Thursday, November 29, 2007

Thursday 11/29 A.M. Quickie:
Miles, Plus-One, Young, Howard, More!

Today's Names to Know: Les Miles, Cowboys-Packers, "Plus One," Rutgers-Louisville, Greg Robinson, Delmon Young, Matt Garza, Dwight Howard, Tim Tebow, Mark Murphy, Erin Andrews, Tim Raines, Sean Taylor and More.

LSU will let Michigan talk to Les Miles: I believe this is end-game. I think that the deal will be done by early next week. That's just speculation, given the realities of recruiting and the whole "if you don't want to be here, we don't want you here" thing. (Brian Cook from MGoBlog feels the same way.)

That, plus LSU will have to start their own coaching search, and that's where it gets interesting. I said it last week: I think, right now, LSU has become a better (if far tougher) coaching gig than Michigan. Which coaches might be lured by the Bayou? How about Rich Rodriguez? Steve Spurrier? Bobby Petrino?

Cowboys-Packers play in NFC Game of the Year tonight: Supposedly. How would you know, if you can't watch it because it's on the NFL Network? What a debacle when the conference's best game of the year -- and the NFL Network's best game in its short history -- is not widely available nationally. Pick: Cowboys. (Complete NFL picks coming tomorrow, as usual.)

BCS won't have a playoff, but a "plus-one" might happen eventually (via USA Today): I would like to see a playoff as much as the next fan (despite my firm belief that college football's regular season IS a de facto playoff system, unique in all of sports). But let me be clear:

The "Plus-One" system is a TERRIBLE idea that solves NOTHING. Take last season: What would you do – make Florida play Ohio State... again? And this season will be even more of a mess, which I will get into once the bowl lineup is set. But you can already see it:

If you think it's hard to pick two teams to play for the title now, try picking two more teams after the myriad possibilities of results AFTER the bowls.

The only way it could possibly work is if two existing BCS bowls, rotating on an annual basis, matched 1-vs-4 and 2-vs-3, with the winners meeting in the Plus-One title game.

Problem 1: How do you determine the Top 4? Through the BCS formula? That formula can barely get 1-vs-2 right. Selection Committee? Eh. That works best when you're picking 30 at-large teams, not 4.

Problem 2: Particularly in a season like this, how would you fairly determine 4 teams when there are at least 8 in that conversation?

The Plus-One only seems to work in those rare seasons when, after the bowls, there is a clear-cut pair of teams you'd like to see play for the title. The most common example is 2003, when LSU and USC split the title. Great: 1 out of X years, the Plus-One makes sense. Do it!

Luckily, it's a moot point: I don't think the Pac-10 or Big Ten would EVER go for a "Plus-One" model, just like they will never go for a more traditional playoff system. I dog both for their stodginess, but in this case, they're right to reflexively gag at the Plus-One.

(You know, for all of its flaws, the regular season DID manage to get the list of consensus contenders down to a mere THREE, with national -- perhaps continental U.S. -- consensus that if Missouri and WVU both win, they are the obvious choices for the title game.)

CFB Tonight: Rutgers-Louisville. This was supposed to be a HUGE game. Both teams were supposed to be Big East contenders -- if not BCS national-title contenders. Now, it's merely a chance for Rutgers to follow-up last year's program-making win over Louisville with another, something to build on for next year...

And the chance for Louisville to partially salvage an otherwise dreadful season. If Louisville loses, will first-year UL coach Steve Kragthorpe lose his job? Let's keep the focus on one-time Heisman contenders Brian Brohm and Ray Rice, both of whom will do just fine in the NFL Draft next spring.

CFB Coaching Carousel: In a nice change of pace, Syracuse WON'T fire Greg Robinson. They'll just wait until next year, because firing after four years seems a little less unseemly than firing after three. Won't get them to respectability any faster.

Meanwhile, Nebraska is reportedly down to Turner Gill and Bo Pelini: After initially coming out against Gill, I switched and now I'm supporting his hire. Doesn't Gill have more head-coaching experience than Pelini? Pelini was a fine D-coordinator at LSU... of course, not-so-fine if you factor in the way his D was torched by McFadden and Co. last weekend. Let's let the Gill Era begin. (That's my prediction of who gets the job.)

