Booze, definitely booze. I think we can all agree on that, yes? Okay, now that we have that settled, we can move on to the question as it pertains to the various incarnations of our Golden Gophers sports teams.
So there won't be any boozin' at Gopher football games this fall (or any fall for that matter), not even for the super rich folks. In a way, this is comforting to me. I mean, they already get to sit in their plush heated rooms with excellent food... something which I won't get to do. But if they also got to imbibe while the rest of the poor folks didn't... well that just wouldn't be very American now would it?
But I digress.
Buck Bravo also makes a great point. Really, it's been too easy for too long for U of M students to be drunk at football games. There's nothing difficult about being drunk for an 11am football game if you can just walk into the stadium, plop down a $20, and slam two Dome beers from cups adorned with images of Joe Mauer (!?!?!?!). Cripes, you might not even have to show up to the stadium until 10:55, and you could be hammered by the time you get to your seat in time for kickoff.
This generation already has it too easy. Seriously... Easy Mac? Twist off wine caps? The internet? Sliced bread? Give me a break!
There's just no commitment to pre-game rituals anymore, especially for the early games. As far as I'm concerned tailgating is a 3 hour undertaking... MINIMUM! If you aren't going to bother being at the lot by 8am then you might as well stay home and listen to Dave Lee butcher the play-by-play while you drink OJ out of your sippy cup YOU BUNCH OF PATSIES!!!
GET OUT OF BED!!!
I wish Brunnicks would have just said, "Look, we know that being drunk at football games is a rite of passage for college students. We get it! But these spoiled brats have it too easy. Well NO MORE! We're going to bring a little midwest work ethic to this social scene! So no booze at the games, unless you are resourceful. You punks better start practicing your 7am wake up calls and pre-Cheerios beer bongs or next fall you'll be nothing but a stain on the road with a crew cut!!!" (I don't know what that last part means, or why Brunnicks would say it.)
... or something like that.
I think this shows good judgement by the University. No more special privilages for the rich, and no more smooth road to puking in the bathroom at the games for the students!
Friday, June 26, 2009
Friday, June 12, 2009
New Gopher Football Stadium Will be Booze-Free
Not that this will effect me anytime soon (or possibly ever), but looks like the rich folks in the club seats and suites at the U's new football stadium won't be able to booze it up. Or at any other Gopher sporting event. Yep thanks to our Governor and the legislature, the bill they passed that says The U must sell beer to everyone or no one at sporting events means University President Robert Bruininks has decided to sell it to no one. Pawlenty said the policy, which many schools across the country share, is elitist and not fair to Joe Average Fan. While perhaps true, there's very few NCAA schools that sell beer to anyone of age (the Pioneer Press article mentions Syracuse and the U of Cincinnati), so you had to figure that by passing this it would mean the Gophers would ban booze for everybody.
That's just not good business. As I said, I'm never going to be able to afford the expensive seats where I could drink beer at a U sporting event, but that's not the point. The point is this is very likely to take money out of the pockets of the athletic department because you have to think rich folks are going to be less likely to pony up big dollars for suites or club seats if they can't booze it up. And in this economic climate, athletic departments need all the money they can get.
Well actually I guess that's not THE point but simply a smaller point that we might as well focus on because the bigger point, which is banning booze at stadiums does not deter minors from still getting drunk, won't be addressed. Sure, we COULD drop the pretentious idea that NOT selling beer in the general concourse means we're going to keep underaged college students from getting drunk. Because as Fox 9 showed us with their groundbreaking story on how underaged hockey players at the U drink quite regularily (I'm anxiously awaiting Fox 9's next shocking expose- despite being under age, high school kids smoke! Who knew? The shocking details tonight at 9!!) , if college kids between the ages of 18-20 want alcohol, there's a good chance they're going to get it.
I could broaden this further and ask why oh why don't we put the drinking age back down to 19, but since that seems to fall on deaf ears (and honestly and without sarcasm- what's the argument against lowering the drinking age? Please, I'm listening. What is it? At 19 you're old enough to vote, or join the Army and put your life on the line, but you can't have a beer? Really? That makes sense? Please explain). So instead I'll ask why the policies at the Metrodome, Target Center, and the Xcel Center (and any pro stadium across the country) can't work for University sports. If you want to buy a beer, you need to show a valid ID. While not 100% fool proof, it seems to be pretty effective in keeping brewskies out of the hands of minors- or just as effective as not selling it all.
Why this policy wouldn't work for Gopher sporting events is beyond me, but hey, the NCAA are the same folks who continue to tell us that football and men's basketball is NOT the biggest monopoly this side of OPEC and are simply students playing athletic events for the love of the game. So getting them to concede that barring beer sales from a stadium will bar minors from getting hammered before kick-off is probably not going to happen either.
