The Most Important Anniversary

There are a couple of anniversaries I celebrate here: August 31 (the day DanShanoff.com was launched) and January 6 (the day the Daily Quickie launched) are the biggies.

But neither would matter -- would even exist, most likely -- if not for tomorrow's anniversary: October 3, my wedding anniversary.

This year, it happens to be a "biggie" -- 5 years. (Whoops: They're ALL big... this just happens to be the first nice, round-sounding number you get to after your wedding day itself.)

Everyone's marriage is special, obviously, but mine has a particular sports component:

If not for my wife, I would not be a Florida fan. And if I wasn't a Florida fan, I'm not quite sure WHAT I'd be, fan-wise -- probably the same aimless, rootless fan I was before I met her.

And it goes without question that my wife's own sports fandom -- that she was a fan at all, let alone a die-hard college football and college hoops fan -- was some sort of necessary attribute to our relationship working out.

One of my wife's biggest pet peeves is when people say to her "Oh, it's so nice you're a Florida fan with Dan" -- as if she glommed on to MY team. She brusquely corrects them (as she should).

She loves sitting on the couch all day on Saturdays, watching college football -- even when the Gators aren't playing. She particularly likes the NCAA Tournament. ("March Madness" was listed on her resume under "Interests.") Her skill in bracket-picking is prolific: Remember back in 2006, when my unborn son's bracket finished in the Top 10 OUT OF 10,000 entries in the Quickie Readers pool -- that was my wife, making the picks.

The weekend of October 3, 2004, our wedding was loaded with college footballish details: It was held on a Sunday in north Florida, and the day before was a Gators home game -- for those attendees who gave up their precious game tickets (a wild 45-30 win over Arkansas) to hang out with us, her parents put on a huge tailgate spread -- complete with custom plastic "stadium cups" for drinks, replacing the season schedule with big dates from our relationship. (I will take credit for the stadium-cup idea.)

Later that night, after the rehearsal dinner, worlds collided as my Northwestern friends watched NU pull off a stunning rare win over Ohio State -- the Florida fans were as loud in pulling for the Cats as the NU crowd.

I couldn't imagine a wedding weekend that DIDN'T pay at least some homage to college football -- as anyone who has held (or attended) a fall wedding can attest. It is one of the things I remember most about the weekend.

But let's wrap it back to this blog and the Quickie and TimTeblog.com and Varsity Dad and everything else I'm working on:

None of it would have happened or been possible without the complete support of my wife. She encouraged me to make the Quickie a reality; she encouraged me to dedicate the time I put into the blog -- now blogs, plural. She has been my biggest fan and my toughest (but fairest) critic and, frankly, the inspiration for all of it. Any success I have had is because of her influence and support.

And if I have any regret, it's that life is a zero-sum game: The hour you spend writing is an hour you don't spend with your wife or your kids or your friends or some other pursuit you care about. And I enjoy spending time with my wife so much, I miss those hours as much as I cherish the ones we do get to have together.

Ironically, there is no Gator game for us to watch together tomorrow, on the actual day of our anniversary. We will click on LSU-Georgia and settle in -- what more can you ask for that you get that kind of partnership for a BYE week. But, like I said, she's a bigger -- and better -- sports fan than I ever was. But you already knew that. And I love her for it.

(We will extend the anniversary celebration in two weeks when she comes with me to the Blogs With Balls conference in Las Vegas, where we'll have a reservation at the Wynn Sports Book to watch games all day Saturday -- if you'll be around town, I'd love to introduce you to her. She'll be in her Gators "Lucky Shirt," which -- speaking of which -- I'm not sure she was wearing last weekend when Tim Tebow suffered the concussion. Hmm...)

So to my wife: Thank you for the five best years of my life. For our relationship. For my kids. For my sports fandom. (Just to confirm: Yes, in that order...even if some mornings it doesn't feel like it.) I love you -- now more than ever.

-- D.S.

PS: Check out that Quickie link above, from the last column I filed before I took a few days off to get married: I had filed the Quickie for 447 consecutive weekdays -- an Ironman streak that I doubt is matched in mainstream media. I had nearly forgotten about that. Here's how I put it:

447 consecutive days. Not counting weekends and a handful of national holidays, that's my Quickie-writing streak, as of Wednesday morning. Not exactly Ripken or Favre, but hey ...

Who would put up with that kind of deviant behavior? The early mornings? The TV addiction? The obsession with awk. abbrev.? That would be devoted Quickie reader Margery, who -- assuming the rally caps work -- I'll marry on Sunday.

Five years after marrying me -- which was already a year and a half into the Quickie and three years into my Page 2 writing -- she still puts up with it.

IOC Eliminates Chicago: Ouch

The IOC dismissed Chicago -- the presumption was that between Obama's support and the sponsorship and rights-fee opportunities of a US-based Games, Chicago was the favorite.

It does no actual damage to Obama's standing, of course -- in the end, it's just the Olympics -- but you can bet plenty of political hay will be made about his inability to be a closer on this.

I was SURE that Obama never would have gone to Copenhagen if there wasn't an understanding that Chicago would be picked.

Friday 10/02 Quickie: NFL Goes Pink,CFB Duds, Blount, Tebow, MLB Finales

The column-leading biggest storyline of the NFL weekend -- and I'm not counting the Favre-Packers storyline, which happens Monday -- is THE visual of the weekend: NFL players sporting pink accessories. It's a rare moment the NFL doesn't take itself too seriously -- and it's for an entirely worthy cause: Breast Cancer Awareness. I think players wearing flashy pink shoes is even cooler than when MLB players use pink bats.

Meanwhile, I think this weekend in college football is "Let-Down Saturday." Last week was so crazy, so intense... in part, it took the air out of this week's once-promising match-ups: Cal-USC once seemed like a Pac-10 title game. Now? Ha.... Oklahoma-Miami lost it luster when The U got walloped at VA Tech (if not when OU lost to BYU)... LSU-Georgia is tainted by UGA's loss at OK St, but also because LSU should have lost at Mississippi State last week, a revealing win that nontheless showed LSU to be overrated. In fact, the most intriguing game is Auburn-Tennessee, matching up strategic gurus Gus Malzahn vs. Monte Kiffin.

More you'll find in today's column:
*USA! USA! USA?
*"Rocktober": Best postseason-related, team-based pun.
*MLB season ends this weekend: One more chance to see Greinke.
*Reinstate LeGarrette Blount!
*Ted Williams: Hall of Fame mockery.

Check the complete column here. More posts later.

-- D.S.

Thursday 10/10 Quickie: SEC, Vick,Tigers, Tebow, Phillies, CBB Top 50

Ahh: SEC triumphalism!

Actually, riffing on this week's Sporting News mag cover story on the SEC in the lead of my SN column today, I think I correctly label the phenomenon as "SEC exceptionalism." (Good context on exceptionalism here.)

What does that mean, exactly? That SEC fans -- their passion, their expectations -- are the engine of the SEC's performance, both on and off the field: The huge coaching contracts, the merchandise sales, the TV ratings, the winning, the hype.

This is not a myth created at the top and pushed down -- this is a bottom-up, populist surge that willed itself into what now goes for reality in college football.

Anyway, that's my shallow attempt at turning Sporting News into "Foreign Policy" magazine this morning.

More you'll find in the column:
*It's NOT a Nike endorsement for Vick; it's a couple pairs of shoes.
*Phillies fans might start getting used to the playoffs.
*The Tigers have all but wrapped it up in the AL Central.
*Tyreke Evans' knee! No!
*More love for Joe Webb.
*The obligatory Tebow watch.
*SN's college hoops Top 50, which I call "foreshadowing."

Complete column here. More later.

If I don't get a chance to post on it later, if you live in NYC, don't miss tonight's Varsity Letters Reading Series in Brooklyn, headlined by Joe Posnanski. FREE! (And awesome!)

-- D.S.

Tebow Updates Today on TimTeblog.com

As has been the case since Saturday night, TimTeblog.com has been cranking on the Tim Tebow concussion story, relaying the latest news, highlighting the best analysis and explaining how it all fits together. In the last 24 hours alone...

*The biggest Tebow issue: Not CAN he play or WILL he play...but SHOULD he play?

*This week's Tebow column on Yahoo's Dr. Saturday: SHOULD Tebow play?

For the record, I am suspicious that he will be so healed in just two weeks that playing against LSU would be without any risk of further short-term or long-term injury or recovery needs.

But I actually think that Florida can -- and will -- beat LSU without Tebow, with John Brantley starting at QB. The D is that good. The RBs are that good. The special teams are that good.

(I'll get into this as we get closer to the game -- 11 days away...god, has it only been 4 days since the concussion? -- but there is a fascinating implication of the above statement: Florida is so good they can win their toughest game of the regular season WITHOUT Tebow? Or....)