MLB Hot Stove: Delmon Young traded to the Twins. He's a huge talent (and a huge head-case), and -- if you factor in cost and age -- he more than makes up for Torii Hunter's departure.

(From the Rays' perspective, they get another promising young arm, which can't hurt. Garza joining top draft pick David Price instantly makes the Rays' rotation stronger.)

But the real question on everyone's mind is: What does this mean for the Johan Santana deal?

(Yes, yes: Francisco -- not Chad -- Cordero. Fixed. Removed. Whatever. You can stop sending emails and comments now. Come on: Would you expect anything less from me?)

NBA Stud: Dwight Howard scores a career-high 39, with 16 rebounds, and the Magic rout the Sonics. You know: I was WAY too quick to fold in the face of the "LeBron as MVP" pressure. (I picked LeBron as my MVP two seasons ago, so I hardly need to establish my cred as someone who values LeBron as MVP-worthy.)

I'm back to sticking with my original "if the season ended today, Dwight Howard is my MVP."

And if you were starting a team from scratch and had your pick of ANY player in the NBA to build your team around (taking out marketing need as a factor), LeBron might be No. 1, but Howard would be 1B. Scariest of all: Howard still barely knows how to play.

Speaking of LeBron, he sprained his left index finger in a loss to the Pistons in Detroit and had to leave the game. The last time he was in Detroit, if you remember, he put on the greatest performance of his young career.

Heisman Watch: There's still plenty of time for Chase Daniel or Pat White to come from behind, but all early indications seem to point to a Tim Tebow Heisman. You can hate Florida (or hate that I love Florida) or hate Tebow's "golden boy" aura, but you have to admit that a sophomore (finally) winning the award would be kind of cool.

Northwestern AD Mark Murphy to lead Packers: In all the hoopla over the college football coaching carousel, how about the AD carousel? There's a fantastic post about this on the best (and only) Northwestern football blog, Lake the Posts. Here's an update post from today. Even if you don't care about NU, it's pretty fascinating.

CBB: Big Ten continues to get crushed by ACC in "Challenge" (ironic quotes required). UNC wins, BC wins. (Big Ten notches two wins last night with Michigan State and Penn State.)

Erin Andrews, America's Sexiest Sportscaster, as determined by Playboy. I think she's qualified as "hot for female sports reporter," but she is a phenomenon – leveraging her popularity on college campuses to become arguably the most popular female talent in sports. Yet another title for the Florida Gators, by the way.

Tim Raines for Baseball Hall of Fame: Baseball Prospectus is leading a "Rock the Vote" campaign, and I'm so in.

Sean Taylor Update: Police said they have no evidence to indicate the robbery and shooting was anything but random, making the mainstream sports media's coverage on Monday, focusing on Taylor's past and insinuating he had it coming (and mostly fuzzying the actual story that a guy was critically wounded), all the more disgraceful.

-- Dan Shanoff

55 comments:

David Kippe said...

Hey Dan, would have been nice if you at least said Michigan State won by 30 over NC State. Give the good Big Ten teams some credit. But the record this season in the challenge should be no surprise. The Big Ten only has 2 teams in the top 25 anyway and both those teams won (MSU and IU).

bkelly126 said...

jumping on the anti-+1, when would you play the game? do you have the "semi-finals" before the big bowls and use the BCS bowls as the "finals"? or do you use the BCS bowls as the "semi-finals" and play the +1 game in the thick of the NFL playoffs? I agree with you Dan that it seems to be a reaction to this particular season. can anyone else name a season besides 2003 where the champion wasn't truly decided?

Liz said...

I'm starting to get really annoyed by the commentary on Sean Taylor. From what I have read, people are not insinuating that he "had it coming" however, his past absolutely may have something to do with what happened. Just because someone has cleaned up their life over the past year, does not mean that the past cannot come back to haunt them.

Antrel Rolle was his childhood friend and he said Taylor was scared for his life every time he was in Miami, because of old friends that weren't happy that he was trying to turn his life around. I have no idea what happened, but it doesn't seem like a random break-in to me, and I don't think that people bringing up his past were wrong in doing so.