That's just not good business. As I said, I'm never going to be able to afford the expensive seats where I could drink beer at a U sporting event, but that's not the point. The point is this is very likely to take money out of the pockets of the athletic department because you have to think rich folks are going to be less likely to pony up big dollars for suites or club seats if they can't booze it up. And in this economic climate, athletic departments need all the money they can get.
Well actually I guess that's not THE point but simply a smaller point that we might as well focus on because the bigger point, which is banning booze at stadiums does not deter minors from still getting drunk, won't be addressed. Sure, we COULD drop the pretentious idea that NOT selling beer in the general concourse means we're going to keep underaged college students from getting drunk. Because as Fox 9 showed us with their groundbreaking story on how underaged hockey players at the U drink quite regularily (I'm anxiously awaiting Fox 9's next shocking expose- despite being under age, high school kids smoke! Who knew? The shocking details tonight at 9!!) , if college kids between the ages of 18-20 want alcohol, there's a good chance they're going to get it.
I could broaden this further and ask why oh why don't we put the drinking age back down to 19, but since that seems to fall on deaf ears (and honestly and without sarcasm- what's the argument against lowering the drinking age? Please, I'm listening. What is it? At 19 you're old enough to vote, or join the Army and put your life on the line, but you can't have a beer? Really? That makes sense? Please explain). So instead I'll ask why the policies at the Metrodome, Target Center, and the Xcel Center (and any pro stadium across the country) can't work for University sports. If you want to buy a beer, you need to show a valid ID. While not 100% fool proof, it seems to be pretty effective in keeping brewskies out of the hands of minors- or just as effective as not selling it all.
Why this policy wouldn't work for Gopher sporting events is beyond me, but hey, the NCAA are the same folks who continue to tell us that football and men's basketball is NOT the biggest monopoly this side of OPEC and are simply students playing athletic events for the love of the game. So getting them to concede that barring beer sales from a stadium will bar minors from getting hammered before kick-off is probably not going to happen either.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Matt Hayes HATES the Gophers
Actually that's not true at all. Hayes is an excellent college football writer for the Sporting News, and I doubt he loves or hates or has any emotional attachment either way with Golden Gopher football. In his latest article on the sporting news website about five college football teams in line for a decline in 09 (Hayes is a pro because he can come up with fancy rhyming headlines!) he lists your Minnesota Golden Gophers football team as one of those teams headed for a decline, believing they're going to win three less games than last year- from 7 in 2008 down to just 4 for 2009!
Do I agree with Hayes' prediction for the Gophs? Of course not. Do I think he hates them and is a "Gopher Hater"? Of course not. Perhaps we'd get more traffic for this blog if Jer and I ranted and raved and called Hayes and any other national media person who has the audacity to not pick the Gophers to win the national title AND Big Ten title AND call them nothing short of the greatest program in the history of the universe a "Hater" and an idiot and having Non-Big-Ten-Bias and everything else under the sun.
But personally, that's one of my least favorite, or most hated if you will (and I will), things about the internet/24 news and sports channel cycle we currently live in- there is no such thing as perspective anymore. Everything is about extremes. Everything that happens either has to be the best or worst thing that has ever happened in the history of humanity. Every media member either loves or hates a team or player. If an anaylst or writer says one bad thing about your team or school- even if it's TRUE- then that person is automatically a "Hater" and an "Idiot" and a bunch of other things that aren't fit for print. It seems like according to the over-reacters, every team is either overexposed and gets too much attention (in the case of the Red Sox, Yankees, Cowboys, Notre Dame and anything Brett Favre does or doesn't do I'd say it's true) or gets no love/respect/attention. HATERS! HATERS! HATERS!
Well I hate the people who hate the haters! Got it? That's who I hate! God forbid we have a little perspective on things these days, and actually look at things rationally. Maybe that should be our new blog slogan: "Staying rational in an irrational world"
Except if you've read us at all or are one of the seven people who have listened to the podcast, you know we're not exactly rational about our Golden Gophers. But more so about our team than most are about theirs. At least I hope so.
ANYWAY, I bring up Hayes' prediction not only because it gave me the chance to get on my soapbox (I'm stepping off now), but just to show how little the national media, and even those around the Big Ten, think of Coach Tim Brewster and your 2009 Golden Gopher football team. And I'm not saying they're necessarily wrong. The Gophers fell apart down the stretch last year, and their schedule this season is brutal- I'm just saying that despite the good work Brewster has done in his two seasons on campus so far, this program is still flying way, way, WAY under the radar nationally. And personally I think that's a good thing.