*Is all the talk about Tebow possibly playing a genius ploy to get in LSU's head?

*Must-read quotes from (and reaction to) ESPN.com's Chris Low and LSU's Les Miles.

*Eh: Couldn't help but take a dig at Gregg Doyel's flawed take on Urban Meyer.

Wednesday 09/30 Quickie: AL Central,NFL Dementia, NBA Refs, CFB Injuries

There are "magic numbers" and then there are "reality numbers." (Damn, I should have started today's SN column with THAT line.)

And the reality is this: Because the Twins didn't sweep the Tigers yesterday, the Twins are in a must-win situation not just today, but tomorrow -- they need to head into the final 3 games tied for the AL Central lead. To go in 2 GB -- which is the scenario if they split today and tomorrow -- basically puts it out of reach. It's fuzzy math -- the Twins won't be eliminated from ANY possibility of catching the Tigers... just the most likely ones.

One of the big stories today will be this NYT front-pager about the study that NFL players are a lot more likely to suffer dementia than the rest of us, from all that clobbering. And while the study is powerful, there is a huge element of: WELL, OBVIOUSLY. I appreciate the increased medical-study certainty, but really -- we needed a study for this?

(As all of these things come back to Tebow for me these days, it certainly resonates as you think about the decision-making around bringing Tebow back -- a week from Saturday or beyond.)

Speaking of Tebow, I was thrilled to hear Urban Meyer talking about how Tebow is taking his rehab seriously -- what I'd like to hear more about is Tebow's willingness to sit for a few weeks to ensure he is as recovered as he can be. I'm still hearing a lot of hopefulness that Tebow can play vs. LSU. I hope that that is nothing more than gamesmanship by Urban.

If the Dolphins are so unsold on Chad Henne that they feel they need to bring in Tyler Thigpen, perhaps Henne isn't the solution. (More realistically, they see White as nothing more than a Wildcat specialist, and they needed a "pro-style" backup QB in case Henne struggles or gets hurt. But you get the sense that the rest of the season is a tryout for Henne -- if he struggles, and the Dolphins continue their pace for a Top 10 draft pick, I presume that Sam Bradford or Colt McCoy will be on the table as options.)

There's a ton more in the SN column today. Check it out here. More later.

-- D.S.

Obama Ball: Photo of the Day

Maybe Obama is pushing for the Olympics in Chicago in 2016 so he can participate in hoops...



(Photo by White House, taken on Aug. 26, while Obama was on vacation.)

Time for BCS To Include BlogPoll in Formula

There has been a lot of (entirely justified) talk about the lunacy that is the BCS-driving Coaches and Harris polls this week: Cal over Oregon... Penn State over Iowa... Oklahoma State over Houston (Coaches)... Ole Miss still ranked... LSU at No. 4...

Let's compare those polls to the BlogPoll, a weekly (and administered) polling of more than 100 of the most respected and most attentive college football bloggers in the country. This week:

*Alabama at No. 1 -- only "mainstream" poll to do it.
*Boise State ahead of LSU.
*Iowa ahead of Penn State.
*Houston ahead of Oklahoma State.
*Oregon ahead of Cal.
*Ole Miss: Out.

Imagine that: A college football ranking based on reality (or "resume"), rather than reputation.

This isn't a bunch of forward-thinking, resume-voting outliers (like the AP's Doug Lesmerises) -- this is an aggregate conclusion of more than 100 college football experts.

It is -- in short -- more reflective of reality than any of the "traditional" polls. And it would be one thing to be triumphalist about the BlogPoll results, on their face. But the polls matter:

The Coaches poll and Harris poll impact the BCS title-game pairing. The AP not only crowns its own champion, but -- in the short-term -- most media outlets default to the AP ranking, which drives TV promotion and availability, P.R. and visibility for the teams that are "in."

The college football poll discussion is missing an important piece: The mainstream media is covered (AP); the Coaches are represented; the Harris poll purports to offer "expert" human opinion to "balance" out the Coaches; the computer programmers -- six of them -- get a say.

What is missing is non-"traditional" media (bloggers, some of whom write for the biggest outlets in mainstream sports media -- like Yahoo -- or compete favorably on readers and influence with their team's local "traditional"media outlet... indeed, any AP voter who doesn't consume their beat's best indie blogging is doing a disservice to their readers). What is also missing is any input from fans, but in the absence of a true national "Fan Poll," the BlogPoll -- with its system involving input from readers -- is the closest proxy we have to fan input.

This week's results -- as well as the mainstream hoopla around AP voter Doug Lesmerises' "controversial" (ha!) ballot using mostly "resume-based" ranking -- have made it clear that we have two simultaneous effects: The Coaches and Harris polls have arguably never been more out of touch; the BlogPoll does a better job of reflecting reality.

There is a solution: In the same way the "computer" component of the BCS mixes a half-dozen sources, the BCS should augment the "human" component of the BCS by adding the BlogPoll to the Coaches and Harris polls.

More human input -- particularly from the expert perspective of the BlogPollsters -- will only help the other two human polls. The BCS will get an instant injection of credibility, particularly for incorporating the BlogPoll's system of ultimate transparency and accountability (something absurdly missing from all three of the BCS' core elements -- the Coaches, the Harris and the computers).

And it's not like the BlogPoll is unruly; it is managed in the same way the AP, Harris and Coaches polls are -- by an administrator, who appears to do more to review the bonafides of BlogPoll participants than Harris does with its voters, the AFCA does with its coaches... or even that the AP does with its voters.

The BlogPoll has been around for a few years now; its legitimacy is unquestioned -- it is in the second year of affiliation with CBSSports.com as its partner. This week's results merely highlighted the most striking differentials yet between the BlogPoll and its "mainstream" cohorts. Alternate, knowledgeable, credentialed perspectives -- like the BlogPoll -- will only help the BCS system.

As long as we're going to have the BCS system based on opinion -- and, like it or not, the BCS system will be here for years to come -- let's expand the inputs to include a valuable new source of opinion.

But don't trust me -- compare this week's rankings (even cover up which source is which) and use your own common sense to figure out which rankings seem most accurate.

Trust the closest thing to your own instinct -- trust the BlogPoll. And, by adding the BlogPoll to the mix, create expanded trust in the BCS system -- a system that desperately needs it.

It's better than the status quo.

-- D.S.

Tuesday 09/29 Quickie: Tebow, Obama,Cowboys, Lions, Twins, NBA Media Days

So the theme of this morning's SN column is "So What'd I Miss?" Like, I step away for three days, and...

*Tim Tebow's concussion: Now Urban is saying he thinks Tebow will play vs. LSU. Wha?

*The Lions have as good as -- or better -- record than half the league.

*The Yankees clinch the AL East? Zzz. Call me when they win the World Series. But it's nice to see a division race matter: Twins-Tigers. Oh, and the Braves are catching the Rockies.

*Barack Obama will help Chicago's Olympic effort after all. Of course he will -- and why shouldn't he? The key: Communicate how many jobs it will create in the next six years.

More you'll find in today's column:

*The Cowboys are not a great team.
*Anyone who doesn't vote Greinke for AL Cy is a fool.
*NBA Media Day: LeBron and Shaq will rule the regular season.
*Stafon Johnson: Worst weight-room injury ever?

Lots more here -- it's like a Monday column, but it's Tuesday! More later.

-- D.S.

Monday 09/28 (Very) Quickie

Feels weird to do an early-evening edition of this post, rather than an early-morning edition. Like I'm working for a newspaper in the 1950s!

Just a couple headlines, then back in full force tomorrow in the SN column and right here:

*Tebow, the Latest: Meyer "THINKS" Tebow will play vs. LSU, doesn't "KNOW." I may be bullish, but I think Florida can beat LSU at LSU without Tebow -- why risk it?

*Obama going to bat for Chicago 2016 Olympics. And I think he'll be the closer, too.

*Twins-Tigers: Any hope of the final week of the baseball season being at all dramatic comes down to these 4 games, which Minnesota must go 3-1 at worst, but ideally sweep. (NL Wild Card: More interesting than it deserves to be.)

*MNF: More Cowboys Stadium porn, I presume. I'll pass. After last week's House season-premiere (had to watch on iTunes a few days after the fact), I'm back on night-of viewing.

More tomorrow. I have to go eat...a lot.

-- D.S.

Sunday 09/27 (Yom Kippur Eve) Quickie

Starting in about an hour, I won't be posting through tomorrow (Monday) night, in observance of Yom Kippur.

Just a few thoughts between now and then:

*Tim Tebow is back in Gainesville. Apparently it's "only" a "minor" concussion. We'll see. I have a lot of thoughts about that, as you can imagine.