Geoff said...

Ditch the BCS, ditch the thought of a playoff system, ditch the idea of a +1. Just go back to standard conference bowl tie-ins PLEASE. For every year that the BCS has actually solved anything there have been multiple years where it has done nothing but add to the confusion.

Natsfan74 said...

The Twins trading their starting shortstop makes room for Reyes. Now, they can trade Santana to the Mets and pick up perhaps Lastings Milledge (for further trade considerations), and Reyes and then either play Harris at SS and trade Reyes, or trade Harris for young pitching. I think this trade is just the first sign of big things ahead!

The plus one model would have been great in 2003 (split champs) or 2004 (Auburn, anyone?). In 2002 and 2005 it would not have been necessary. I would contend that in 2006 it would have favored Ohio State -- if there was a 1-4, 2-3 match-up round. That way, Ohio State would have gotten back into playing football after a 50 day layoff before running into Florida.

But, the Plus 1 only works with a 1-4, 2-3 scenario. But then it closes the BCS back down to 8 teams, which would hurt the non-BCS conferences and so it won't happen either!

Mills said...

Police said they have no evidence to indicate the robbery and shooting was anything but random.
-----------
Ridiculous Daniel. I haven't read a report that details that anything of any value was taken. They kicked the dudes bedroom door down and shot him. If you were robbing the place, you would take something. There is way more to this story than is being let on by the police. Don't kid yourself.

Clinton (Indianapolis) said...

RE: Sean Taylor

It appears that the Duke lacrosse scandal left no lasting impression on the sports "journalism" arena. Have columnists and, to an extent, reporters, forgotten about ethics or are they just so antsy to get a scoop that they forget all the rules they were "taught" in journalism school?

David Kippe said...

I agree with geoff on this. The playoff ain't happening, the BCS is still an argument, didn't really solve anything. January 1 is no longer important. Remember when that was a goal of teams to play on New Years? It is no even talked about anymore. It was great to wake up and watch football all day in a manner that was consistent.

T-Mill said...

Dan,

Since my wife is an Alum of "the U" I appreciate your stance on the Taylor shooting. Thank you for taking the high road and not beating his past to death like Cowher and Wilbon have. They need to quit blaming this on his past when he was obviously getting over it.

Jen said...

Penn State beat Virginia Tech...hmmm, isn't that a Big Ten win??

Bummer the Buckeyes lost...I turned on my car and they were up.

GO BUCKS!

bkelly126 said...

@natsfan
if the +1 was in effect last year,
Game 1: OSU v LSU
Game 2: UF v Michigan

might have been the same result. btw, can you complain about OSU's layoff when the fact they aren't playing anybody is throwing them back in the championship picture?

C Gally said...

I do hate when people say that this season's BCS picture is clear, so that makes it ok. It is clear in as much as we know the situation. What is muddier than ever is WHO IS THE BEST TEAM?

Most would argue that LSU would still wipe the floor with Mizzou, OSU, and WVU. But we don't know, because they don't play each other.

The point of a playoff is to prove you are the best. If WVU wins the title, they will have "proved" it by beating UCONN, Cincinnati, and the only good team they play in the NC.

Unknown said...

Greg Robinson

As a Syracuse fan I was wondering if Syracuse would retain Robinson but guessed that they would. They held onto the former coach Pasqualoni (who doesn't seem so bad anymore) for several years after many fans were calling for a replacement. Any NCAA coach should be given four years to try and turn a program around. Robinson also has a 4 year contract.

However I have to agree with Mr. Shanoff on this one. The team has 7 wins in 3 years. There is no reason to suspect more than 2 or 3 wins next year. Granted, Syracuse played the 12th toughest schedule as of the last time I checked. Maybe Robinson should have scheduled more cupcakes and Div IAA teams like so many others are doing.

It is a tough job to turn around a team and finding the right guy is going to be very difficult.

The perennial powers, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Florida State, Miami have fallen on hard times. Look at some national powers from the 70's and early 80's, Pitt, SMU, Penn State and Alabama who never regained that elite status.

