One-Hundred Things About Me

After reading another journal (The Wisdom of a Distracted Mind) and his One-Hundred Things..., I thought it would be cool for me to do the same thing.  There is much more to me than sports.  I like reading books, magazines and newspapers like the USA Today and the Chicago Tribune.  I just happen to read the Sports section first.  And throw the rest away....

 

1.  I live in Wisconsin.

2.  I drive a Nissan.

3.  I like tennis.

4.  I love college basketball.

5.  I have been to Great Britain a few times.

6.  I have started selling things on eBay.

7.  I have a one-bedroom loft.

8.  I just hooked up my printer after having it for two years.

9.  I love Seinfeld.

10.  I love Coldplay.

11.  I love Manchester United.

12.  I love my fleeces.

13.  I think Saddam Hussein didn't deserve to live on earth.

14.  I have visited Taliesen and loved it.

15.  I have been in Sports Illustrated next to Tiger Woods.

16.  I know my mom is the most amazing woman on earth.

17.  I want a border collie.

18.  I wish my journal hit count would stop going back to zero. 

19.  I used to play the violin.

20.  I would like to start playing again.

21.  I wish Britney would wear underwear.

22.  I also wish she would grow up and be a mother to her kids.

23.  I love northern Wisconsin.

24.  I love being outdoors.

25.  I love going to concerts.

26.  I think Madison is the best city in the world.

27.  I love Target.

28.  I wish Nicole Richie would gain some weight.

29.  I still think Michigan is the No. 2 ranked team in the country even though they aren't playing for the national title.

30.  I think Greg Oden is out of this world spectacular.

31.  I think the British Open is the best golf tournament in the world.

32.  I think St. Andrews is the best golf course in the world.

33.  I will never put 10,000 songs or 25,000 pictures on my iPod.

34.  I know my sister was wrong about that.

35.  I hate the NBA.

36.  I don't have Microsoft Word on my computer.

37.  I want to see the final of the UEFA Champions League sometime in person (Manchester United vs AC Milan would be perfect).

38.  I want to meet Bob Stoops.

39.  I hate Duke men's basketball.

40.  I miss my cat Charlie.  He was the greatest. 

41.  I would like to do an Ironman sometime.

42.  I don't think my body could hack it.

43.  I think AOL is great. 

44.  I know a lot of people do not.

45.  I would like to get my writing published sometime.

46.  I don't think any sporting event can compare to the World Series.

47.  I would love to live in London for awhile.

48.  I would love to know who Jack the Ripper was.  

49.  I buy books and don't read them.

50.  I love the ESPN commercial with LaDanian Tomlinson where he plays a mailman.

51.  I was born on the 8th day of the 8th month.

52.  I was 8 lbs, 8 ounces

53.  I bought a bike.

54.  I never ride it.

55.  If I could be anything, I would love to be a Designated Hitter in baseball with homerun ability.  Like Big Papi in Boston.  He gets paid a long of money to just drive in runs.

56.  If I could go back in time to meet one person, I would love to meet Arthur Ashe.

57.  I wish life wasn't so complicated.

58.  I don't go to church.  

59.  I love Fish & Chips.

60.  I love Fritos, but I don't eat them anymore.

61.  I love the movie 'When A Man Loves A Woman.'

62.  I buy dvd's and never watch them.

63.  I liked the WWF.  

64.  I don't like WWE.

65.  I have ALWAYS loved the White Sox.  

66.  I actually have a picture of me when I was 7 with a White Sox t-shirt on.

67.  I think Sacha Boren Cohen is a genius.

68.  I thought Borat, the movie, was great.

69.  I think if Ali G was ever made into a movie it would be better than Borat.

70.  I have been writing my journal for nearly four years.

71.  I was in a huge contest for sports journalists on AOL to go to the World Series.

72.  I didn't win.

73.  Looking around my loft, I have enough stuff for a house.  

74.  I think Peyton Manning will win a SuperBowl.

75.  I think Maria Sharapova cheats.

76.  I have met Pete Sampras.

77.  I think Roger Federer needs some competition.

78.  I love carbohydrates.

79.  I think Kobe Bryant is an idiot.

80.  I love golfing.

81.  I hate watching it on tv.

82.  I love getting dressed up.

83.  I hate asking for help.

84.  I had a huge picture playing tennis on the cover of my hometown newspaper when I was a sophomore in high school.

85.  I was on Leno, along with other UW-Oshkosh players, while on Spring Break in Cali.

86.  I am going to go deaf because I listen to everything way too loud.

87.  I have 11 tennis racquets. 

88.  I think the Bears suck.

89.  I am glad the Packers didn't draft Rex Grossman.

90.  I never watched Seinfeld until it went to reruns.

91.  I forget things.

92.  I don't clean very often.

93.  I lit a garage on fire when I was in Elementary school.

94.  The firemen found me by following my burnt sneakers to my house.

95.  I have been arrested (Shh, not many people know).

96.  I don't drink beer.

97.  I have to quit drinking soda which will be the hardest thing I'll ever have to do.  Seriously.

98.  I make the best grilled cheese's ever.

99.  I can't believe the technology with cell phones.

100.  I am in love with someone and I always will be. 

The Lists Are Back!