*See my latest BlogPoll Top 25 ballot in the post below. I'm big on Cincy, Houston, Iowa and Oregon; I'm down on Ole Miss, Penn State, Miami and Cal. Oh, and Boise in the AP's top 5: Big rant there.

*Congrats to the Lions breaking their epic losing streak -- I think that's the story of the weekend in the NFL. (The Rams are the new Lions! Oh, and fire Jim Zorn.)

*Yes, that includes Brett Favre's Hail Mary TD to lead the Vikings past the 49ers at the last second. (Although let's credit Greg Lewis -- wow, what a catch.)

*And, yes, that includes Mike Vick's return, which was overshadowed by Kevin Kolb's sick game (327 yards passing, 2 TDs passing, 0 INTs, 1 TD rushing). Vick Who?

*I think I shallowly believe in "statement wins" -- the Pats made one today by beating the Falcons.

*As argued last week, the Jets are for real. The Titans' season may be over already.

*Fantasy Stud of the Day: Maurice Jones-Drew (119 yards and 3 TDs), reminding everyone why he was the consensus No. 2 overall fantasy draft prospect behind Peterson.

Have an easy fast, to those of you who are doing that. Back tomorrow evening.

-- D.S.

This Week's BlogPoll Top 25 Ballot: Exposed!

I reject the notion that the college football season is already in "chaos." Debunking rankings inflated by preseason b.s. is not "chaos" -- in fact, that's the definition of bringing order.

I took Ole Miss out of my Top 25. Who have they beaten? All they had to do was beat SoCar.

I took Cal out of my Top 25. Who have they beaten? And a drubbing at Oregon on top of it.

I nearly took Penn State out of my Top 25. Who have they beaten? And they lost ugly AT HOME.

I nearly took Miami out of my Top 25. Between getting throttled by VA Tech and the win over FSU back to being "hardly quality," they are non-contenders.

Meanwhile, I upbraid myself for having LSU 6th. I watched nearly the entire LSU-Mississippi State game, and LSU should have lost, but for MSU's own incompetence. I'll fix that.

And I don't know why I'm dropping Cincy from 2nd behind Florida and Texas; Cincy looked good beating Fresno State -- a quality win. Houston resumes its place in my Top 5.

And I absolutely reward two teams that deserve it -- Oregon, whose only loss is a fluky Week 1 loss at Boise, a Top 10 team, and Iowa, who won a tough game on the road.

The AP's treatment of Boise State is laughable -- No. 5? Aside from beating Oregon (in Boise), their schedule is a joke. If all it takes to be a Top 5 team is to be unbeaten and toppling a "name" team, why isn't Iowa ranked ahead of Boise State by the AP? Or Houston ranked ahead of Boise? At least they won on the road!

It's like the AP voters watched that Game Day segment about "resume voting" and twisted it into some kind of absurdity involving Boise State. If all it takes to be a BCS bowl team is to go unbeaten against a crappy schedule, every middling team in a BCS conference should secede and play a WAC-quality schedule.

Anyhow, here's how my ballot looks right now. As always, any/all feedback appreciated (with the caveat that, yes, LSU is currently ranked too high).

Rank	Team	Delta
1	Alabama
2	Florida	1
3	Texas	1
4	Cincinnati	2
5	Houston	2
6	LSU	1
7	TCU	3
8	Virginia Tech	6
9	Kansas	3
10	Iowa	14
11	Boise State	2
12	Oregon
13	Southern Cal	9
14	Ohio State	9
15	Brigham Young	4
16	Oklahoma	4
17	South Florida
18	Oklahoma State	3
19	Auburn	2
20	Michigan	5
21	Georgia Tech
22	Miami (Florida)	11
23	Georgia	7
24	Missouri
25	Penn State	16
Last week's ballot

Dropped Out: California (#6), Mississippi (#8), Washington (#17), Florida State (#18).

-- D.S.

CFB Wrap: Tebow KO'ed (Yes, I Freaked)

That was an insane few minutes. As Tim Tebow lay motionless on the field, I admit to fearing the worst. I have never been so relieved -- at least about a sports event -- to see him sit up.

It may "only" be a concussion -- his "bell rung," as the team relayed to ESPN; it may be more. The speculation will be rampant. Even a concussion is a big deal. The image of him throwing up while being taken out of the stadium in a cart was, itself, pretty disturbing.

Here's the video (which will probably be yanked down shortly):



Florida's win over Kentucky? An afterthought. Tebow's assault on Herschel Walker's SEC career rushing TD record? Superficial.

It is ironic that a day that began dominated by news that Tim Tebow might have the flu (overblown) ended with news that Tim Tebow was knocked out of the game with a concussion.

Not overblown... at all. Scary stuff.

More notes from today's games:

*So it turns out that Miami was even more overrated than Ole Miss.

*And it turns out that Cal was even more overrated than Miami.

*And it turns out that Penn State was more overrated than all of 'em.

*Florida State? Ugh: "Rated" doesn't begin to cover where they belong.

*Alabama affirmed for me that they are the No. 1 team in the country.

*Mississippi State should have won that game over LSU. Sucks for them.

*Cincy did nothing to show they aren't a Top 5 team.

*Same with Houston.

*My (mild) upset special came through: GT over UNC.

*If resume matters, then I'm not ranking unbeaten Michigan in my Top 25.

*Through halftime, does Penn State look like a Top 5 team? Please: Hardly.

*Kudos to my college classmate Doug Lesmerises for going on GameDay and successfully arguing on behalf of "resume ranking" in the AP Top 25.

Back to tracking Tim Tebow news, including trying to educate myself what vomiting after a concussion might/might not mean...

-- D.S.

Saturday 09/26 (St. Augustine) Quickie

Last full day in Florida, sticking around long enough to watch the Florida-Kentucky game tonight with the locals. Speaking of which, this morning's big story is...

ZOMG!!1!!1!! TIM TEBOW HAS THE FLU!

The all-caps treatment is satire (even coming from me). Sure, it IS a big story -- but only the biggest if Tebow's flu triggers a "black swan" event that finds Florida losing at Kentucky.

For now, Tebow traveled to Kentucky, quarantined on a separate plane with the other Gator flu-zombies, which by some accounting is a third of the team.

Doc Saturday was first to post the key implication: Is this going to be Tebow's "Flu Game" (a la Michael Jordan in the Finals?)

You know Tebow will WANT to grit through it -- how effective will he be? CAN he be? Can he do the 20+-carry thing? How much will John Brantley need to play?

And how will Florida respond in its first SEC road game of the year -- in the closest thing Kentucky will have to a national-title shot (until the Final Four, at least). UK will be up for this.

Urban Meyer will be playing this game not to make any statements -- simply to survive it and slide into the bye week with 2 weeks to get recovered for at LSU on Oct. 10.

More on the radar today:
*Game of the Day: Miami at VA Tech
*Yankees beat Red Sox: Does it matter?
*Rockies beat Cards: Pressure on other NL WC contenders.

Obviously, tracking all the mania around the Tebow Flu until Florida's 6 p.m. kickoff. Live-comment post coming later today.

-- D.S.

CFB Top 25 Picks: Dazed and Confused

Well, at the very least, I won't be picking Ohio State to lose in an "Upset Special."

1 Florida over @Kentucky
2 Texas over UTEP
3 Alabama over Arkansas - Worth tracking
4 Ole Miss over @South Carolina - D'oh
5 Penn State over Iowa -- Vengeance + HFA > Overrated
6 Cal over @Oregon -- Huge "prove-it" game for Cal
7 LSU over @Mississippi St
8 Boise St over @Bowling Green - Won't help Boise's S.O.S.
11 VA Tech over 9 Miami -- Game of the Week.
12 USC over Washington St -- Who cares?
13 Ohio State over Illinois -- Won't pick against OSU 'til @PSU
14 Cincy over Fresno St - Compare to Boise's perf vs. Fresno
15 TCU over @Clemson - Great non-conf W for BCS-buster
16 Oklahoma St over Grambling
17 Houston over Texas Tech -- Must-must-must-see
18 Florida State over S. Florida - No Grothe, no chance for USF
19 BYU over Colorado St
20 Kansas over Southern Miss -- Should be a shootout
21 Georgia over Arizona State -- Not quite what it would have been 2 yrs ago
Georgia Tech over 22 UNC -- Mild Upset of the Week
23 Michigan over Indiana -- UM at 4-0 (but a soft 4-0)
24 Washington over @Stanford -- Let-down for Dawgs?
25 Nebraska over LA-Lafayette -- NU gets back on track

Other Games of Note
Missouri over Nevada: Should be enough to get Mizzou ranked
Pitt over @NC St: Decent non-conf win for Pitt on the road
Notre Dame over @Purdue: Eh.
Northwestern over Minnesota -- Syracuse loss notwithstanding.