Maybe that is part of the reason for all the parity today.

And my solution for football is the top 8 teams in the BCS play in a seeded 3 round tournament. The revenue and interest that it will generate will trump all the existing bowl games combined. Besides, you can still keep all those other bowls that nobody attends or watches anymore in any event.

Dave Kern said...

As an LSU fan, there is only one coach that excites me and that is the Ole Ball Coach. I have no idea if it is even remotely possible, but LSU needs someone who knows how to win with talent.

Can you imagine what Spurrier could do with a monopoly on the state of Louisiana as opposed to when he was at Florida and fighting Miami and Florida State every year? It would be terrifying.

Unknown said...

Sean Taylor

I think it is very unlikely that the shooting was just a random robbery gone bad. It has all the earmarks of a hit and not a home robbery. Burglars typically try to avoid confrontation including breaking down a locked bedroom door when the owner is home.

The media is correct in reporting surrounding events in the story. I haven't followed the events too intensely since I really don't care but did read a summary of the case this morning in the paper. It seems that Taylor's past is completely relevant to the case.

Should the media really sugar coat everything about someone's life after they died? Should we portray Sadaam Hussein as a misunderstood nationalist now? Should we start saying how intellient Anna Nicole Smith was or how poor John Gotti couldn't get any peace from the FBI? Of course not.

Natsfan74 said...

How can a 2-loss team (one home loss) be considered the best team in the Nation? On 2 separate days, they were not the best team on the field. I understand that both losses were 3 overtimes. Good coaches and good teams should be able to win in OT. And, it was a key 4th down play against Alabama that kept them from 3 losses. How funny would it have been if the only team from Louisiana to beat Alabama this year had been LA-Monroe?

And, I don't think a playoff or anything still gets you to the "best team" as the champion. Last year in basketball, I would say the best team in the nation won. 2 years ago, Florida was barely a top 20 team, but they got hot and finished strong. The best team in the nation almost never wins the basketball tournament. Why would football be any different?

marcomarco said...

Did anyone watch the CNN/Youtube Rebup debate last night?

It ended with a user asking why Giuliani would back the Sox in the series, and ended with a back and forth with Romney about the Sox/Yanks.

Romney said (and I quote): "After 87 years, it sure was nice to win one"

Douche of the day. Still looking for a vid clip.

Unknown said...

Who will Dan endorse as MVP tomorrow?

Also I don't think the Twins traded Bartlett with the hopes of getting Reyes, they got Delmon Young, I think Bartlett is pretty expendable for a guy with that much potential.

marcomarco said...

Here it is

Romney, who was off by one year —87 instead of 86 — on the length of the Red Sox World Series drought, replied: "Like most Americans, we love our sports teams and hate the Yankees."

Ken Dynamo said...

why does everyone think a playoff system will be without controversy? you could pick AT MOST 16 teams and there would still be a shitstorm over who gets left out.

start following the IAA and III tournaments, people still make a big deal about its just not on the news cause its small time (and small money).

nothing is perfect, people just like to bitch about the BCS because its easy and it makes them feel smart.

Beetle said...

Regarding the NFL Network, people keep saying that it isn't available everywhere. Is this true, or is it simply true that it "isn't available for free" everywhere?

Ex. I live in MA and have Comcast. NFL is on a pay tier as part of a sports package. The package is $5 a month!!!! A finner! Is that too much for any real football fan??? Really???? That's one Heineken at any bar! Plus, it comes with some other channels as well that I haven't checked out yet including NBA TV I think.
Is this whole NFL Network scandal being over-hyped because a majority of America is simply too cheap???
I'd pay $5 bucks just to see tonights game.

Beetle said...

Hey Ken Dynamo,
100% agreed re; BCS.
Everyone bitches, but nobody has a better solution.
Oh! Playoffs system!!
Ok, if you invite 16 teams, that 4 rounds of games! That's a lot of games for football!
Do you then cut out 3-4 games out of the regular season???
Great 8 game regular seasons. That solves a lot.
Plus, teams 17-22 will be the ones getting screwed.
Ex. If BC loses a squeaker to VA Tech in the ACC title game, then they would probably be left out of the 16 "playoff" teams, which would be ridiculous because they can play with anyone.
The BCS is the best we have. Deal with it people!