Jer's been one of those people who has said and will continue saying that the 2009 Gophers should be better than the 2008 team, yet might not have a better record to show for it because of how much tougher the schedule is this year. And I can't help but agree. I'm still downright giddy about this year after the spring game experience, my man crush on MarQueis, the incoming freshmen like Heyo Carpenter and Michael Carter, all the returning talent he have coming back and everything else, but there's no doubt getting back to seven wins is going to be tough sledding. I'm sure Hayes probably thinks Brewster is doing a good job here, but just look at the schedule:
- Penn State and Michigan State- two teams ranked in every preseason Top 25 prediction I've seen- are back on the schedule, and conference road games include trips to Happy Valley, Ohio State and Iowa, which only happen to be the three toughest places to play in the Big Ten right now.
- While I love- repeat LOVE- Brewster's commitment to tougher non-conference scheduling, that also means the Maroon & Gold are no longer guaranteed four victories OOC. I like the Gophers chances to beat Syracuse on the road and Air Force and SDSU at home, but those first two certainly aren't gimmes (although if they can't beat Syracuse, who just cut 14 scholarship players from last year!!!, then we'll be lucky to hit Hayes prediction of 4 wins), and the home game against California will be a (Golden) "Bear" (ohhh see what I did there? See it? Fine don't laugh! HATERS! My total, obvious and undeniable genius is lost on you people!! HATERS I SAY!).
So if we give Minnesota three of four OOC wins, that still means we have to find four Big Ten victories to equal last season's win total of seven, and that is not easy to see. Indiana and Michigan are off the schedule, which means Purdue at home October 10th is the only gimme game I can see. The Gophs SHOULD win at Northwestern (speaking of hatred have I mentioned lately how much I hate Mike Kafka and Northwestern after their upset last year? Have I? A 59-0 Gopher win in Evansville STILL won't erase the bad taste in my mouth from last year's game, but it would sure help) which gets them to five wins, but we still need to find two more wins coming from home games against Wisconsin (Oct 3), Michigan State (Halloween!!!) and Illinois (November 7), and the previously mentioned roadies against the JoePa's (Oct 17), Sweatervests (Oct 24), and Jail Birds (Nov 21).
That, folks, is not easy sledding, and you can see why Hayes and every other preseason publication and prognosticator I've seen or read predicts the Gophs no better than 8th in the Big Ten this year.
Of course we Gopher fans know better (or at least hope better!), but as you can see, if the Gophers can get back to seven wins this year, it'll be so much more impressive than last season's seven wins were. And it'll give us the chance to point at those would be pundits and so-called experts and say "Haters! Haters! Haters! You never believed in our team! How do you like us NOW?" Or not. I think it's good for the program that its flying under the national radar because Brew can build this thing right without the national spotlight and unrealistic expectations. If the Gophs get back to seven wins or better they'll be a great story in 2009- if they're below that, then hey they're exactly where the experts thought they'd be, and while it would look like a step back, barring an 1-11 or 2-12 nightmare, Brewster will still be taking this program in the right direction with better things ahead.
Personally I think anything less than six wins and a bowl trip would be disappointing in Brew's third year, but as long as they're playing hard and competitive, I suppose I won't complain too much. That doesn't make ME a Hater does it? DOES IT?
Do I agree with Hayes' prediction for the Gophs? Of course not. Do I think he hates them and is a "Gopher Hater"? Of course not. Perhaps we'd get more traffic for this blog if Jer and I ranted and raved and called Hayes and any other national media person who has the audacity to not pick the Gophers to win the national title AND Big Ten title AND call them nothing short of the greatest program in the history of the universe a "Hater" and an idiot and having Non-Big-Ten-Bias and everything else under the sun.
But personally, that's one of my least favorite, or most hated if you will (and I will), things about the internet/24 news and sports channel cycle we currently live in- there is no such thing as perspective anymore. Everything is about extremes. Everything that happens either has to be the best or worst thing that has ever happened in the history of humanity. Every media member either loves or hates a team or player. If an anaylst or writer says one bad thing about your team or school- even if it's TRUE- then that person is automatically a "Hater" and an "Idiot" and a bunch of other things that aren't fit for print. It seems like according to the over-reacters, every team is either overexposed and gets too much attention (in the case of the Red Sox, Yankees, Cowboys, Notre Dame and anything Brett Favre does or doesn't do I'd say it's true) or gets no love/respect/attention. HATERS! HATERS! HATERS!