 My New Year's Resolution, Chris, is a good game.  Wait, does that mean it won't happen because I said it out loud?  Eh, doesn't matter, won't happen anyways.

 

My Top Eight Bowl Games I Am Looking Forward to:

 

1.  Tostitos BCS Championship -- Ohio State vs Florida for the National Title.  No-brainder for #1.

2.  Capital One -- Wisconsin vs Arkansas.  Darren McFadden vs a great Wisconsin defense.  Something has to give.

3.  Rose -- Michigan vs Southern California.  Chad Henne and Mike Hart vs the best linebacking core in the country from USC.

4.  Fiesta -- Oklahoma vs Boise State.  Nobody else cares about this game as much as I do.  All Day Adrian Peterson is back and healthy.  Giddy up.

5.  Sugar -- LSU vs Notre Dame.  There are two reasons I am looking forward to this game at all.  1.)  To see how much the Tigers can trounce the Irish by and, 2.) How many points will Lou (Duh) Holtz pick the Irish to win by?

6.  Orange -- Wake Forest vs Louisville.  The Demon Deacons can't score and the Cardinals score in bunches.  Louisville should win this game easily.

7.  Gator -- Georgia Tech vs West Virginia.  See #6.  GT is Wake and WVU is Louisville. 

8.  Alamo -- Iowa vs Texas.  Can Iowa win a big game and can Colt McCoy, back healthy, help the Longhorns get a good win to end 2006?

(One bowl game I would like to see LSU vs Louisville.  LSU has the best front four on D in the country and Louisville's offense is fantastic.  Great game that would be.)

 

My Top Eight Sports Stories of 2006:

 

1.  Tiger Woods winning two majors since the death of his father.  Love him or hate him, he's still going to be one of the top golfers of all time.

2.  Zinedine Zidane headbutt.  If that Italian defender had called my mom 'a terroist who*re' I probably would have done the same thing....if not worse.

3.  Clemson football player Ray Ray McElrathbey taking custody of his 11-year-old brother, Fahmarr, because his mother is a drug addict and their father isn't in their lives.  Read all about that here.

4.  Vincent Young's completely dismantling USC himself.

5.  Jason McElwain going crazy in his first action.  Austistic senior in high school was manager of his high school team and got a few minutes on the court near the end of a game and went crazy, hitting 6 3's in the last four minutes.  See his story here.

6.  Roger Federer dominating tennis.  Nadal might be great on clay, but Club Fed is the best by far.

7.  George Mason making the Final Four. 

8.  The Duke lacrosse team being accused of sexual assault.  What a crock this was!  That prosecutor better get what he has coming to him. 

8A.  Andre Agassi playing in his last U.S. Open, beating Marcos Baghdatis in a great five-set match, before losing in the third round.  Incredible career and a great human being for all that he does for kids in Las Vegas.

 

 The coolest kid the world's ever seen.

 

My Top Eight College Basketball Freshman of 2006-07:

 

1.  Greg Oden (Ohio State) -- This is obvious.

2.  Kevin Durant (Texas) -- He makes his team better than any other freshman.

3.  Chase Budinger (Arizona) -- This kid is fantastic.  If he played volleyball, he could be the next Karch Karily and he wants to play basketball.  Lute Olson says he could be the next Sean Elliott.  What does that tell you?  I'll answer that.  He's amazing.

4.  Brandon Wright (UNC) -- Fantastic power forward, but also is helped by having Hansborough on the other side of the lane.

5.  Spencer Hawes (Washington) -- Do-it-all center for the Huskies.

6.  Paul Harris (Syracuse) -- Stud for theOrange.

7.  Ty Lawson (UNC) -- Best freshman point guard in the country.  Stepped right into the starting lineup in the first few games for one of the top couple teams in the country.

8.  Jon Scheier (Duke) -- Gives the Blue Devils a solid outside shooter and also gives them some much needed toughness.

8A. Bill Walker (Kansas State) -- Top 5 pick in the draft if he's able to be selected this year.  Long story with him, but he is Vince Carter-like. 

 

 Mr. Kevin Durant of Texas.

 

My Top Eight Idiots of 2006:

 

1.  Terrell Owens -- He could be my #1 for the next decade.

2.  Floyd Landis -- Never won the Tour de France in my mind. 

3.  Kobe Bryant -- He really needs to shut his mouth.  After Gilbert Arena's scored 60 on his team, Kobe said Arena's doesn't take good shot.  This coming from Kobe.  Funny.

4.  Houston Texans -- 2 words.  Mario Williams.

5.  Ben Roethlisberger -- Wear a helmet next time.

6.  Randy Moss -- 'I don't care.'

7.  Phil Mickelson -- Double-bogeyed the 72nd hole to lose the U.S. Open.  He actually called himself an idiot.  I should put himself at #1 for calling himself one.

8.  Albert Pujols -- Said Ryan Hoard didn't deserve the NL MVP because his team wasn't in the playoffs.  Suck an egg Albert.

8A.  Raiders owner Al Davis.  Has completely run the Raiders into the ground.  Time to sell the team fella.