TBender said...

How long does the outrage about team #66 in the NCAA Basketball tourney last?

Four days AT MOST. Once the games begin, no one cares about who was left out.

For Football, teams #17, #18, #19 would be forgotten just as quickly.

verbal97 said...

ummm, being the 17th team that's left out is far better than the 3rd team that's left out.

I wonder if anyone read Dan Wetzel's piece about a college playoff...best line: "The idea that the season is a 4-month playoff is inaccurate and absurd."

Jen said...

Great point, natsfan. I completely agree that a team with 2losses is obviously not the best team.

I understand that the BCS system is goofier than anything, but playoffs are hit and miss as well. There will be upsets, and then the #1 ranked team will lose to #8 and say "WAAAAA! But we were undefeated! We've been #1 all season! WAAAAA! We want a do-over!"

GO BUCKS!

Lou Pickney said...

A top 16 playoff system is what I favor for I-A college football, but remember that this isn't about tradition, it isn't about the "student-athlete", it's about power and money.

Right now the major conferences control the bowl setup and the BCS Title game. A playoff system would fall under the control of the NCAA.

This article by Dan Wetzel best explains the setup that I think would work best.

dp said...

OK, I've never commented here before, but after reading what cycledan just wrote, I have to respond. I agree that the media shouldn't try to "sugar coat" the story. Bringing up his past is the first place your mind goes, and that's fine. But the fact is: we have ZERO details on this case. There are so many other things it could be: a stalker, jilted ex-lover (do we know the intruder(s) were male?), or...a gang member pissed because he is opting out.

I agree that without any details, people tend to jump to conclusions based on the information at hand. How could one of the suspicions NOT be that this was gang related; I'm with you on that. But I am yet to read a report about other possibilities.

Some people are certifiably insane; Versace got shot by some random person for little to no reason. Let's not just assume that because he used to be tied to gang activity, that the shooting is automatically gang activity. And to even bring up Anna Nicole Smith, John Gotti and...wow...Saddam Hussein is absolutely ridiculous.

The heroin sheik said...

Wow yesterday was a huge day for me and the other six devil rays fans. I am unhappy with the Young trade as both Harris and Young were important parts to the team. Yes we need better pitching which makes the deal for Troy percival interesting. I wonder if he is just going to be a middle reliever as we already have a good closer in reyes. My money is on him coming in as veteran leadership with a possible eye towards coaching in the near future. After all he was on the Angles back when Joe maddon was the bench coach so he has good ties with our current skipper.

This news combined with the press conference announcing the new stadium plans made yesterday into one of the more important dates in devil ray history. Shame that with the whole sean taylor story no one is paying attention. You have to check out the design for th enew stadium as it is unlike anything I have ever seen before and if it is built it will be maybe the most futuristic stadium in the world.

http://tampabay.rays.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20071128&content_id=2313331&vkey=news_tb&fext=.jsp&c_id=tb

Natsfan I disagree with your assessment that the gators were not the best team when they won the first of their back to back titles. They were the last unbeaten team in the country which I think should qualify them as being among the top five or so teams in the country.

Damn I miss the way new years was when I was a kid. Hell I remember being excited when the Gators played in the freedom bowl against UW and got their asses handed to them. You know as time passes things are supposed to get better but with college football it just gets more convoluted every year.

Eric said...

Hi all. I spent a good number of years as a Criminal Investigator. Its nearly impossible at this point for the police to have played out even a fraction of all the possible scenarios. Some cases are never solved, but even with some that are, the break comes months or sometimes more than a year down the line. Let the investigation mature before jumping definatively on a side (random violence vs planned murder). The experts can't be sure at this point so neither can we.

On that note though, let people play out there own ideas. Given this guys history more scenarios are possible, who knows if someone's speculation might actually hit the nail on the head.

Trey (formerly TF) said...

DWIGHT, DWIGHT, DWIGHT!

I remember being so upset that the Magic passed on Okafor.

I WAS WRONG.

PS - Boston sucks.