Well I hate the people who hate the haters! Got it? That's who I hate! God forbid we have a little perspective on things these days, and actually look at things rationally. Maybe that should be our new blog slogan: "Staying rational in an irrational world"
Except if you've read us at all or are one of the seven people who have listened to the podcast, you know we're not exactly rational about our Golden Gophers. But more so about our team than most are about theirs. At least I hope so.
ANYWAY, I bring up Hayes' prediction not only because it gave me the chance to get on my soapbox (I'm stepping off now), but just to show how little the national media, and even those around the Big Ten, think of Coach Tim Brewster and your 2009 Golden Gopher football team. And I'm not saying they're necessarily wrong. The Gophers fell apart down the stretch last year, and their schedule this season is brutal- I'm just saying that despite the good work Brewster has done in his two seasons on campus so far, this program is still flying way, way, WAY under the radar nationally. And personally I think that's a good thing.
Jer's been one of those people who has said and will continue saying that the 2009 Gophers should be better than the 2008 team, yet might not have a better record to show for it because of how much tougher the schedule is this year. And I can't help but agree. I'm still downright giddy about this year after the spring game experience, my man crush on MarQueis, the incoming freshmen like Heyo Carpenter and Michael Carter, all the returning talent he have coming back and everything else, but there's no doubt getting back to seven wins is going to be tough sledding. I'm sure Hayes probably thinks Brewster is doing a good job here, but just look at the schedule:
- Penn State and Michigan State- two teams ranked in every preseason Top 25 prediction I've seen- are back on the schedule, and conference road games include trips to Happy Valley, Ohio State and Iowa, which only happen to be the three toughest places to play in the Big Ten right now.
- While I love- repeat LOVE- Brewster's commitment to tougher non-conference scheduling, that also means the Maroon & Gold are no longer guaranteed four victories OOC. I like the Gophers chances to beat Syracuse on the road and Air Force and SDSU at home, but those first two certainly aren't gimmes (although if they can't beat Syracuse, who just cut 14 scholarship players from last year!!!, then we'll be lucky to hit Hayes prediction of 4 wins), and the home game against California will be a (Golden) "Bear" (ohhh see what I did there? See it? Fine don't laugh! HATERS! My total, obvious and undeniable genius is lost on you people!! HATERS I SAY!).
So if we give Minnesota three of four OOC wins, that still means we have to find four Big Ten victories to equal last season's win total of seven, and that is not easy to see. Indiana and Michigan are off the schedule, which means Purdue at home October 10th is the only gimme game I can see. The Gophs SHOULD win at Northwestern (speaking of hatred have I mentioned lately how much I hate Mike Kafka and Northwestern after their upset last year? Have I? A 59-0 Gopher win in Evansville STILL won't erase the bad taste in my mouth from last year's game, but it would sure help) which gets them to five wins, but we still need to find two more wins coming from home games against Wisconsin (Oct 3), Michigan State (Halloween!!!) and Illinois (November 7), and the previously mentioned roadies against the JoePa's (Oct 17), Sweatervests (Oct 24), and Jail Birds (Nov 21).
That, folks, is not easy sledding, and you can see why Hayes and every other preseason publication and prognosticator I've seen or read predicts the Gophs no better than 8th in the Big Ten this year.
Of course we Gopher fans know better (or at least hope better!), but as you can see, if the Gophers can get back to seven wins this year, it'll be so much more impressive than last season's seven wins were. And it'll give us the chance to point at those would be pundits and so-called experts and say "Haters! Haters! Haters! You never believed in our team! How do you like us NOW?" Or not. I think it's good for the program that its flying under the national radar because Brew can build this thing right without the national spotlight and unrealistic expectations. If the Gophs get back to seven wins or better they'll be a great story in 2009- if they're below that, then hey they're exactly where the experts thought they'd be, and while it would look like a step back, barring an 1-11 or 2-12 nightmare, Brewster will still be taking this program in the right direction with better things ahead.
Personally I think anything less than six wins and a bowl trip would be disappointing in Brew's third year, but as long as they're playing hard and competitive, I suppose I won't complain too much. That doesn't make ME a Hater does it? DOES IT?
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Breathe Easy Gopher Fans- Eric Decker WILL Play Football
Dennis Brackin has a short Q&A with Eric Decker in the Strib today, where he confirms two or three different times that no matter where he gets drafted in the MLB draft (which starts 44 minutes from now), or how much money they offer in signing bonuses, he WILL be finishing his football career as a Gopher this fall. Decker was a 39th rd selection of the BrewCrew last year, and Decker has been much improved this spring, to the point it seems some folks were worried Decker would take the baseball money and skip his senior year at The U- and more importantly for us, the Gopher football season. Take heart and breathe easy, come hell or high water Decker swears he'll don the pads and his #7 this fall to finish out his playing career in the brand new TCF Bank Stadium. Good news for a team that needs to keep all the talent it can get right now, especially at WR where sophomore Broderick Smith has already exited stage left.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
This isn't good...