(This is a sports-oriented list.  If it wasn't, Michael Richards would be #1)

 

 'But Coach, I really didn't mean it.  I was joking....'

 

Top Eight Things I Am Looking Forward To In 2007:

 

1.  Will Daisuka Matsuzaka be worth all the fuss...and money?

2.  Will the Cubs' signings make some noise?

3.  Will Kevin Garnett be traded to a contender?

4.  How many more Slams will Roger Federer win?

5.  How far can Greg Oden take the Buckeyes (IF they give him the ball) before turning pro?

6.  Will somebody finally punch Terrell Owens in the face?

7.  Can Reggie Bush and Drew Brees lead the Saints to the Super Bowl?

8.  Will LeBron James gets some 'i want to pull your heart out of your chest and shove it down your throat' toughness ala Michael Jordan so the Cavs can with some titles?

(Can Man U upend Chelsea to win the Premier League?)

Some songs hit you more than others.

Artist:	Augustana
Song:	Boston
Album:	All The Stars And Boulevards

in the light of the sun, is there anyone? oh it has begun...
oh dear you look so lost, eyes are red and tears are shed,
this world you must've crossed...you said...

you don't know me, you don't even care,
you don't know me, you don't wear my chains...

essential and appealed, carry all your thoughts across
an open field,
when flowers gaze at you...they're not the only ones who cry
when they see you
you said...

you don't know me, you don't even care,
you don't know me, you don't wear my chains...

she said i think i'll go to boston...
i think i'll start a new life,
i think i'll start it over, where no one knows my name,
i'll get out of california, i'm tired of the weather,
i think i'll get a lover and fly em out to spain...
i think i'll go to boston,
i think that i'm just tired
i think i need a new town, to leave this all behind...
i think i need a sunrise, i'm tired of the sunset,
i hear it's nice in the summer, some snow would be nice...
boston...where no one knows my name...

 

**  Don't you feel tired somtimes?  Like you just want to pick up and just get out of where you are?  That's me right now.  I need something new.  Life is too important and too fast to be around people who don't care.  I get it now. -- Ryan (Where it says 'She said I think I'll go to Boston...change that to He.)

Janesville Craig Cougar Tennis!

High school tennis.  Those were the days.  Mike Bush, Edgewood senior, said I am making a ridiculous face.  Let me explain something to you.  That little yellow tennis ball was heading, pretty quickly I might add, straight for my....well, um...stones.  I was trying to get out of the way.  Get it?  Got it.  Good.  (By the way, we were good.  Yes, Craig tennis was good at one point.)

Yes, That Was Brian Butch!

 FINALLY!

For three years, we have waited.  Some patienly, some not.  He was a McDonald's All-American; one of a handful to do so in the state of Wisconsin's history.  He dominated high school basketball.  We have expected big things and they haven't come.  Until yesterday.

Wisconsin center Brian Butch came out of hibernation yesterday against one of the best centers in the country, Aaron Gray of Pitt.  The junior, out of Appleton East, scored 27 points and had 11 rebounds in the seventh-ranked Badgers win over the second-ranked Panthers. 

"He's a McDonald's All-American, everybody in the country wanted him and he played like it," Pitt coach Jamie Dixon said of Butch, who finished 8-for-11 from the field and 9-for-12 from the foul line. "He's a good kid, he plays hard and you guys should be proud of him. It's good to have a homegrown kid play as well as he did and win a game against us like that. He deserves it, he played well."

Having a mother being diagnosed with cancer his freshman year, we should have been more patient.  If we can get Brian to play like that more, we can expect this winter to be warmer than normal. 

The Cat That Ruled The World!

 Enzo, is that you?

This cat didn't have clean kitty litter this morning.  Imagine if he didn't have his Meow Mix for lunch.  Rawr!  Haha.  Funny, this cat looks like my mom's cat, Enzo.  Hopefully, he won't be like this when I go home for Christmas.

Lou Holtz is Braindead

 'Is it okay if I sing the Notre Dame fight song during the show today guys?'

Last night I watched ESPN Classic’s All-Time Greatest College Football Playoff.  I would have had a couple different choices, but that's for another time.  What did upset me is Lou Hotlz on the show, his comments are just plain dumb.  Here is how the show went down (know that the games/teams were voted on by fans online):

The 32 teams were put into four 'regions' of eight teams; Cotton, Sugar, Orange and the Rose.  They had two tables of commentator's and ex-coaches and another table of young guys.  The older table was Lee Corso, Barry Switzer and Lou 'I'm not smart and Notre Dame is the greatest even with 2 losses' Holtz.  The younger table included Kirk Herbstreit, Todd Blackledge and Mark May. 

I won't get into the entire show because I could write 1,784 pages on how Lou Holtz is completely clueless.  I'll just talk about the final game.  It ended up being the Johnny Rogers Nebraska 1971 team vs the 1995 Nebraska team of Tommie Frazier and Lawrence 'Girl, if you don't shut up I'm going to push you down the stairs' Phillips.  First of all, this is a joke.  Two teams from the same university should not be in the final...but I digress.  The '95 Nebraska team beat the 2001 Miami team that had 6 first round choices on defense and the 1971 Cornhusker team beat the '05 Vince Young's....I mean, Texas. 