Eric said...

RE: BCS, +1 or Playoffs

At this point I think the BSC (+1 or not) should be scrapped. It satisfies no one. I'd honestly rather go back to old conference Bowl systems and let the voters decide. Is someone going to get screwed, yes. Will there be a split National Champion, yes. Will the little guys be disrepected and miss out, yes. But how is that any different than now.

I listened to Jim Rome interview Lee Corso yesterday. Not the most riveting interview but it made me think. Every single interview regarding the BCS year after year (except USC-Texas) everyone's explaining it away. It doesn't work!!!

Anyway, I'm a USC and Pac-10 fan. I love nothing more than seeing Rose Bowls between the best of the Pac-10 and Big-10, year after year. I got just as much joy watching USC beat down Michagan twice in the past four years as I did watching the dismantling of Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl. I know people roll their eyes when Pete Carroll states the goal is the Rose Bowl first and foremost, but that's Pac-10 football. The BCS mess is great when it rolls in your favor. Two teams a year are satisfied.

I want the Pac-10 and Big-10 to secede from the BCS.

CuseFanInSoCal said...

No one thinks a playoff system would be without contraversy. But contraversy over #4 (in the 4 team mini-playoff/plus-one game model) is better than contraversy over #1 or #2. Contraversy over the two at-large spots (in a BCS 6 champs + 2 at-large 8-team playoff) is better than contraversy over #4. And contraversy over the five at-large spots (in a 11 FBS champs + 5 at-large 16-team playoff) is better than contraversy over two.

It might be that a team capable of running the table would not make the top 5 teams that failed to win their conference according to the a BCS rankings like system or the opinions of a basketball-like selection committee. But I don't think it would happen often, because I doubt you'd ever be looking at leaving out a top-10 team.

Incidentally, assuming that (as expected) WVU, Oklahoma, LSU, and USC win this weekend, then the four teams in the 'plus one' bracket would be WVU, Ohio State, USC, and LSU. Not too controversial outside of Norman, Athens, and Honolulu (and just maybe Lawrence).

Dan Shanoff said...

"Not too controversial?" Are you kidding me? Oklahoma would beat the No. 1 team in the country, and you'd leave them out of the Top 4? Meanwhile, Georgia is a Top 4 team, too. Forget Hawaii: But you can't have a playoff field of 4, then assume away as "not too controversial" what would end up being 2 teams representing 50 percent of your field. I mean, cripes: If Mizzou and WVU both lose, it would probably be Ohio State-Georgia in the NCG. And yet you'd leave UGA out of your four-team field?

By the way, Wetzel is totally wrong -- and he and I have emailed about his playoff idea earlier this week. Fun debate, but to dismiss the "CFB regular season as defacto playoff" as faulty is, itself, insanely wrong.

I love a bracket format, probably as much or more than anyone. But the fewer entries you have in that bracket, the less reliable it becomes. You simply can't use NCAA Hoops as an analogue (unless you're willing to put 64 teams in it -- essentially all bowl-eligible teams).

BTW, has anyone actually read that the "Plus-One" model would BE 1-vs-4 and 2-vs-3? Everything I've seen has said that they would play out the bowl games as usual and the top two teams remaining after that would play for the title. I'm not quite sure how that would change anything.

Frank!!! said...

"I dog both for their stodginess"

Of course you do, you're a new-wave, bandwagon college football fan.

You want College Football to be like the pros.

Let us College Football fans who remember at time when conferences and rivalries meant something to love the game the way it was meant to be.

jhawkjjm said...

NFL network is crap. I have it and can honestly say that I don't watch any of the programming on it, except for the live football games, if I care about either team. I tried watching the combine and it was boring. And the announcers for the games...awful. I might flip over to the game tonight, but it's not something I'm making a point of doing.

I think the mistake the NFL is making is in overestimating the number of people who are "die-hard, can't miss a single game, need all the analysis I can get" fans. The average fan (where I put myself) probably only cares at most two teams: their local team and their favorite team. Well their local team will be broadcast locally even if the game is on the NFL network (like the Chiefs were twice last year). So there's no loss there to the average fan. They really only miss out on their favorite team, which they may not seem much of anyway unless they have Sunday Ticket (see below). While tonight might be a big game that goes a long way towards determining home field advantage, how many of the average fans care if they watch it?