Friday 09/25 Quickie: Ole Miss Exposed,Vick, Penn State, Canes, Verlander, More

Allow me this existential moment, inspired by today's SN column:

What is "overrated?" To be overrated, doesn't someone have to overrate you? Or can you be overrated simply by existing?

Here's the quandary: Ole Miss is what Ole Miss is. They were not a Top 5 team that "got exposed" or "was overrated." They were a merely OK team whose abilities were vastly overrated...

By the pollsters.

This is why a non-"resume"-based ranking system -- using preconceived, unjustified preseason assumptions as the baseline for everything that happens in the actual season -- is terrible.

Ole Miss had done nothing to actually justify a Top 5 ranking this week, except beat Florida and Texas Tech LAST season and have a ton of preseason expectations and hype.

And yet there the AP voters were (I don't even count the coaches), propping them up. (Kudos to Doug Lesmerises of the Cleveland Plain-Dealer, who has been using this season's resume to -- mostly -- do his rankings; he had Ole Miss at No. 24, and even that was probably overrated.)

It's why USC gets to retain a Top 10 ranking, despite losing to Washington -- while Washington "debuts" at No. 24 (or, according to the coaches, remain unranked).

I shouldn't care about the rankings -- they are ludicrous and, ultimately, meaningless (at least heading into Week 4 of the season).

The beauty of college football is that these things shake themselves out -- sometimes quickly (Oklahoma), sometimes after a few weeks (BYU), sometimes on a Thursday (Ole Miss).

Penn State gets a Top 10 ranking despite feasting on cupcakes all season long. They will beat Iowa tomorrow, but only because they are playing in Happy Valley (I won't even count the vengeance factor). But at least they will finally have a "quality" win.

It's why I can't understand how anyone can't rank Alabama No. 1 -- sure, they have a couple of cupcakes like everyone else -- they also have one of the best "prove-it" wins of the season.

So does Houston. So does Washington.

I'm not even sure how much to credit South Carolina -- they played a great game, especially defensively. But did they beat a REAL Top 5 team, or just a team propped up by bad rankings?

All we know is that one more week of college football provides one more set of data by which to evaluate and compare teams. Not losing is important; WHO you beat should matter, too.

More you'll find in today's SN column:
*All eyes on Mike Vick.
*Twins-Tigers for 4 games, starting Monday. Quasi-playoffs?
*The David Lee offseason saga is over.
*Plus a lot more.

I'm still in Florida -- relocated from Gainesville to St. Augustine -- but will be posting later today (CFB picks, among other things) and tomorrow (CFB Live-Comment). Sunday will be light (travel day) and no posts on Monday (Yom Kippur). If this will be your last check-in before next week, have a great weekend.

-- D.S.

Be There: Blogs With Balls Conference 2.0

A few months ago, I got to participate in Blogs With Balls, a first-of-its-kind conference bringing together the best in sports-blogging and online sports media for a one-day spectacle of panels, networking and general merriment. It was a huge success...

So much so that they are having its second edition -- BwB 2.0 -- in Las Vegas, next month. I will be there, along with tons of other folks. It should be a terrific two days (it is part of the larger Blog World Expo).

I am moderating a panel about the dynamic between traditional ("mainstream") and alternative ("blog") sports media, which in NYC earlier this year was... heated, to say the least.

If you are interested in attending, I'll point you to this discount code, which BwB has put together in conjunction with ESPN: $100 for your event tickets, special parties and more. Check it out here.

I will be periodically updating you on the event -- yes, promoting it, and of course I will offer lots of coverage FROM the event.

Let me tease my coverage with this: It will be my first time in Las Vegas.*

(Now, back to my search for a great hotel, good restaurants and a list of things to put on my itinerary of fun. And I can't just pile in with a bunch of bloggers in some Hangover-style bachelor suite; Mrs. Quickie will be coming with me.)

-- D.S.

* -- You read that correctly.

Media Watch: ESPN's Radio iPhone App

ESPN just launched a new iPhone app for ESPN Radio that is getting a ton of publicity -- for good reason. Like NPR's recent app launch, it is a game-changer for its fans.

Mainly, I want to concur with JoeSportsfan's Matt Sebek, who gives you everything you could possibly want in an app review here.

Between the ability to listen to ESPN podcasts (sigh: I stumblingly pitched a Daily Quickie podcast back in 2006...) and the ability to listen to local radio streams, it is a terrific utility.

I agree with Matt that using iTunes to manage your full range of ESPN and non-ESPN podcasts (and run them in the background when using other iPhone apps) is valuable.

But that's not ESPN's challenge. ESPN's challenge is to make their content available where fans want to access it. They do that through iTunes. Now, they do that through iPhone apps.

ESPN was always going to dominate this when they decided to get into it as content providers, rather than the ill-fated ESPN Mobile attempt to be a carrier/distributor. ESPN's instantly dominating rankings on the app sales lists affirms that.

What I really like seeing is ESPN taking a leadership position beyond sports -- they are introducing iPhone apps that are setting standards for any media company, not just sports media. This fits with what ESPN is doing with local online coverage, what they're doing with social media and beyond.

I have been a little disappointed by ScoreCenter (is it me: why can't I find automated, app-driven NFL and college football scores and stats, without going to ESPN.com on my mobile browser?) and don't need the Fantasy app (I play on Yahoo and use their app plus CitizenSports' great fantasy team-tracker).

But this ESPN Radio app is tremendously valuable. It is well-conceived, well-designed and does much of what you would hope it would do. It is a must-have... and, frankly, a bargain at $2.99 (consider what you pay each month for your cable package).

Check out Matt's review here.

-- D.S.

Thursday 09/24 Quickie: Tebow vs. Leinart,Ole Miss, Vick, NL Wild Card, Kansas, More

Shocker at the Sporting News: My colleagues picked Matt Leinart over Tim Tebow as college football Player of the Decade.

This despite two things: (1) In a head-to-head match-up, fans preferred Tebow 4-to-1 (79 percent to 21 percent), and (2) the argument for Tebow is much stronger than it is for Leinart.

As you would imagine, I used the lead of today's SN column to offer a dissenting opinion to SN's choice. I think that by January, SN will want to offer a correction.

(For what it's worth, SN followed the fan choice in the other sports, even when the fan-voting margin wasn't nearly as wide as Tebow-Leinart. With one exception: Overruling the fans' 60-40 vote for Tom Brady over Peyton Manning.)

More you'll find in today's column

*Mike Vick says he is the "Wildcat originator." Not quite, but I am excited to see the single-wing evolve with a "QB-who-can-run" running it, rather than an "RB-who-tries-to-throw."

*Ole Miss is the most overrated team in the college football Top 25. It's not their fault: Voters are going on preseason hype, rather than what the Rebels have done. Here's their chance tonight.

*It's hard to imagine the Rockies blowing a 4-game lead with 10 games to play. But both the Giants and Braves seem game to make it interesting. Either will need a 2007-Rockies-style 10-game win streak to finish the season, hoping the Rockies will do worse than 6-4.

*I appreciate Les Miles' candor about his qualifications (or lack thereof) to vote in the Coaches Top 25. How many AP voters have the guts to admit that they are too busy doing their job, covering their home team, to be able to watch more than bare highlights of the rest of the games around the country. Most probably watch less of a variety of game action than your average fan.

Lots more in today's column, which you can find here. More coming later.

-- D.S.

Wednesday 09/23 Quickie: Yankees,Vick, Greinke, Reynolds, USC, Barber, More

It feels like we have seen a particularly dense level of "Title or Bust" in 2009:

*UNC in college hoops.
*Lakers (and Cavs) in the NBA.
*Florida in college football.
*Federer at the US Open.
*Tiger in any golf major.

The Yankees have been "title or bust" since they missed the playoffs last year -- maybe even since they last won a World Series, in 2000 -- and they cleared an important milestone yesterday: They clinched a playoff spot.

There are two milestones for the Yankees this year: Make the playoffs, win the World Series. That's it. If they didn't make the playoffs -- well, let's not even think about that; it would have been baseball Armageddon. Besides, it has been a foregone conclusion for months.

If they don't win the World Series, then making the playoffs is kind of a waste -- that's the one thing (maybe the only thing) I admire about the Yankees: They expect championships, and anything less is a massive let-down. Anything else...is failure.

So in today's SN column, let's welcome the Yankees as the first team to make the playoff field -- for their sake, they better be the last team standing, too.

More you'll find in today's column:

*Vick will revolutionize the Wildcat
*Mark Reynolds: 206!
*Greinke for AL Cy -- it's no contest
*Pete Carroll: "Players' coach." Right.
*CBB's best 2-guard: Willie Warren?
*Jahvid Best for Heisman?
*Memo to Plax: "Waiver claim" is a prison euphemism.

Check out the complete column here. More later.