Kirk Herbstreit was upset, as I would have been.  Two Nebraska teams in the final is wrong.  Just because ESPN Classic was the only station people could watch in Lincoln last night doesn't mean they are the two best teams.  Herbstreit was saying how this is a joke and Mr. Holtz came up with one of his BRILLIANT quotes.  He said 'Well, obviously this is right because this is how it was voted.'  No Lou, that is not right.  Just because Nebraska fans crammed ESPN.com to vote last night does not mean they are the two best teams in college football history.  (By the way, Lee Corse helped Nebraska win; in one round he said 'Come on Nebraska, you guys should be voting more than this).  Oh yes, this is a very real tournament.

Lou said something just as ridiculous the Sunday night the BCS Championship game was revealed.  After all the talking between all the commetators (please understand I love everybody else...Fowler, Corso, Herbstreit, May, etc), Lou said the EXACT SAME THING.  He said, 'Well obviously we have the two best teams in the BCS Championship game because that's what the voters have said.'  Again NO, that is not right.  Just because Florida is playing Ohio State and not Michigan doesn't mean Florida is better than Michigan.  It means that a lot of the voters don't want to see a rematch for the National Title.  Completely fine, but don't say these are the two best teams just because thats what was voted.

Mr Holtz knows FOR A FACT Notre Dame is going to beat LSU in the Sugar Bowl.  Just like the Irish beat Michigan and USC.  Oh wait, he was wrong.  He said South Carolina would 'DEFINITELY' beat Florida.  Yep, didn't happen.  Please ESPN, get Lou Holtz off the air.  I am sick of his bias and I'm sick of his stupidity.

** You are telling me these two Nebraska teams are better than every USC team, every Oklahoma team, every Michigan team, every Miami team, every Texas team.  Give me a break.  What is the best team of all time?  I'm still young but I say the 2004 USC team.

 

Allen Iverson

 You are under contract, shut your yapper!

Ah yes, Allen Iverson.  He wants to be traded from his 76ers.  Tuesday afternoon he nixed a trade to the Charlotte Bobcats and General Manager/Part Owner, Michael Jordan.

Let me explain something to you Allen.  You have no right to do anything.  You are under contract, you should be playing.  If the 76ers want to trade you to Charlotte or Minneapolis or Beijing or Jupiter, you should be all smiles and be on your way.  You don't have a no-trade clause so the 76ers' should be able to do whatever they want with you.

I know one thing.  The Philadelphia 76ers should not be paying A.I. to sit at home and not play.  Iverson doesn't want to play for the 76ers, don't pay him.  Philadelphia should send Iverson wherever they want to send him and whoever gives the 76ers get the best deal.  Don't listen to anything Iverson has to say ever again.  He's a baby.

Get Ready America, Here Comes Greg Oden

 Oden shoots a left-handed free throw.

College basketball hasn't seen a dominant center in nearly 20 years (think Dikembe Mutumbo, Alonzo Mourning, Patrick Ewing, Shaquille O'neal).  Well, it's time for another and this one might be better than all of them.  Ohio State's freshman Greg Oden made his debut on Saturday vs Valparaiso.  He broke his hand in the summer and has been on the shelf ever since.

But Oden, from Indianapolis, didn't stop working.  Thad Motta, OSU's head coach, has been working on Oden with his footwork, defense and free throws.  Last week before the Buckeye's, ranked No. 1 for the moment (a 98-89 loss to North Carolina on Wednesday will probably knock them down a couple pegs), Oden made 17 free throws in a row with his left hand.  Roy Williams, the Tarheels coach, came up to Motta and said 'Wow, I didn't know he's left-handed!'  The thing is...he's not.  Oden has been working so hard in the last few months with his left hand, he's become almost as good with his left hand as he is with his dominant right hand.

 Do you really think Oden is 18?  He looks 36 to me.

Saturday's win over Valpo, 78-58, solidifies the Buckeye's spot as one of the top couple teams in the country.  "It felt really good. I had fun out there with my teammates," Oden said after getting 14 points and 10 rebounds "I didn't get a chance to dunk. You could tell I was anxious. I traveled, like, eight times."

With the best recruiting class in the country (Oden, Mike Conley, Jr., Daequan Cook) and a good returning squad, the Big 10 has been forewarned.  Oden, who has been called the next Bill Russell because of his defensive ability, has it all and the help to go far in March.  Greg Oden and Ohio State will be ready for anybody this year.

 

Meet David Villa

  The real Chosen One?

This is David Villa, star striker for Valencia Football Club in Spain.  Why is he in the news?  Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho would like to have him in the Blues lineup come spring.  Why is this important?  Valencia president Juan Soler is asking any potential buyers to start the bidding at 100 million pounds.....that's $200 million!  That's four times as much as the Boston Red Sox paid Seibu just to talk to Daisuke Matsuzaka. 

Yes, Villa is good.  He is spectacular.  He can score from anywhere and gave Spain a reason to look forward to the World Cup in 2010.  But $200 million?  Well, Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich overpay's for everything.  He can afford it.