It's similar to the direct TV Sunday Ticket package. All the people I know who have Direct TV and Sunday Ticket got it because their favorite team is an out of market team. It's not about seeing all the games, it about being able to follow their favorite team. If their favorite team was the local team they'ld drop Sunday ticket and save the money. If the NFL uses their Sunday Ticket enrollees to help justify their perception that NFL network needs to be basic cable, they're using misleading data. The people with Direct TV don't necessarily represent those who need to see every game, its more likely that a large number of them are those who's favorite is not the local team.

David Kippe said...

beetle,

The NFL network is not available at all on Cablevision and other MAJOR cable outlets. Not part of a package, not part of a tier system, nada. We do not get ESPNU or the Big Ten network either, sucks balls

David Kippe said...

oh yeah, i wasn't back here in jersey yet, but my understanding was that cablevision didn't carry the YES network for a year. Dolan was pissed off at the Yanks for leaving the MSG network.

PatriotsNation said...

In Canada the game is on 2 channels tonight, the NFL Network which is free with all dish subscriptions and digital cable packages as well as on TSN the Canadian equivalent of ESPN.

Go TO, I need points for my fantasy team, oh yeah i have the GB defence...

Ken Dynamo said...

obviously being left out as #17, 9 or 5 is not as bad as being left out as #3, but that misses the point, there will always be someone left out and controversy. changing the format doesnt "fix" anything. and you'd have to blow up the whole bowl system and schedule, which isnt worth it. the BCS solved the problem of not being able to get #1 and #2 in a bowl at the end of the year. now they do. but they made the system so complicated that they opened themselves up to criticism. then they compounded the problem but trying to placate all the whiners every time someone's team got 'screwed'. of course no one whines when the system works out in their favor.

heres the only way to stop from being 'screwed'. win all the games on your schedule. then, if there are more than 2 undefeated teams and you get left out of the game, its your fault for not scheduling a tougher schedule.

i swear college football fans are the biggest bunch of cry babies on the planet. just enjoy the games and shut up. its like a hundred mini bostons in all the dumbest most redneck parts of the country.

marcomarco said...

@ beetle

I'm in MA also, an just activated the NFL network on comcast today.

The rep told me that I can cancel it at anytime and I'd be charged a prorated amount.

So, theoretically, I could watch the game tonight, then cancel the NFL network tomorrow. The game would cost me 17 cents. ($4.99/30)

Jen said...

Both of my brothers carry the Sunday Ticket because they have fantasy teams and like watching other games. If I had nothing to do, I'd watch other games but when is that a reality?

If they do away with the BCS, I'd be happy with the way it was...I too like the Pac-10 vs. the Big 10 Rose Bowl like the olden days.

PatriotsNation said...

The Red Sox and Twins are discussing the framework of a Johan Santana deal that would have Boston sending four players to Minnesota in return for the two-time Cy Young Award winner, including center fielder Coco Crisp, pitcher Jon Lester and minor-league shortstop Jed Lowrie, the trio that would to anchor the deal.

Beetle said...

Sparty,
RE NFL Network.
WOW! That sucks balls dude!
I am sorry man.
forget my whole rant then.

Jhawk, the beauty of NFL Network is the ON-Demand portion. (if your cable provider has On-Demand).
The NFL network offers 10 minutes highlight reels of every single game. (think about it, the average Sportscenter highlight is 60 seconds. The NFL Network highlights show basically every single play that gains over 10 yards)
They are freakin awesome and make the whole thing worth while.

Beetle said...

Oh Jesus!
Dolan is the reason for all of this?
Can someone just slap that asshole silly?? F'n D-bag.