-- D.S.

Today on TimTeblog: We're Among Friends

Today on TimTeblog.com:

*To my friend MDS: Wrong about Tebow's NFL future?
*To my colleague C. Low: Riding Tebow is temporary?
*Even more on those pesky expectations we talked about last night.

Oh, and then there's this...


I suspect this fan will be sought-after for more...um...interviews.

-- D.S.

Tuesday 09/22 Quickie: Colts, Kiffin,Crabtree, Cincy, Beasley, Herschel, More

I'm sure there are some hard-core, FootballOutsiders/SmartFootball-style analysis about time-of-possession being either important or over-inflated.

For now, the Colts' 15 minutes of possession last night in a win -- the lowest number in a winning NFL effort since 1977 -- just seems remarkable, all the moreso because it's not like Miami played badly or the Colts turned the ball over. They simply scored quickly -- two TDs in 45 seconds, at the start and end of the game -- and otherwise scored 3 times in 5 other possessions averaging just under 3 minutes each.

Longtime readers know that I live for novelty items like last night's game, so it's no surprise that it leads today's SN column. But there's a lot more:

*Rex Ryan has no need for Crabtree.
*Lane Kiffin, inexplicably, keeps yapping.
*Heat fans can go back to worrying about Wade leaving.
*Cincy is embarrassingly underrated by the pollsters.
*Chip Kelly is no Brian Kelly, but he's a good guy.
*Twins still in it; too little, too late for the Rangers.
*How can you not love Mark Reynolds?

Complete column here. More later.

-- D.S.

Revising Expectations for Tebow, Florida

My latest essay for Yahoo's Dr. Saturday, on the newly revised expectations for Tim Tebow and Florida football -- influenced in large part not just by Saturday's result, but last week's mass hysteria leading up to Saturday's result.

In short: Tebow's "greatest ever" legacy will have little-to-nothing to do with his stats and everything to do with the expectations surrounding the team's potential. It is a common refrain on this blog and elsewhere: "Win a championship...or bust."

(Find more on this at TimTeblog.com.)

Monday 09/21 Quickie: Jets, Brees,Romo, Gore, Schaub, USC, Vols, More

Let's not discount the enormity of the Jets' win over the Patriots by insisting that Tom Brady ain't Tom Brady anymore and the Patriots kind of suck.

Instead, let's give Rex Ryan and the Jets some credit -- Brady looked like crap because the Jets made them look like crap. That is lead-worthy for today's SN column.

Here's what I would like to see: Rex Ryan versus Sean Payton -- Jets D versus Drew Brees. Because Brees is unstoppable and the Saints look like the best team in the NFC.

NOT the best team in the NFC: The Cowboys. Tony Romo had one of the worst games of his career -- again, we'll credit the Giants D -- and ruined the opening of Cowboys Stadium.

Anyone out there hit the fantasy trifecta: Matt Schaub at QB, Frank Gore at RB and Mike Sims-Walker at WR?

Are the Broncos the worst 2-0 team in NFL history? (Related: Who IS the worst team in the NFL? Jaguars? Chiefs? At least KC fans will go to games -- memo to Jaguars execs: Tim Tebow can't help you with the size of the problem you have.)

So, yeah, it was a typically big weekend in the NFL -- feels like midseason already, doesn't it? But there is a big college football hangover (see my two CFB posts below from the weekend):

Obviously, USC losing to Washington was THE story of the weekend. I think there is a Pete Carroll backlash brewing -- he is the anti-Tressel, losing games he is supposed to win.

You'll see in the post below: While I agree Tennessee did what it set out to do -- lose by less than the 30-point spread (seriously: they had no intention to even TRY to win the game) -- it would be a mistake to think the Gators are overrated. The defense is still sick, and Tebow was missing 3 key weapons to either injury or illness.

That said: I still don't think Florida is the No. 1 team in the country. I'll take Alabama, and I rank Cincinnati at No. 2. Wins at Rutgers and at Oregon State sandwiched around hanging 70 on a cupcake is a better resume than either Florida or Texas -- or most teams.

(The only reason Cincy is in the mid-teens is because AP and Coach pollsters had them unranked in the preseason. But isn't that the pollsters' fault, not Cincy's?)

The third-biggest CFB story of the weekend: BYU's BCS hopes end in a rout at home to FSU, which was overlooked because they played like crap against a fiesty Jax State team last week, on short rest over an exhausting game vs. Miami.

(You see Miami was a "transitive-property" beneficiary of FSU's win. So why doesn't Washington get the same "transitive-property" boost for beating USC?)

Anyway, as usual on a Monday, the SN column is loaded. Check it out here. More later.

-- D.S.

Re-Thinking Florida's Win over Tennessee

Like many Florida fans, I was seduced by the expectations -- that Florida was unstoppable, at least as it related to Tennessee, a team that couldn't even handle UCLA at home last week.

And like many fans, I was as disappointed with a rivalry win as you could be -- which is to say: Not disappointed, but the celebration was muted. You could feel it, walking out of The Swamp.

24 hours later, I have bought into a couple things that make the win seem better:

*Monte Kiffin is the best defensive coordinator in college football, and the Vols have a pretty damn good defense. That will be the best D Florida will see until Bama in the SEC title game.

*The Gators were missing a home-run threat at wide receiver (Deonte Thompson), and the biggest weapons (Demps, Hernandez) were battling some kind of flu.

*INT and goal-line fumble aside (the former took a great play by the best defensive player in college football; the latter was just plain stupid), Tim Tebow played well.

*Even if Tennesee's running game was locked in, Florida's defense dominated, and they still look like the best defense in the country. Regardless of how the offense plays, that is big.

*The expectations were way out of whack. For that, I sort of blame Urban Meyer for not talking up Tennessee during the week -- the points about Kiffin, or their returning solid core.

*The game could have easily been 30-6 -- or worse. The 10-point spread masked two things: Florida miscues (not just the turnovers, but that stupid excessive-celebration penalty that kept UT's final TD drive alive) and Tennessee playing not to win, but simply not to be blown out.

*That last point can't be overstated: Tennessee's entire game plan was to keep it within, say, 20. They had no interest in winning the game. It happened to be that their only offensive strength -- Hardesty and the run game -- was actually working, but it bled the clock.

*Florida was not punished for playing a close game -- presumably because Texas played a close game at home vs. Texas Tech and because USC lost to Washington. With their built-in advantage as last week's top-ranked team, Florida looked better than the rest of those top teams.

(I still think that after three weeks, Alabama looks like the best team in the country. And I think Cincinnati looks better than either Florida or Texas; if UF or UT had beaten Rutgers and Oregon State -- both on the road -- as convincingly as Cincy -- with that 70-point rout in between -- they would be overwhelming No. 1. Compare Cincy to, say, Penn State's early schedule, which has been a joke.)

Anyway, I was happy with the win 24 hours ago -- but not exactly thrilled. I am happier about it now. Urban made the best point: The Gators are 3-0. And that's all that matters. As long as they keep winning, they will play for the national title.

-- D.S.

Preliminary BlogPoll Ballot Thinking

It's an interesting week -- there aren't many top undefeated teams left (many undefeateds haven't proven themselves yet). At least half the list includes teams with a loss, and it's only Week 3. And I'm a bit hamstrung by my interest in not ranking a team ahead of a team that it lost to. Anyway, let's get right to it:

1. Alabama
Clearly playing the best.
2. Cincinnati
Two solid road wins and a slick offense.
3. Florida
The defense is still best in the nation.
4. Texas
Hamstrung by... Texas Tech's D?
5. LSU
Win over Washington suddenly..."quality!"

6. Cal
Jahvid Best: Should be Heisman front-runner.
7. Houston
Still like that fearless win from 2 weeks ago.
8. Ole Miss
Eh. Feasted on the weak.
9. Penn St
How about playing someone?
10. TCU
Better BCS-buster than Boise.

11. Miami
OK, I believe.
12. Kansas
Underrated in down year for Big 12.
13. Boise St
Oregon's win over Utah helps.
14. Virginia Tech
Struggled, but still a very quality win.
15. Oklahoma St
Georgia makes OK St look good.

16. Georgia
Not much D, but Arkansas is a good team.
17. Washington
Oh, you bet they are.
18. Florida St
Lit up a good BYU team.
19. BYU
There goes the BCS; still have that @OU win.
20. Oklahoma
Will never get my rank above BYU.

21. Auburn
WVU is a good team. Auburn for real?
22. USC
Probably don't deserve to be THIS high...
23. Ohio St
...But can't rank Trojans behind Buckeyes.
24. Iowa
Solid win shows NIowa escape was fluky.
25. Michigan
Promising. Still a little suspicious.

