Archive for the 'NCAA Football' Category

Relevant vs. Irrelevant

sandcrabs April 9th, 2008

The college basketball season is not officially over.  Champions have been crowned in both the men’s and women’s divisions.  Congrats to Kansas and Tennesse.  Really though, was it that thrilling?  Sure the shot near the end of regulation by Mario Chalmer was a hell of a shot.  But does anybody really care that much?  Unless you’re in some kind of tournament pool I’m thinking that college basketball is beginning to lose some of it’s allure.  On the side of irrelevant, can anybody name the coach for any college women’s team not named Sullivan?  I’m just glad that Rutgers was knocked out.  Had they won, their accomplishment would have been overshadowed with questions regarding vindication over last year’s controversy.  I’m not getting into that because, quite frankly, I don’t really care.

Moving right along.  What’s happened to officiating?  Kansas’ blowout win over North Carolina was one of the worst officiated games I’ve ever witnessed.  Next to Pac-10 officials (more on them in a minute) that group of incompetants were some of the worst I’ve seen.  Basketball referees in general don’t seem to have actually read a rule book.  From the NBA on down, how often have you just sat there shaking your head wondering what the hell the ref saw.  I have a theory on this.  Aside from which team David Stern wants to win for ratings, I think they sit in their little room before a game and think of a number between 1 and 10.  However many times they see a foul they don’t call it until they get to that number, unless it’s a blatantly hard foul.  I just don’t get it.  Umpires in baseball admittedly have different strike zones depending on the individual.  The rule book specifically states where the strike zone should be.  You constantly hear pitchers discuss the need to “adjust” to the strike zone.  Really?  Wow!

By far the best officials are in the NFL, but even some of those aren’t worth a damn.  Thank God Tom White finally retired.  Most in football generally do a good job, with the exception of Pac-10 officials.  Everybody should remember the OU game.  Yeah, the Sooners got jobbed on that onside kick attempt, but not enough that the replay official should get death threats.  Pac-10 officials who worked bowl games embarressed themselves with missed calls and complete confusion.  Some of those games were unwatchable due to this.  I’m sure it’s some sort on conspiracy.  The Pac-10 is out to make other conferences fail.  I’m sure 9/11 wasn’t an inside job but Pac-10 referees planned it all.  Hell, wasn’t that a Pac-10 official on the grassy knoll?

Belotti Get The Hell Out!!!

sandcrabs December 13th, 2007

Hey Michigan!  Do you want a coach who can take your team to the brink of greatness only to act like a small timer from a high school and bring you down with a thud?  Oh yeah, you just got rid of one.  Listen up UCLA.  For a cheap price you can have a coach who makes shaky decisions that cost your team not only an important game but also most of the season.  Well, you just got rid of that guy too.  Maybe an ad on Craigslist will do the trick. 

Twice in my lifetime, the Ducks have had that magical season where the phrase “National Championship” is uttered.  Their latest foray into this seemingly enchanted land has ended in near disaster.  Not all is lost.  Oregon is headed to a bowl game with a little momentum thanks to a gutsy 4th string quarterback who has had to grow up rather quickly.  Mind you the location is past BFE (El Paso?  C’mon!) and the opponent is a team that looks more and more like a pretender than a contender as uttered earlier this season. 

Oregon should be at least playing in the Holiday Bowl.  Instead due to a couple of crappy decisions from the sideline the Ducks’ players have to endure everything the west Texas town of El Paso has to offer (which is….um…..late night jaunts over the border to watch the donkey shows?).  The Beavers are jubilant that they don’t have to serve a repeat sentence in this boring outpost (or is that outhouse) of the southwest.  Bellotti stated that the rushed field goal was a result of miscommunication on the sideline.  I can see that.  After all, how difficult is it to tell somebody “Okay.  After we lose a couple of yards making a stupid attempt to move the ball a few feet to the middle be sure to take the snap and spike it.” 

Meanwhile be sure to turn to your special teams coordinator and say “Don’t send in your longsnapper and the kicker.  We’re going to spike the next play.”  I can see how that could be miscommunicated.  After all, it’s not his job to….oh wait.  It is, isn’t it?  Mikey must have been thinking about the sunny San Diego weather  (come to think of it, I hear the donkey shows just south of SD are just as interesting).  To make matters worse our coach decides that in double OT to run a play that hasn’t worked since, oh I don’t know the Reagan administration, on a 4th and 1.  Hell, even my best friend’s girlfriend knew it was coming (no offense, Ash).  Stuffed.  Brick wall of orange and black.  Bye-bye San Diego.  Hello BFE. 

With all respect to Henny Youngman, “Take my coach, please.”  As long as Mike Bellotti remains head coach, Oregon will always be an afterthought.  A “Nice try, see you next year” kind of program.  Pat Kilkenny, aka Daddy Warbucks, can provide coach an out to save face.  Allow him to “spend more time with family” and go out and find that big time coach who will take Oregon where every now and then the loyal fans fantasize about.  Don’t let the national perception that Oregon is full of lumberjacks and hicks who scrape their dinner off the road to continue. 

Mike Bellotti has done a marvelous job of brining Oregon Ducks football out of the depths of dispair but has outlived his usefulness.  National Championship chases bring in the blue-chip recruits but more importantly brings in money….lots of it.  Bring a product that we can be proud of and also be arrogant of. 

Ohio State vs. LSU?  Please.