Manchester United and Chelsea battle to a 1-1 draw.

 Saha's goal was outstanding.

Ricardo Carvalho's second half header off Frank Lampard's corner gave Chelsea a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford.  Manchester United's Louis Saha had given the Red Devils a 1-0 lead at halftime with his 29th minute goal.  Saha showed amazing skill in bending the ball around Carvalho and Chelsea keeper Carlo Cudicini with his left foot from the top of the 30 yard box. 

 Carvalho's goal aver Gabriel Heinze was special.

With the draw Chelsea was able to stay within three points of leaders United.  A win would have seen Man U move six points clear of Chelsea.  On Wednesday, Chelsea travel to Bolton as Manchester United host Everton.

Barclays Premiership : Table 26 November 2006       Home         Away               Team P W D L F A W D L F A GD PTS 1 Man Utd 14 5 1 1 14 3 6 1 0 16 4 23 35 2 Chelsea 14 6 1 0 14 3 4 1 2 10 5 16 32 3 Bolton 14 4 1 2 8 6 3 2 2 7 7 2 24 4 Portsmouth 14 5 1 1 12 4 2 1 4 7 8 7 23 5 Aston Villa 14 4 3 0 11 4 1 5 1 5 6 6 23 6 Arsenal 13 3 4 0 13 4 3 0 3 8 6 11 22 7 Reading 14 4 1 2 10 9 3 0 4 6 9 -2 22 8 Everton 14 4 2 1 11 5 1 4 2 7 7 6 21 9 Liverpool 14 6 1 0 14 3 0 2 5 1 12 0 21 10 Tottenham 14 5 1 1 10 5 0 3 4 3 11 -3 19 11 Wigan 13 3 2 1 10 6 2 1 4 7 10 1 18 12 Fulham 14 3 1 3 5 6 1 4 2 9 14 -6 17 13 Middlesbrough 14 4 1 2 6 7 0 3 4 5 10 -6 16 14 Man City 14 4 3 0 7 1 0 1 6 3 15 -6 16 15 West Ham 14 4 1 2 8 6 0 1 6 2 10 -6 14 16 Blackburn 13 2 2 3 8 9 1 2 3 3 8 -6 13 17 Newcastle 14 2 2 3 6 7 1 2 4 3 8 -6 13 18 Sheff Utd 14 1 3 3 7 10 1 1 5 1 9 -11 10 19 Watford 13 1 4 1 7 6 0 2 5 3 13 -9 9 20 Charlton 14 2 2 3 5 7 0 1 6 5 14 -11 9

Battle of the Titans -- Man United vs Chelsea

                                                                                

Ever since Roman Abramovich, the Russian gazillionaire, took over at  Chelsea the Blue's have been at the top of the Premiership.  Mr Abramovich went to Porto and took away their fantastic coach, Jose Mourinho.  Mourinho then in turn dismantled a good Chelsea team and bought every good player he wanted.  John Terry and Frank Lampard, two fantastic English national players, are the only two left from the 'early years.' 

Brought over in the past four years are:  Andriy Schevchenko, AC Milan and Ukriane star, cost $60 million and was the best player in Italy the last five years; Didier Drogba, leads the Premiership with 8 goals this year; Michael Ballack, came over from Bayern Munich this summer, fantastic midfielder for Germany; Arjen Robben, led the Netherlands in the World Cup; Claude Makelele and Geremi, both left Real Madrid to join Chelsea; Michael Essien, midfielder helped Ghana walk over, around and through the USA in Germany; Ashley Cole, Arsenal's best defender for lord knows how long; Petr Cech, Czech national goalkeeper, widely known as the best GK in the world.  Some other's are Shaun Wright-Phillips, Joe Cole, John Mikel, Ricardo Carvalho, etc.

This Sunday the Blues head to Old Trafford to face Manchester United.  Before Chelsea's Russian oil tycoon started throwing around his money, the Red Devils were the class of England.  Yes, Arsenal may have one a title here and there but for the most part Man U dominated the Premiership.  In 1999, Man U won the treble which includes the FA Cup, the Premiership and the UEFA Champions.  That never happens.  Well, every 30 years or so. 

                                                             

This year Manchester United will take a three point lead into the game.  After 13 games last year Chelsea was up by seven points and rolled to a second straight Premiership title.  Tomorrow morning's game could go a long way in deciding this year's title.  Can Man U win and go 6 points up?  Will Chelsea win at Old Trafford to tighten this race up?  Who will control the midfield?  Man U's Ronaldo and Michael Carrick or will it be Michael Ballack and Framk Lampard of Chelsea?  Either way, 74,000 fans will get the game of a lifetime.

Read more about the Clash of the Giants here.

Quite simply the biggest game of the year.

** As I was writing this, Wayne Rooney has signed a new two-year deal that will keep him at Old Trafford until 2012.  Read about it here.

 My favorite # 8 will be in Machester for a while.

Who Should Play Ohio State?

 Freshman running back Chris Wells helped the Buckeye's edge Michigan on Saturday.