Well, unfortunately a young man with a bright future is leaving Gopher Nation to be closer to his son. Hard to blame Brodrick Smith for wanting to get closer to home and be able to spend more time with his little one.
Still, this is a big loss for a Gopher offense that really can't afford to lose playmakers.
Smith only had 50 yards receiving last season, but he played in 12 games and, based on how he performed in the spring game, really looked like he was getting a grasp of the offense. He's got speed and good hands, and figured to be a big part of the Gophers passing attack this season.
There does not appear to be any word on where Smith will end up, but folks in Kansas are already salivating.
Still, this is a big loss for a Gopher offense that really can't afford to lose playmakers.
Smith only had 50 yards receiving last season, but he played in 12 games and, based on how he performed in the spring game, really looked like he was getting a grasp of the offense. He's got speed and good hands, and figured to be a big part of the Gophers passing attack this season.
There does not appear to be any word on where Smith will end up, but folks in Kansas are already salivating.
Friday, May 22, 2009
Recapping the Big Ten Meetings
Hey wow, can you believe all of the ground breaking, earth shattering news we got out of the Big Ten meetings this week?!? Well can you? Yeah me neither...ok so there was really nothing. But when you're looking for college football news in May, no news is well...news.
We've already been over most of what was discussed. Negotiations for new bowl agreements apparently won't begin until the fall. The one for the Big Ten that's currently up in the air is with the Capital One/Champs Sports bowls in Orlando. The Big Ten and SEC had concerns about Orlando's aging Citrus Bowl, as much-needed renovation plans have stalled because of the economy. We'll see if they have a clearer picture of things in the fall or not. Personally I would have LOVE to see them work something out with the Cotton Bowl to have a Big Ten/SEC showdown in Jerryland aka the new Cowboys stadium, which is supposed to be 19 million stages beyond ridiculous. I know the Captial One Bowl currently is Big Ten vs. SEC, but the Cotton Bowl is more prestigious, and would present an even bigger stage. Still, Orlando is a great destination for a bowl game, so no complaints if they work things out to stay there.
The most interesting thing to me that came up (since adding a 12th team has zero traction) is the movement to add a ninth conference game. While this would be fantastic for Big Ten fans to get an additional conference game instead of Air Force, Syracuse or SDSU, I was really surprised to hear that schools would give up not just a lucrative home game, but a lucrative home game that's a guaranteed win against a crappy D1/1-AA opponent (and yes I'm aware of the new "Bowl Subdivision" name for 1-AA. It's political correctness crap and I refuse to use it). As you know, despite the addition of a 12th regular season game a few years back, the standard to qualify for a bowl game remained at just 6 wins. Hooray! Let's reward mediocrity! Let's lessen the standards of making a bowl game! Yeah I hate that idea, and think it should be bumped to 7 wins, but if these lower tier bowls (and there seems to be a new one popping up every year) keep making money, then I guess more power to them.
ANYWAY, I was suprised school Presidents and AD's were ok giving up a home game/free win that gets them one step closer to a bowl game. Could the Big Ten possibly care about their fans and integrity and the spirit of real competition?
Um no...this from Michigan AD Bill Martin:
"As the guarantees [for nonconference games] go up and up and up and the fans want to play our sister institutions in the conference, to me it's a no-brainer. Play 'em."
I bolded the real reason a ninth conference game is being considered: the crappy schools are demanding more and more money to get the crap kicked out of them. I guess if there's anything good coming out of today's economic climate, it's actually making it more feasible for schools to play real games instead of glorified exhibition games.
I would love to see them go even a step further and have 10 conference games so everybody plays everybody, but I know that will never happen. Despite the scheduling problems it would create (obviously with 11 schools, one school will only play 8 conny games every year), I'd still rather have that ninth game than the cheapy. From the story Rittenberg wrote, it looks like this could be a real possibilty when the schedule opens up again in 2012.
We've already been over most of what was discussed. Negotiations for new bowl agreements apparently won't begin until the fall. The one for the Big Ten that's currently up in the air is with the Capital One/Champs Sports bowls in Orlando. The Big Ten and SEC had concerns about Orlando's aging Citrus Bowl, as much-needed renovation plans have stalled because of the economy. We'll see if they have a clearer picture of things in the fall or not. Personally I would have LOVE to see them work something out with the Cotton Bowl to have a Big Ten/SEC showdown in Jerryland aka the new Cowboys stadium, which is supposed to be 19 million stages beyond ridiculous. I know the Captial One Bowl currently is Big Ten vs. SEC, but the Cotton Bowl is more prestigious, and would present an even bigger stage. Still, Orlando is a great destination for a bowl game, so no complaints if they work things out to stay there.