The heroin sheik said...

you know the best part of the old bowl system besides always knowing what game you were trying to get into was the little rituals that went around new years day. When i was a kid we would typically be in colorado skiing that week. My dad would have us off the slopes in time to see whatever game was on new years and for new years day he always did the same thing. We would go to the pizza place at the keystone resort and take up like four table with y brothers and cousins and we would plop down in the pizza joint and watch most of the games. We would take a break for dinner and then wind up in someones room to watch the sugar bowl. I know alot of people think the Rose is the most prestigious of the bowls but being a southerner I have to give my vote to the Sugar Bowl. I remember the first sugar bowl the gators won. I almost felt bad for WVU that day.

Beetle said...

Hey Ken Dynamo,
As a Boston fan, I have to say your line; "its like a hundred mini bostons in all the dumbest most redneck parts of the country." was pretty damn funny!

I don't mind when someone rags on Boston as long as they are creative about it.

Kevin said...

But the real question on everyone's mind is: What does this mean for the Johan Santana deal?

It means the Twins have to get a young pitcher in return for Santana, which was probably going to happen anyways.

Beetle said...

Marco,
Be sure to check out the OnDemand section for the NFL Network.
They have the 10 minute highlight reels for every Pats game! (A little hint....Tom Brady is prominently involved)

verbal97 said...

Late in the day, so who will read this...

8 team playoff that wouldn't ruin the bowls...

Go back to 11 game schedule

Play conference championships Thanksgiving weekend.

National QFs first weekend in December, winners go to national semis to be played at BCS Bowls, losers go to other two BCS Bowls to all be played Jan 1.

Semi winners play in national title game Jan 8.

futurelegendvinceyoung said...

If the Taylor murder was a hit, why was he shot in the leg? To me a shot in the leg is a way to immobilize someone not to kill them. I think he surprised the burglar/s and their reaction was to shot him in the leg.

Unknown said...

Can someone explain to me how Hawaii, who won every game on their schedule (assuming they beat Washington of course) and Kansas, who lost a close game to the current #1 team in the nation, is automatically passed over by Georgia if Missouri and WVU both lose?

Can't use the "didn't win their own conference" argument, cause neither did Georgia.

Granted, I can't stand this "the fifth best team in the SEC is also the fifth best team in the nation" BS mentality that seems to be going on, so my opinion probably doesn't make much sense.

Going back over the past 3 years, the SEC's combined winning percentage in bowl games is .571, exactly the same as the Big East, and just slightly ahead of the ACC and the Pac 10.

Yes, Florida destroyed OSU last year. Auburn got jobbed out of the chance to see if they could have won the NC in 04. How does that make the SEC the "most dominant conference" all of a sudden?

CuseFanInSoCal said...

Dan, LSU's near-certain to jump GA if they win the SEC title game (and they should). LSU would be 11-2, Georgia 10-2, LSU won the SEC. I don't think there's any reasonable argument for Georgia over LSU. And since having two teams from the same conference in a four-team mini-playoff (which I'm not an advocate of, but I think is better than the current system, and the only way a 'plus one' game is even remotely close to workable) is absurd, we can't have Georgia and LSU. Make sense?

So then the last spot goes to Oklahoma, USC, or Virginia Tech (if they win their rematch with BC). Call me crazy, but I think the Trojans are pretty nearly univerally recognized as far and away the best of the three when they're healthy, and they are now. Certainly Oklahoma doesn't get any special credit for beating the #1 team, when Vegas doesn't trust that ranking enough to make the #1 team the favorite on a neutral field, when #1 teams have proven to be quite beatable this year, and when the Big 12 has proven to be extremely top-heavy. And given the state of the ACC, even considering Virginia Tech seems absurd.

Unknown said...

I know I am answering this late but hell, had to work today.

DP, you are completely missing what I was saying. I brought up the other famous people sort of jokingly to point out that the media shouldn't sugar coat the lives of people after they died.

I have no idea why Taylor was shot and really don't care that much. I just get annoyed that everyone makes this guy out to be the second coming of Jesus Christ because he died tragically.

Unknown said...

Please dont ruin Erin Andrews for me, I like to think shes trancended her Gatorness

Nate Jones said...

A business note about your LeBron and Dwight comment...If not for LeBron's defection, Aaron Goodwin would be managing both LeBron and Dwight right now. He's partially replaced LeBron with Kevin Durant. But managing those two together in their current state would have put him up there on the level of David Falk in his heyday...