On Saturday, Ohio State held off a solid Michigan team, 42-39, to secure a spot in the BCS National Title game in January.  There are a few teams that have a shot at playing the Buckeye's for the title.  Let's name each team and why they should be considered.  (By the way, they are not listed from best chance to worst chance, just a list)

1.  Michigan (# 2 in the BCS) -- I can see both sides of the fence here.  Before Michigan played Ohio State on Saturday I felt this was their one chance.  They shouldn't get another.  But watching on Saturday and listening to Craig James and Doug Flutie talk after the game it's hard not to let these two go at it again.  The Wolverines lost to the #1 team in the country on the road and only by 3 points. 

2.  USC (#3) -- The Pac-10 champion.  Other than a loss on the road to a good Oregon State, the Trojan's have completely throttled every team this year.  They dismantled a great California offense, surrendering only 9 points.  USC squashed Arkansas in the first game of the year at Arkansas.  Notre Dame and Arkansas, two good non-conference foes.

3.  Arkansas (#6) -- The best team in the SEC at the moment.  The Razorback's looked absolutely marvelous (as did Darren McFadden) in beating Tennessee last weekend.  Arkansas will have to take care of LSU this weekend at home for a chance to face Florida in the SEC title game.

4.  Florida (#4) -- Beat Auburn on the road, yet barely squeaked by South Carolina at home.  This is the last team I would want to see Ohio State.  Florida State this coming weekend or Arkansas in the SEC title game will make sure they have no shot at OSU.  But if they win the SEC title how do you turn them away?  I know how.  Have you seen their non-conference schedule?  Western Carolina.  That's a good win right there. 

5.  Notre Dame (#5) -- We shouldn't even be talking about the Fighting Irish, yet Lou Holtz seems to think they are the best team this world's ever seen.  Notre Dame was rocked by Michigan earlier this year.  The Golden Domer's should not play the Buckeyes.  Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines.  Okay, the Marines don't have a football team, but Notre Dame's schedule stinks.

 Pete Carroll celebrates with his team after beating Cal on Saturday night.

Personally, I would like to see USC play Ohio State.  I understand Michigan played Ohio State better than any other team this year, but I'd like to see somebody else get a chance.  USC, in my mind, is the only other team that might be able to stick with the Buckeye's.  Then again, in the next few weeks the answer will probably be made on the field.

Bo Schembechler

                                                               R.I.P Glenn "Bo" Schembechler

Friday morning in Ann Arbor, Michigan, former Michigan coach and Athletic Director Bo Schembechler collapsed and passed away at the age of 77.  Ironically on Thursday night, Schembechler cancelled an appointment with his doctor to speak to this year's Michigan team before they left for Columbus to play Ohio State on Saturday. 

 Bo and Woody Hayes before a game.

In his 27 years as coach of Michigan, his toughest rival was Ohio State.  Woody Hayes, Ohio State's fantastic coach in the 1960's and 1970's, had a hatred for Michigan that was unmatched.  Up 48-14 on the Wolverines in one matchup, the Buckeye's scored a touchdown and WENT FOR TWO!!!  Can you imagine that?  Up by 34 and went for two.  After the game Hayes was asked why he went for two, his response was 'Because I couldn't go for three!'  That's hatred right there.  Yet, Schembechler was the only coach in college football history to have a winning record vs Hayes and Ohio State.  His teams were 5-4-1 against the Buckeyes. 

"It's disappointing he's not going to be here for the game," said former Michigan offensive lineman Doug James, one of the captains on Schembechler's 1984 team, "but I guess he's going to have a better seat than all the rest of us." 

From a Wisconsin fan to an even bigger college football fan, I'd like to wish Michigan all the best of luck in the world tomorrow vs Ohio State.  I'll be cheering for the blue because Schembechler always did it the right way, he never cheated. 

Read more about Saturday's matchup from ESPN's Pat Fordeand his 'Tale of the Tape' here.

Commissioner of College Football

 Asst Commish has been fired, I am now Commissioner, President and CEO of College Football for the NCAA.

The NCAA has just informed me, Ryan Alexander Wilmot, and notified me Saturday night (while eating at Noodles & Company in Madison staring at the wall, wondering where life is going to take me...) that they needed a new Commissioner for College Football.  They asked me to start right now.  I obliged.  Finally!  I knew I should be given a great job like this.  College football is tremendous and with a person like me in charge, everything will be perfect. 

I'm making one big change starting right now.  Michigan at Ohio State next Saturday has been postponed and will be played January 8, 2007 as the BCS National Championship game in Glendale, Arizona. 

Here is what we have found out this year:  No team is better than either Ohio State or Michigan.  No. 3 Florida looked absolutely horrendous last night vs South Carolina.  USC looked good at home vs Oregon but they have a loss to Oregon State.  Arkansas would probably be the next choice to play for the title.  They lost to USC in the first game of the year, but have looked spectacular ever since.  Notre Dame?  Good, but lost to Michigan.  Rutgers?  Come on.  Have you seen their strength of schedule?  Best in the Big East yes, but not national title contenders.  West Virginia?  They met Louisville a couple weeks ago.  LSU?  Two losses. 