Sunday 09/20 (Husky) Quickie

Gainesville -- With a decent night's sleep to think on yesterday's games (including a late night watching Georgia-Arkansas and Texas-Texas Tech), here's what stuck with me:

*No offense to Washington fans -- for whom yesterday was the best win since the year current freshmen were born -- but the story is "USC lost."

*Jim Tressel takes a lot of grief for not being able to win the "big" games, but at least he beats the teams he is supposed to. Pete Carroll loses to teams he has no business losing to. Which is worse?

*Monte Kiffin is the smartest Xs and Os strategist in college football -- it's like he is taking a sabbatical from the NFL to show college coaches how it's done. He neutered Florida's offense.

*Lane Kiffin will get a ton of mileage out of his supreme expectations management -- that the Vols "only" lost by 10 at The Swamp. Never seen a home crowd in a rivalry win so subdued.

*Meanwhile, Florida is still unbeaten, but if that wasn't their wake-up call -- their "Ole Miss moment"-- to re-focus and stop listening to the hype, I'm not sure what will be.

*Heisman front-runner Tim Tebow didn't have a great game -- neither did co-front-runner Colt McCoy. Does the Heisman race get blown wide open after this? How about Cal's Jahvid Best?

*And that will be that for all the talk about BYU crashing the BCS national-title game. (Same with Utah.) Boise State (and TCU) are left, but Boise's schedule is a joke -- BCS-unworthy.

*I'm working on my BlogPoll, and I will tell you that neither Florida nor Texas will be No. 1. (It will be Alabama.) Several new teams will debut: Washington, Auburn, Iowa.

*Looking ahead to next week, the best games: Miami at VA Tech, Arkansas at Alabama, Iowa at Penn St (revenge!), Fresno St at Cincinnati.

Among non-CFB storylines: How about the Twins, beating the Tigers again and closing within 2 games of the AL Central lead?

BlogPoll ballot coming later this a.m.

-- D.S.

CFB Quickie: A Win is a Win. Just Ask USC

A couple of thoughts from the afternoon:

*Monte Kiffin is a very very very good football coach. I would actually argue that he is the best coach -- head or assistant -- in college football, at least as it relates to scheming.

*Florida did not look like the No. 1 team in the country, and I predict they will be penalized for that in the polls on Monday. Still: No one but Lane Kiffin will remember how close it was, as long as Florida keeps winning.

*Lane Kiffin came as close as possible to a moral victory, and UT's final drive (including that FU time-out near the end) felt like running out the clock to "hold on" for a 10-point...loss, which is really a win, if you factor in the insane build-up of expectations.

*USC losing: Another year, another game that USC loses to knock them from the national-title picture that they have no business losing. And they lost looking meager; it's not like it was a shoot out.

*It is worth asking, for all the crap Jim Tressel took last week: What's worse -- losing the biggest games or losing the smallest ones? I would argue that Pete Carroll is a bigger dud than Jim Tressel, because at least Tressel always beats the teams he is supposed to beat.

*What a win for Washington: I would say that is the biggest win for the Dawgs program since they won a half-share of the national title in 1991. Big-time football is back at U-Dub.

*I owe a big apology to Ohio State fans for picking Toledo to upset OSU today. While I think it was a fair stretch -- and not (entirely) fueled by my disdain for tOSU -- I couldn't have been more wrong, and I accept your jeering and mockery. I really will now stop doing things like that. (Did you see me defend Jim Tressel above?)

*Notre Dame, on the other hand...

*Although I think everyone needs to recognize just how insanely brilliant Monte Kiffin was in game-planning for the Gators, I think that Tim Tebow played himself out of the Heisman front-running position today. In fact, if I was picking a front-runner, I personally would take Jahvid Best.

*That was a much-needed win for Oregon. Same for Iowa (enough to make folks forget about the Northern Iowa escape). Same for VA Tech (enough to make folks take the loss to Bama in context -- and, guess what: The Big 12 is down this year).

*That was a bad -- if predictable -- loss for Virginia. (And Maryland: Oof. Yeah, sure, Miami might be really good this year... but what does that mean if the ACC is atrocious? BC? Awful. That league needs Florida State to beat BYU tonight, badly.)

*I'm wiped out by that Florida game. I was at the Swamp, and I've never experienced or exited a game where a win -- a win that never felt in doubt, by the way -- felt so muted. I blame the expectations. Still: A win is a win.

Just ask USC.

-- D.S.

Saturday 09/19 (Gainesville) Quickie

Gainesville -- From what I could gather, wandering around town yesterday, the sense of anticipation here for today's Florida-Tennessee game couldn't be bigger.

It's weird: It's not a "wow, what a big game - I hope we win!" vibe. It's more like "Just how much of a throttling can this be?"

There are two camps: Those who think it will be an absolute rout (my pick is 49-6) and those who don't like all this talk about how it will be an absolute rout. As a practical matter, I am part of the former, but I appreciate the sentiments of the latter (which includes much of my wife's family, so I am careful about how extremely I express my bullishness).

Anyway, it should be a great Saturday. Tons of intriguing games with results far more up-in-the-air than the one at The Swamp. That's another point: Has there ever been more hype for a game in which a team is favored by 28.5 points? That alone is a testament to Lane Kiffin's p.r. strategies -- even if Tennessee is going to get crushed, they are in the national conversation.

I'm going to try to tweet as much as possible from the game or tailgate scene, throwing in a few pictures, if I get any good ones out of my iPhone.

Meanwhile: I snuck my weekly college football picks beneath this post. Scroll down to see them (or just click here). The red- (or scarlet-) letter pick is obviously Toledo over Ohio State.

More on the radar today:
*Boise State wins shootout: Is Fresno State that good, to challenge the Broncos, or is Boise State just overrated? I will continue to presume the former.

*Corp or Barkley? Why is Carroll playing games?

*Twins pull within 3 of Tigers. Hmm...

*Tomlinson not playing Sunday. That's an L for those of you who start LT.

*Think the Yankees are a lock to win the AL pennant? Ichiro feeds doubts.

*Kazmir had been knocking on the door for a while, but the AL playoffs' biggest X-factor got his first win as an Angel.

And happy new year, to all my Jewish folks out there.

-- D.S.

CFB Top 25 Picks: Toledo Is New Houston

This week's picks, coming off last week's pick of Houston over Oklahoma State. (Yes, I will stop talking about that now -- it wasn't all that.) This week's Houston is Toledo, so impressive in destroying Colorado last week -- and the game is in Cleveland. Not the same as Columbus.

Because I will be at the Florida-Tennessee game, my ability to actually flip over to the other 3:30 games (or even the end of the noon games) won't be happening -- just like a blinders-on AP or Coaches poll voter! Relying on you for insights. Anyway, let's get to the picks:

1 Florida over Tennessee -- In attendance
2 Texas over Texas Tech -- GameDay game
3 USC over @Washington -- People picking this as upset are on crack.
4 Alabama over North Texas
5 Penn St over Temple -- Another cupcake for JoePa
5 Ole Miss over SE Louisiana -- Rebels need a decisive W
7 BYU over Florida State -- "Must-crush" game for Cougars
8 Cal over @Minnesota -- Beating Big Ten just not a big deal
9 LSU over LA-Lafayette
Toledo over 11 Ohio State -- UPSET SPECIAL
12 Oklahoma over Tulsa -- If I had any guts, I'd pick Tulsa
13 Virginia Tech over Nebraska -- B/C it's in Blacksburg, but a toss-up
15 TCU over Texas State
16 Oklahoma State over Rice
17 Cincinnati over @Oregon St -- Nice quality win for Bearcats
18 Utah over Oregon -- Must-win for Oregon. Won't get it.
22 Kansas over Duke
Arkansas over 23 Georgia -- Breakthrough game for Petrino
24 UNC over E. Carolina -- Not a lot of faith here.
25 Michigan over E. Michigan -- Forcier Mania, apparently.

I missed Georgia Tech over Miami. I got Boise State.

Other games of note:
Auburn over West Virginia: Winner definitely gets into Top 25.
BC over @Clemson: Win here should get BC into Top 25
Michigan State over Notre Dame: Just because I can resume this.
Southern Miss over UVA: Won't be pretty. Groh axed Sunday?
UAB over @Troy: Joe Webb Watch!
Arizona over @Iowa: Winner emerges 3-0
Mississippi State over @Vandy: Why am I on Mullen b'wagon?
Northwestern over @Syracuse

Friday Quickie: Destination Gainesville

Light posting today. I will be on the road, headed for Gainesville. Keep an eye on my Twitter feed to the right (or via your own Twitter account). Here's a link to my SN page, which should be updated with today's column by 8:30 or so. (Update: Here's the column.)

If you're going to be in Gainesville for the game tomorrow, give a holler. Would love to connect with you at a tailgate or somewhere within the throng. Should be a crazy atmosphere.