The most interesting thing to me that came up (since adding a 12th team has zero traction) is the movement to add a ninth conference game. While this would be fantastic for Big Ten fans to get an additional conference game instead of Air Force, Syracuse or SDSU, I was really surprised to hear that schools would give up not just a lucrative home game, but a lucrative home game that's a guaranteed win against a crappy D1/1-AA opponent (and yes I'm aware of the new "Bowl Subdivision" name for 1-AA. It's political correctness crap and I refuse to use it). As you know, despite the addition of a 12th regular season game a few years back, the standard to qualify for a bowl game remained at just 6 wins. Hooray! Let's reward mediocrity! Let's lessen the standards of making a bowl game! Yeah I hate that idea, and think it should be bumped to 7 wins, but if these lower tier bowls (and there seems to be a new one popping up every year) keep making money, then I guess more power to them.
ANYWAY, I was suprised school Presidents and AD's were ok giving up a home game/free win that gets them one step closer to a bowl game. Could the Big Ten possibly care about their fans and integrity and the spirit of real competition?
Um no...this from Michigan AD Bill Martin:
"As the guarantees [for nonconference games] go up and up and up and the fans want to play our sister institutions in the conference, to me it's a no-brainer. Play 'em."
I bolded the real reason a ninth conference game is being considered: the crappy schools are demanding more and more money to get the crap kicked out of them. I guess if there's anything good coming out of today's economic climate, it's actually making it more feasible for schools to play real games instead of glorified exhibition games.
I would love to see them go even a step further and have 10 conference games so everybody plays everybody, but I know that will never happen. Despite the scheduling problems it would create (obviously with 11 schools, one school will only play 8 conny games every year), I'd still rather have that ninth game than the cheapy. From the story Rittenberg wrote, it looks like this could be a real possibilty when the schedule opens up again in 2012.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Gopher Football Stadium Receives $6 Million Donation
As you've probably heard by now, the U of Minnesota has received a $6 million donation from T. Denny Sanford to put towards the new stadium. As the Strib story says, Denny is a 1958 U of M alum who tried to get his name on the stadium, but instead will have to settle for having the Gopher Hall of Fame named for him. U officials said today that almost $90 million in private funds has been raised, surpassing their goal of $86 million. This is good news for a stadium project that, of course, is already more than $40 million over its projected budget of $248 million, and still has more it to add, including an M Club area, a training table (fancy way of saying an eating area for the players), and the "T. Denny Sanford" Hall of Fame (by the way, at what point does a rich person decide "you know what, I don't want to be called by my first name anymore. Nope, I want to go with first inital and my full MIDDLE name. That's right, biatches, I'm rich and I'm proud of it and I'm going with the First inital-middle name!!" Do they have a "First Inital-Full Middle Name" club? Does a rich person gain membership and the priviledge of changing their name once they reach a certain tax bracket? Do they also get an honorary tweed smoking jacket and sailing cap like the Skipper's on Gilligan's Island with the FIFMN club logo embroidered on it?).
Of course, this doesn't mean AD Joel Maturi will stop pushing for money, as there's always more the athletic department needs. At the top of the list is a new basketball practice facility AND a new baseball stadium. In today's economic climate, I highly, highly doubt he gets both. When Tubby's hoops program blows up this season and they make a deep NCAA tourney run, he (or more likely the coach who replaces him when he flees for a better job) will get more than enough support for the basketball practice facility. But a new baseball stadium? For a non-revenue sport? Are you kidding me? Good luck with that one, Joel. Unless T. Denny is a big baseball fan too.
Of course, this doesn't mean AD Joel Maturi will stop pushing for money, as there's always more the athletic department needs. At the top of the list is a new basketball practice facility AND a new baseball stadium. In today's economic climate, I highly, highly doubt he gets both. When Tubby's hoops program blows up this season and they make a deep NCAA tourney run, he (or more likely the coach who replaces him when he flees for a better job) will get more than enough support for the basketball practice facility. But a new baseball stadium? For a non-revenue sport? Are you kidding me? Good luck with that one, Joel. Unless T. Denny is a big baseball fan too.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Big Ten Debate Topics
We'll hopefully get something interesting to talk about from the Big Ten meetings that are going on in Chicago this week (as always, check Adam Rittenberg's Big Ten blog on ESPN.com for up to the minute news and notes), but until then, we'll have to invent something interesting to talk about. How bout some good ol' fashioned controversial debate topics? Because what good is the internet if you can't have arguments where you can villify, slander, and call people horrible names you'd never, ever, EVER be able to say to their face without getting your nose broken or your car window broken? Exactly. If Al Gore's interweb has given us anything, he's given us that. So thanks Al.