What else has been thrown around and could possibly happen if it's a close game is Ohio State vs Michigan in a rematch in January.  You have got to be kidding.  You are telling me that if Michigan squeaks by the Buckeye's next Saturday on the road in Columbus they should have to play them AGAIN?  Would you give Ohio State the title for going 1-1 vs Michigan?  That can not happen.

As the new Commissioner of College Football, here are my BCS bowl projections:

BCS National Title, January 8 -- Ohio State vs Michigan -- #1 vs #2.  It's what we want to see.  These two Big Ten teams are head and shoulders better than every other team in the country. 

Sugar Bowl, January 3 -- USC vs Arkansas -- Darren McFadden gets my vote for the Heisman.  John David Booty and the Trojans will play for the national title next year.

Orange Bowl, January 2 -- Notre Dame vs Florida -- Both teams aren't nearly as good as they were supposed to be.  Might as well let them duke it out for biggest letdown of the 2006 season.

Fiesta Bowl, January 1 -- Rutgers vs Boise State -- Two undefeated teams (and the best in their respective conferences) who couldn't beat the # 3 teams in the Big Ten, ACC, Big 12 and the SEC.  Enjoy!

Rose Bowl, January 1 -- LSU vs West Virginia -- Other than the national title game, this would be my favorite game to watch.  West Virginia's offense is electric and LSU's front four is the best in the country. 

As a Wisconsin native, I must assure you Badger fans they will have an easy win in the Capital One bowl over a crap Florida team.  The small addition of an eight game playoff next year would also be a big help.  As commissioner I will look into that.

Who would've thought?

Who would've thought?  College football has turned upside-down this year.  Michigan is always good, as is Texas, Ohio State and Oklahoma.  Yet this year there has been some things I never would have expected to see. 

First is Rutgers.  Where did they come from?  Last year they were 7-5 (4-3 in the Big East).  This year, they were picked to finish 6th in the Big East, but with a couple years of solid recruits, the Scarlet Knights are 8-0 and ranked in the No. 15 in the country.  Never in a million years would I have expected this.  For the first time in school yesterday (137 years), a ranked Rutgers teams will face another ranked team No. 5 Louisville.

Rutgers running back Ray Rice, a semifinalist for the Maxwell Award.

Next is Wake Forest.  I can't name one football player on their team.  I can't tell you one football player who has ever played for them (I know Tim Duncan and Randolph Childress but they weren't football players).  Ranked # 22 in the country, Wake upset Boston College last night, 21-14, to move to 8-1.  The Demon Deacons were selected to finish 6th (last) in the Atlantic Division of the ACC.  Are pigs flying this year? 

 Ryan Skinner, Deacons QB, after last night's win over BC.

On the flip side, a couple traditional powers have slid out of the rankings.  I think many of us would have expected Miami to lose a couple games, but not to complete fall off the radar like they have.  Well, I guess they haven't completely fallen off the radar.  They did have a brawl vs South Florida everybody saw on SportsCenter.  That was a special timein Hurricane football.  What a bunch of idiots.

Florida State has also taken a complete nosedive into the gutter.  Picked to win the ACC and be ranked in the top 10 in the country, the Seminoles are 5-4, 4-3 in the ACC.  They have more high school All-Americans than any other school in the country.  Drew Weatherford and Xavier Lee were both All-American QB's in the high school and have not panned out.  Lorenzo Booker.  Ah yes, I remember his press conference on SportsCenter saying he had selected FSU.  He's a senior and is no where near what he should have been.  I completely agree that Bobby Bowden should be able to leave on his own terms after what he has done in Tallahassee, but with another year like this the boosters in Tally won't be asking, they'll be yelling and screaming for Bowden to get out. 

College football is the greatest sport on earth.  Every weekend great games are all over the tube.  Every game matters and every team plays their heart out.  The next couple months will be spectacular and a couple teams, Rutgers and Wake Forest, will be aiming to play in bowl games only the upper echelon of college football normally play in, Florida State and Miami.

BORAT!!

Borat:  Cultural Learnings Of America For Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan

 

Less than 24 hours people.  On Friday, Sacha Baron Cohen fantastic comedy, Borat, comes out in theaters.  The creater of the HBO comedy, Da Ali G show, was the hit of the Cannes Film Festival.  Robert Butler of the Kansas City Star says 'It's one of the funniest movies ever made.'   

 

Photo by Blake Little

Watch the trailer on youtube.com here.

IRON MAIDEN!!!

 My sister, my brother and I at the Iron Maiden concert in Chicago last Wednesday.

 

It's not very often my sister, Carol, my brother, Mik, and I get to hang out together.  On Wednesday, my brother flew in from Dallas to see a concert.  And not just any concert.  Let me go back 25 years and explain this a little.

 

I was 7 and my brother was 13.  My brother was an Iron Maiden fan and I got hooked.  How could I not?  I started to love the Steelers (his favorite team), the 76ers (his favorite team) and now Maiden (his favorite band).  Mik got tickets to see Iron Maiden at Alpine Valley in East Troy, Wisconsin with his friend Greg Kalember.  He had an extra ticket and I, the 7 year old, got to tag along. 