Emily Monforto, Steve Monforto and Great Sports Parenting

The Varsity Dad sports parenting moment of the year came on Tuesday night.

As you have undoubtedly seen on YouTube or the Today show or cable news, Phillies fan Steve Monforto caught a foul ball from Jayson Werth. High-fives all around. He gave the ball to his 3-year-old daughter, Emily Monforto... who promptly proceeded to toss the ball back.

Steve Monforto's reaction?

He hugged his daughter. And the look on his face has no trace of disappointment, let alone frustration or anger. Just love. (See the video here.)

Love for his kid. Love that this is EXACTLY what a 3-year-old is supposed to do. Love that Emily's lesson from all those catches in the backyard is: Throw the ball!

It was the perfect reaction. It should be used as the model for all parents out there who want to incorporate sports into their kids lives.

At Varsity Dad, we talk about raising a good sports fan. In this case, you can't teach a better lesson or have a better experience. And I'm quite sure that part of the reason I love this story is because I have a 3-year-old of my own.

But there is a wider thing about parents who want to push their kids into -- and through -- sports. Maybe they are trying to reclaim their own glory (or non-glory). Maybe they earnestly want to earn a college scholarship for the kid. Maybe the kid genuinely likes it.

Either way, the process starts young, and the first lesson -- at age 3 (hell, at age 13) -- is simply to love the game. Love watching it. Love watching it with your dad or mom.

I'll bet there are sports-crazed parents out there who would have at least looked annoyed at their kid. Not a trace of that from Steve Monforto.

Just love of his kid and love of being at the game with her.

It is a lesson that every sports fan -- parent or otherwise -- should embrace.

-- D.S.

PS: All's well that ends well. When the Monfortos were on the Today show this morning, they were presented with personalized Phillies jerseys, along with a ball signed by Jayson Werth. To their credit, the Phillies gave Steve Monforto a replacement ball at the game. Whoever caught the real ball could earn a lot of goodwill by giving it back to Emily Monforto.

(OK, if I can offer one bit of constructive criticism, from the Varsity Dad handbook: Steve, ditch the pink Phillies cap for Emily and give her a classic red Phillies hat. You get one, why not her?)

PPS: All the more remarkable, I think that the Monfortos have single-handedly changed the reputation of Philly sports fans -- or, at the very least, eroded the rep that Philly fans are complete boors. It's the new poster-story for Philly sports fans. Goodbye, booing Santa; hello, Monforto mania!

Thursday 09/17 Quickie: Rex Ryan, Kiffin,Myles Brand, Miami, Tebow, More

I got side-tracked this morning and neglected to post a link to today's SN column. Hopefully you all found it anyway, but if not, I found an interesting contrast:

Rex Ryan vs. Lane Kiffin.

Check the column for a full comparison, but needless to say, when Kiffin yaps, it feels forced -- even desperate. When Ryan yaps, it feels confident.

I'm a big fan of Ryan's, even just a game into his NFL head-coaching career. I think things will get interesting if (or...WHEN) he beats Bill Belichick this weekend.

Kiffin? Not so much.

More you'll find in the column:
*Tebow/Jags draft meme. Go to TimTeblog.com for more.
*Really, seriously, finally: The Rangers are finished.
*200 Ks? No problem if you hit 40+ HRs
*Fan of the Year: Emily Monforto!

Complete column here. More in a bit.

-- D.S.

Previously, On TimTeblog.com...

Previously (uh, yesterday) on TimTeblog.com...

*Jags want to draft Tebow for marketing? Why not?
(Their biggest concern: He'll be gone after Top 10.)

*Tebow as love-child of Vick and Alstott? Sounds right.

*How will guru Monte Kiffin defend Tebow? He can't.

*Expectations game: Tebow/Meyer vs. Kiffin. Kiffin wins?

As always, check back at TimTeblog.com throughout the day for new posts.

Morning Quickie up in little bit...

-- D.S.

Wednesday 09/16 Quickie: Kiffin is a Jedi

It is a testament to Lane Kiffin's Jedi-like skills that not even halfway through the rivalry-week build-up between Tennesee and Florida, he has flipped the meme, enough that I lead today's SN column with it. Here is today's DS.com original post-game "extra" on the topic:

Previously, it was "Wow, just how badly is Florida going to crush Tennessee?"

Now, it's "Wow, just how badly is Florida going to crush Tennessee?"

Let me explain: The former is about everyone's sense of vengeance; the latter is about Kiffin's expert expectations-management.

By talking up the Gators -- "best defense ever"... "best QB ever"... yada yada yada... -- Kiffin implicitly says, "We're going to get drilled."

Ironically, it was the only way he could escape from this weekend in a strategically no-lose situation.

If Urban Meyer plays the harsh card -- using time-outs late to rub it in, piling on the points... say, some 70-0 rout -- he is a petty, vindictive guy. Not exactly the high-minded champion. Kiffin looks like a victim. Kiffin looks...sympathetic. Meyer looks like a bully.

If Tennessee keeps it even remotely close -- and, by that, I mean if they lose by anything less than 45-0 -- they will have beaten the (admittedly very very very low) expectations.

Of COURSE Kiffin isn't going to win on Saturday -- that doesn't mean he can't claim a moral victory, even in crushing defeat.

*****

More you'll find in today's column:
*For one morning, MLB is relevant again.
*USC QB controversy foreshadowed?
*49ers to Crabtree: Checkmate.
*SO glad I have Tomlinson...ugh.
*The Colley Matrix: Pitt is No. 1!

Lots more included. Check it out here. More later.

-- D.S.

Teach a 3-Year-Old To Blog About Sports...

So this morning I was a guest-speaker in my 3-year-old son's daycare class, which is spending the week talking about jobs. Parents were invited to come in to talk about their job.

Hm.

Let's start here: Which job am I describing? Sports columnist? Media-industry consultant? Sports blogger?

As you can imagine, I simplified it for the audience: I am a writer. I write stories. I write stories about sports. ("Can any of you name any sports?")

I really wanted to say: "I specialize in shallow punditry. Can you say 'sha-low pun-dih-tree?'"

But "write stories about sports" was about as complicated as I could make it.

I was looking for a gimmick to present to them. Should I bring my computer and show them how I research and type (and watch YouTube clips and Tweet and check my RSS reader?)

Instead, I had them help me write a story -- they picked the subject (themselves), where it took place (the local park), what they were doing (playing with every type of ball imaginable... they had fun yelling out different names of balls -- given the enthusiasm for soccer balls, MLS has a future yet!)

Finally, I picked one of the kids to provide me with a quote about how she thought the playing went. Frankly, it wasn't too far off from your standard sideline reporter's question for a coach -- or a coach's platitudinous answer. (When a 4-year-old offers a standard sports cliche, it's much cuter than when Bill Belichick does it.)

We put the components together and -- voila -- the class had produced their very own sports story. You might even call it a column. All it was missing was the commenters to say, "Come on! Here's why you're wrong!"

Everyone should have to go through the exercise of trying to simplify what they do for 3- and 4-year-olds.

-- D.S.

Tuesday 09/15 Quickie: Federer, Del Posto,Brady, Pats, Charers, Lincecum, Meyer

With Week 1 of the NFL season in the books, let's just point out that I lost my Eliminator in the very first week -- I knew the Bengals were a risky pick, but the WAY they lost re-affirms my faith in the Quickie Jinx.

Anyway: Normally, there's no way I would lead with tennis over the NFL -- the Pats winning a nail-biter, no less -- but when Roger Federer loses a major final (especially the US Open), it is a shocker.

But let's elevate that news for the purposes of the lead item of today's SN column: Federer is, arguably, the greatest tennis player in history -- still in his prime. Let's compare him to Jordan in '97 (not quite '98, certainly not Wizards era).

Do you want to see Federer win? (As a corollary, onsider the way everyone quickly labeled The Shot as the greatest shot in tennis history.) Or is it way more interesting to see him lose?

The same goes for the Patriots, particularly against the Giants in the Super Bowl: Do you want to see them cap the greatest season in NFL history? Or, more dramatically, lose it?

You could make the same argument about Tebow and Florida this season -- would you like to think you witnessed, first-hand, the greatest college football player ever? Or do you want to see him fail?

It is an age-old question: Are dynasties -- or, taken to their next level, "best-ever" athletes or teams -- good for sports or bad? And, if they are good, is that because their success infinitely and inevitably ratchets up the drama precisely at the moment when they DON'T win?

I don't like dynasties, except to the extent of the above net benefit: Watching them fail is very very very interesting.

(You could make the same case for college football: Isn't it more interesting when USC loses that freaky once-a-season game than having them roll through the season? Or Penn State losing to Iowa last year? Then again, when LSU made -- and won -- the title game with 2 losses, people were like "Meh." And the consensus Greatest Game Ever was between two unbeaten powerhouses -- Texas and USC -- that mostly rolled through the regular season.)