Ok seriously, I have some opinions about the Gophers, the Big Ten, and things in general as we meander slowly (although let's be honest, the month of May has flown by, has it not? Anyone else surprised it's already May 20? Doesn't it seem like the month just started?) towards the start of college football season. Feel free to discuss these in a civilized, non-internet-bashing manner. You know, like Linda Richman used to say on "Coffee Talk" (you know, back when Mike Myers was funny?)- "the holy roman empire was neither holy, nor roman, nor an empire. Discuss...discuss..."
...actually this is a good place to start: Which former funny comedian is more past his prime? (I refuse to use the phrase "Jump the Shark" anymore. We need a new one)- Mike Myers or Will Ferrell?
No seriously, who? At first glance you'd probably say Myers because his last movies was "The Love Guru" and the last Austin Powers was just not that funny. But did you see the SNL season finale with Will Ferrell?!? WHAT HAPPENED? It sucked! How hard is it to put Ferrell in his old characters and make them funny? Apparently really difficult. The only two good skits were of course Jeopardy, and the Lawrence Welk one (which was only funny because of Kristen Wigg's small hands). Also look at his recent movies- Land of the Lost looks terrible, I refused to see Semi Pro, and Blades of Glory was funny only because of Will Arnett and Amy Poehler (they will have the funniest kids on earth right?). In Ferrell's defense I will say Step Brothers was one of the most awkward and hilarious 90 minutes I've experienced in awhile, and I was one of the few people who really enjoyed him in Stranger Than Fiction. I don't know, for me, Ferrell has entered the "Dave Matthews Stage" for me (I used to be a HUGE DMB fan. Gigantic. Then came the "Everyday" album and I was disappointed. Then came "Stand Up", I listened to it once, threw it away, and haven't been back since. I still love his old stuff, but I'm not buying anymore new material or going to see him in concert until he goes back to the old stuff) where I'm no longer automatically going to see something he does just because it's him.
WHO WILL BE THE GOPHERS STARTING QB AT THE END OF 2009: Adam Weber or MarQueis Gray?
You know my opinion on this one- I think it will be Gray. He's just too damned good not to. And that's saying something, considering Rittenberg ranked Weber as the 18th best player in the entire conference. And I'm not disagreeing with him- I just think Gray is better. If Weber were a senior, then yes, I could see Gray biding his time on the bench, waiting for his shot next year. But Weber has two more seasons, and there's just no way you sit Gray for two more years when he'll be better than Weber and give you a better chance to win by midseason. Of course, all of this is a guesstimate, as we're not going to know what Weber or Gray looks like until the season starts. But as of right now, this is how I'm voting.
WHICH IMPENDING COMEBACK ARE YOU MORE SICK OF: Brett Favre's or Michael Vick's?
Back when I had a radio show, Jer and I used to play a game called "Would You Rather"? If you didn't like one of the two choices, we'd always give a third option which was "death by killer bees" (although I think when/if we get this game going again for the podcast this fall, the third option will be "sitting through the entire 55-0 Iowa loss again"). If asked this question for Would You Rather, I would definitely chose "Death by Killer Bees".
WHO WILL BE THE BETTER RECEIVER IN 2009: Eric Decker or Arrelious Benn?
Of the two Benn is the better pro prospect, but I think this year he steps up and becomes the better college receiver too. And not jut better than Decker, but better than everyone in the country. That's right, I think Benn is your 2009 Biletnikoff winner for the nation's best receiver. Sure, he was good last year, catching 67 for 1055 yds (an avg of 15.7) and 3 TD's, but with an improved Juice and improved talent around him, he's going to be a beast. And this is not to take anything away from Decker, who last year led the conference with 84 catches for 1074 yards and 7 TD's. I just think/hope/pray Weber and/or Gray will spread the ball around more when they throw. Last year Weber's options were throw to Decker for a completion, or throw to anyone else for an incompletion. For 2009, after what we saw in the spring, we think/hope/pray that one or all of Troy Stoudermire, Brandon Green and Broderick Smith (not to mention incoming JUCO transfer Heyo Carpenter) will step up to give the Gophs some other viable receiving options. So Decker actually having to catch less passes will be better for everyone- just not for his competition against Benn for best wideout.
WHICH PROGRAM WILL WIN ANOTHER NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP FIRST: Michigan Football or Kentucky Basketball?