 

 MAIDEN RULES!!!

 

My first concert experience.  I remember the entire show.  I remember exactly where I sat.  I remember what I was wearing.  I remember how I stood, not on the seat of the chair, but the arms so I could be up another 6 inches or so.  I also remember some cracked out idiot stealing my Iron Maiden bumper sticker.  The only thing we could afford and it was stolen from me.  That was 25 years ago.

 

So my brother calls me last month and say's 'Hey, I got tickets to see Iron Maiden, do you want to go?'  He was thinking I might say 'Nah, I have other things to do.'   Not quite, I was more excited than he was.  What was the first thing I said after that?  'I WANT A BUMPER STICKER!'  I don't forget things like that. 

 

The show was fantastic, we had a blast and all three of us went home with t-shirts.  No bumper stickers on sale though, but my sister did buy stickers and left them for me.  Thanks sis.

 

Wish we were able to hang out like that more often.  Thanks Carol and Mik for a great time...from a Coldplay fan and a new Maiden fan.

 

 At Chili's before the show.  Please don't comment.

Oklahoma Got Screwed

 HELLO, OREGON GUY IS TOUCHING THE BALL!!!

What's the point of instant replay in college football?  It's not working.  Granted I'm a little bias being an OU fan, but Oklahoma just got a good road win stolen from them last weekend at Oregon.

Here's what happened.  Just over a minute left, Oklahoma is up 6.  Oregon lines up an onside kick.  On a kick-off, the ball must travel ten yards before the kicking team can touch it.  Oregon kicker kicks it, Oregon player touches it after 9 yards.  The ball goes up in the air, Oregon falls on the ball.  Field officials give the ball to Oregon.  Understandable.  Play happens a bit fast for them to see whats going on.  Instant replay should give the ball back to Oklahoma.  They can see it better.  No.  The instant replay official, who lives in PORTLAND, OREGON, gives the ball to Oregon.  This guy up in the booth has every replay angle, can slow it down and make the correct call.  Guess not.

Few plays later, pass interference was called on the Sooners.  Oregon QB Dennis Dixon threw a pass that was clearly tipped (if a ball is tipped, pass interference can't be call, simple enough) by Oklahoma DE C.J. Ah You, the ball turned from a spiral to end-over-end, easily overturned right?  Nope.  The instant replay guy in the booth, wearing a green-and-yellow Oregon jersey I heard, upheld the call and Oregon got the ball 15 yards closer to the end zone.  That's fair. 

"Errors clearly were made and not corrected, and for that we apologize to the University of Oklahoma, coach Bob Stoops and his players," Pac-10 Commissioner Tom Hansen said in a statement. "They played an outstanding college football game, as did Oregon, and it is regrettable that the outcome of the contest was affected by the officiating."

Pac-10 officials issued an apology to Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops and his team on Monday.  Thanks for that.  That won't help the Sooners get into a BCS bowl.

Good Readin'

Time To Spend Some Money

It's been a couple months since I've updated my journal.  A few things have happened since:  a heart attack, moved cities, etc.  Manchester United's season starts next Sunday and I need to vent about something upsetting me. 

 Ruud was rude to Sir Alex and now he plays in Madrid.

Sir Alex Ferguson and his Scottish personality is ruining the Reds.  His run-in's with Jaap Stam, David Beckham, Roy Keane and now Ruud van Nistelrooy are well documented.  Mr Stam was the rock in helping Man United win the Treble in 1999 (English Premier League, FA Cup and the Champions League).  He had an argument with Mr Ferguson and off he gets sent to Italy.  Next was David Beckham.  Ferguson didn't like Beck's nightlife, couldn't deal with it and sent him to Real Madrid.  Roy Keane followed, being sent to Celtic in Scotland.  Last, but not least, is Ruud.  One of the top scorer's in United's history, he didn't like being put on the bench for Louis Saha.  Ruud spoke his mind and alas, he's at Real Madrid now too. 

 Jaap Stam in action for Man United

Stam has never fully been replaced (sorry, Rio Ferdinand, you don't quite cut it).  Beckham is a solid midfield, probably overrated, yet can still put a cross on somebody's head from 40 yards away.  Keane was a no knock down, drag out, get in your face midfielder who hasn't been replaced either.  Now there's Ruud.  Ruud will be sorely, sorely missed.  Wayne Rooney is fantastic, but will need somebody to take the pressure off him.  Louis Saha is not that person.  Ole Gunner Solksjaer, the baby faced assassin, has been out of football for what seems like a decade. 

 Beckham posing for the Reds.

Just today Ferguson has said he will not be taken advantage of in transfers which is understandable but come on Alex.  You are Manchester United.  Being one of the richest teams in the world, you are going to have to shell out cash to buy the players you want.  I completely understand not wanting to pay $80 million for Spain's Fernando Torres.  Torres was great in the World Cup, but he hasn't yet shown he can play at a great level consistently.  Do you want him Ferguson?  Then go get him. 

 Keane before getting sent to Celtic.

Manchester United is not going to keep up with Chelsea this year unless they spend some money and get some talent.