St Louis Rams
San Francisco 49ers
I think the surprise of the season will be the Cardinals. The Seahawks have been dominant in this division for a while, but they are starting to age - kind of like the Pistons. I have a lot of confidence that Matt Leinart will step up this year - he should with as many offensive weapons as they have.
AFC East
New England Patriots
NY Jets
Buffalo Bills
Miami Dolphins
Patriots continue to dominate in a weak division. Next...
AFC North
Pittsburgh Steelers
Cincinnati Bengals
Cleveland Browns
Baltimore Ravens
Everyone LOVES the Browns, but I last year was a special blip. I say they go 6-10 or 7-9 in what will once again be a competitive division with a tough schedule (they play the NFC East and the AFC South).
AFC South
Indianapolis Colts
Houston Texans
Jacksonville Jaguars
Tennessee Titans
I also see the Jaguars to regress after last year. I don't think they have the offensive talent to win week after week.
AFC West
San Diego Chargers
Denver Broncos
Oakland Raiders
Kansas City Chiefs
I think this division will have improved from last year - word out of training camp is that Darren McFadden is progressing very quickly.
AFC Wild Card: Denver Broncos, Cincinnati Bengals
NFC Wild Card: Philadelphia Eagles, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
AFC Champions: New England Patriots
NFC Champions: New Orleans Saints
Super Bowl Champions: New England Patriots
I've heard some people say that they will play all season with a chip on their shoulder because they lost the Super Bowl last year. I like that reasoning, but I like their talent even more. I think they are too stacked to not win it all this year.
Fantasy Players I Like
Well, let's not give away all of my thoughts. That would just be silly.
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