There's no right answer -- it's all personal preference. (And, of course, filled with all sorts of caveats and carve-outs... for example: most of the rest of the country would love to see Florida fail as USC did in '05... me, not so much.)

Anyway, that's what Federer losing -- and that's what the intrigue was: Federer losing, rather than Del Posto winning -- did for me.

Meanwhile:
*Cripes, are the Pats that lucky or the Bills that chokey? (Both!)
*Are the Chargers that mediocre or the Raiders that much better?
*Tim Lincecum reaffirms that he is the NL's best pitcher.
*Urban Meyer WILL use Kiffin's words against him. Absolutely.

Check out the complete column here. More later.

-- D.S.

Teblog Post Today on Yahoo's Dr. Saturday:Why Tebow Will Go Old Testament on Vols

I have officially taken the (respectful, non-blaspehmous) request for Tim Tebow's eye-black this weekend -- as long as Tebow is taking 'em! -- to be Ezekiel 25:17 to the mainstream.

Check out my post from this afternoon at Yahoo's must-read Dr. Saturday college football blog about why Tebow is likely to go Old Testament on Tennessee this weekend. (Hint: Kiffin messed with Meyer. You don't mess with Meyer on Tebow's watch.)

The Zeke 25:17 eye-black would merely be appropriate symbolism to go with the on-field vengeance that is undoubtedly to occur.

This Week's BlogPoll Top 25 Ballot: Houston!

Yes, Houston at No. 2 is almost -- almost -- a protest vote of the AP ranking them behind Oklahoma State. (I really do wonder how many AP voters actually watched that game, rather than the Michigan-Notre Dame game...or whatever game they were covering.)

I think that if you go by what teams have earned on the field after two weeks, Houston at 2 isn't unreasonable -- just as BYU at No. 1 after one week wasn't unreasonable. Nor is keeping USC behind Florida and Texas -- maybe more teams. Or Cincinnati in the Top 10, ahead of Penn State. Or having teams debut and/or drop out fairly violently.

The season goes along, we get more real data points (not preseason conjecture), we can see whether Week 1 wins were "quality" or not (see Miami over FSU, which struggled with Jax St.), we can affirm or reject biases. Anyway, my ballot is here:

Rank	Team	Delta
1	Alabama	1
2	Houston
3	Brigham Young	2
4	Florida	1
5	Texas	1
6	Southern Cal	1
7	California	4
8	Cincinnati	5
9	Boise State	5
10	Penn State	2
11	TCU	2
12	Mississippi
13	Georgia Tech	3
14	LSU
15	Nebraska	4
16	Virginia Tech	7
17	Kansas
18	Utah
19	Baylor	3
20	Pittsburgh
21	Michigan
22	Boston College
23	UCLA
24	Miami (Florida)	2
25	Ohio State	10
Last week's ballot

Dropped Out: Oklahoma State (#3), North Carolina (#20), Notre Dame (#21), Georgia (#24), Oklahoma (#25).

Monday 09/14 Quickie: Peterson, Brees,AP Top 25, Clijsters, Sanchez, Pedro, More

Let's all agree that Adrian Peterson's 68-yard, 2-stiff-arm TD run might be the best run we'll see all year.

Let's also agree that Peterson marginalizing Brett Favre (per today's SN column lead) is wonderful irony -- the gunslinger, neutered. It's almost like Favre is in a personal purgatory.

Let's agree that Drew Brees put on the greatest Week 1 fantasy football display in history -- how many teams could have started Brees as the only player on their roster and still won?

Let's agree that the Falcons are even better than last year (as are the 49ers), the Dolphins are worse (as are the Cardinals) and Jay Cutler's problems are easy to laugh at.

Let's agree that no one -- no one -- calls a dramatic moment in sports better than Gus Johnson, and why he isn't more of a marquee play-by-play guy is a mystery to anyone under 40.

Let's agree that as long as Tom Brady doesn't get knocked out for the season tonight, the Pats are doing just fine.

Let's agree that Roger Federer's Shot -- and that's how it should be referenced: "The Shot" -- is the greatest shot in the history of tennis.

Let's agree that Kim Clijsters' US Open title is going to be -- lamentably -- the most overlooked significant sports moment of the year. It is WAY more impressive than Tom Watson at the B.O.

Let's agree that the notion of an AP voter ranking Oklahoma State ahead of Houston -- simply because they had Oklahoma State over-inflated in the preseason and after Week 1 -- is a joke.

Let's agree that Ohio State isn't as bad as I keep implying they are -- and USC isn't as good as others keep implying they are.

Let's agree that Michael Jordan is not only entitled to say whatever he wants at his own HOF induction ceremony, but that being petty and vindictive is core to what got him there.

Let's agree that, at this point, the Red Sox are just twisting the knife in the backs of the Rays.

Let's agree that sports feels different after this weekend: The NFL is officially back, with some awesome performances and intriguing results; college football is already in midseason intensity (with much much more to come next Saturday); and it's a glorious thing.

Complete SN column here. More later.

-- D.S.

Preliminary BlogPoll Ballot Thinking

Here's my preliminary BlogPoll ballot thinking, and it is informed both by a second week of information and by a transitive property based on how their opening-week opponents did:

1. Alabama
Win over VT looks better this week.
2. Houston
This week's BYU -- best win of the CFB season so far.
3. BYU
Affirmed last week's win as no fluke, esp. on D.
4. Florida
Steamroller...but Troy was hardly comp.
5. Texas
Shaky early, then pulled away.

6. USC
(Mostly) handled by a team that barely put away Navy.
7. Cal
Steeling themselves for chance vs. USC.
8. Cincinnati
Most underrated team in the country. 70!
9. Boise St
Like BYU, another "affirmation" result.
10. Penn St
Great D. The comp has, thus far, been iffy.

11. TCU
Beat UVA only slightly better than W&M did.
12. Ole Miss
Bye week. Eh...waiting to see reality match hype.
13. GA Tech
Barely put away Clemson, but a good win.
14. LSU
Win over 1-1(!) Washington looks better now.
15. Nebraska
Crappy comp. But after UT, Big 12 seems wide open.

16. VA Tech
Bama was that good.
17. Kansas
Like Nebraska, seeing an opening in B12?
18. Utah
Tempted to put them lower -- not impressed yet.
19. Baylor
Off, but last week's win looks better this week.
20. Pitt
Too high, but two impressive wins (D-first).

21. Michigan
Debut! ND ain't great, but it was a great win.
22. B.C.
Debut! As usual, quietly plugging away at Ws.
23. UCLA
Debut! Too high, but win at Tennessee is solid.
24. Miami
Nearly dropped 'em after FSU turned out to, y'know, suck.
25. Ohio St
Should leave them out. Two uninspiring performances.

I dropped out UNC, after they lucked into a win at UConn. And an ugly win, at that.

Coming off my Houston-over-Oklahoma State pick, I will call it now: Toledo over Ohio State in Cleveland next week.

Is it me, or is Ohio State just really not that good? The D seems solid -- except when getting run over by Navy's option attack... or Joe McKnight. But the offense is pedestrian. And if OSU isn't that good, then USC's eked win over them doesn't really speak that highly of the Trojans this season, either. But watch the AP voters give USC all sorts of credit for "gutting it out," rather than "not playing all that well against a good-but-not-great team."

(I'm with everyone else: Terrelle Pryor is absolutely wasted talent under Jim Tressel. "Turning platinum into pennies," Spencer Hall called it. I wonder if Pryor is regretting his decision to go to Ohio State. I would be.)

Thoughts?

-- D.S.

Sunday 09/13 (Very) Quickie

There is no such thing as a moral victory for Ohio State -- "keeping it close" with USC, but ultimately getting the game's result driven down their throats on USC's final series.

However, I'm not quite sure it validated USC as an elite team, either. It was a big win, sure, but it's not like USC throttled OSU in a way that we all anticipated.

Serena Williams' freak-out: Now THAT's some quality spontaneous hostility! "Shove this ball down your [effing] throat?" In range of live microphones? How awesome was that?

More CFB: What we learned.
*Too little, too late for Oklahoma. Sorry.
*Houston! Top 10! (More BlogPoll later today.)
*I'll replace Notre Dame at my Top 25 fringe with Michigan.
*Note that "70" that Cincy hung? They're underrated.
*Other affirmation wins for BYU and Boise St.
*Tennessee is going to get worked over next week.

NFL Today! Picks: Colts, Saints, Cowboys, Eagles, Ravens, Texans, Falcons, Bengals*, Vikings, Giants, Cards, Seahawks, Packers, Pats, Chargers. (*"Eliminator" pool pick)

-- D.S.