With the news today that top point guard recruit John Wall has chosen Kentucky it's the Wildcats, and it's not close. Calipari has a history of turning programs around quickly, but with the signing of Wall to go along with four other top recruits plus the return of Patrick Patterson (and probably last year's leading scorer Jodi Meeks) the Wildcats could win a national title in year one. Funny, I don't hear anybody like ESPN.com's Pat Forde sqwaking now about how Calipari isn't the right guy to lead UK back to glory. As for Michigan and Rich Rodriguez, I still think he'll get Michigan turned around and back in the title hunt, but it'll be interesting to see if he's given the time to do it.
WHO WILL BE THE BEST QB IN 2009: Terrelle Pryor, Daryll Clark, or Juice Williams?
In my QB rankings a few weeks ago, I had them ranked 1) Pryor 2) Williams and 3) Clark, but you know what? I think Juice could be the guy this year. He's got BY FAR the best receiving core in the conference to work with, an more experience O-line, some depth at HB, and this will be his third year running the offense. Yep, I'm going to go ahead and say it now: Juice Williams will be better than Terrelle Pryor in 2009.
WHOSE SHOES WILL BE TOUGHER TO FILL: Shonn Greene's or Javon Ringer's?
I'm actually going to say Ringer's, and this is not a slight to the hated Hawkeyes. Yes, Greene rightfully won the Doak Walker as the country's best running back and outrushed Ringer 1850 yards to 1637, accounted for 75% of Iowa's rushing yards, and scored 20 of their 30 rushing TD's. However, he was virtually non-existent in the passing game, catching just 8 balls for 49 yards. Ringer's 1637 yards accounted for a ridiculous 96.7% of Michigan State's rushing yards last year!?!?! Not only that, his 28 catches for 190 yards were fifth best on the team, and believe it or not, the Spartans actually threw for more yards than the Hawkeyes last year! Greene was well deserving of the Doak Walker, but Ringer was more valuable to the Spartans, and he's going to be much tougher to replace. Iowa has former high school all-American Jewel Hampton, and a seasoned QB and O-line to ease the transition from Greene. Michigan State? Good question. They're trying to find a new QB, have no experience at HB (Glenn Winston, who was their top kick returner and one of the few guys with experience at HB, was arrested and suspended from the team indefinitely), an underwhelming group of wideouts, and some holes to fill on the O-line. Mark Dantonio is making great strides with this program, but Ringer's shoes are going to be very, very tough to fill for 2009.
Which Lost character were you hoping would get knocked off in the season finale: Kate or Kate?
I'm going to go with a third option, which would be Kate. A fourth would have been the entire Love Square.
WHICH TEAM WILL FINISH SECOND BEHIND OHIO STATE? Penn State, Iowa, or Illinois?
Thus far the general public seems to like Penn State, and you know how much I think of the Illini this year, but as much as it absolutely KILLS me to say it, I really think the Hawkeyes will finish second this year. Yes, Shonn Greene and Mitch King are big losses (especially King), but they've got more than enough talent coming back to offset it. If Stanzi develops as expected behind the conference's best O-lines, I think they upset Penn State in Happy Valley (no small task playing there at night, but that's why it would be an upset), meaning their only loss in conference would come November 14th at Ohio State. I hope I"m wrong, and I hope this acts as a reverse jinx, but I think the dirty Hawkeyes will be the Big Ten's second best team in 2009. You have been warned. WHO HATES IOWA?
Ok seriously, I have some opinions about the Gophers, the Big Ten, and things in general as we meander slowly (although let's be honest, the month of May has flown by, has it not? Anyone else surprised it's already May 20? Doesn't it seem like the month just started?) towards the start of college football season. Feel free to discuss these in a civilized, non-internet-bashing manner. You know, like Linda Richman used to say on "Coffee Talk" (you know, back when Mike Myers was funny?)- "the holy roman empire was neither holy, nor roman, nor an empire. Discuss...discuss..."
...actually this is a good place to start: Which former funny comedian is more past his prime? (I refuse to use the phrase "Jump the Shark" anymore. We need a new one)- Mike Myers or Will Ferrell?
No seriously, who? At first glance you'd probably say Myers because his last movies was "The Love Guru" and the last Austin Powers was just not that funny. But did you see the SNL season finale with Will Ferrell?!? WHAT HAPPENED? It sucked! How hard is it to put Ferrell in his old characters and make them funny? Apparently really difficult. The only two good skits were of course Jeopardy, and the Lawrence Welk one (which was only funny because of Kristen Wigg's small hands). Also look at his recent movies- Land of the Lost looks terrible, I refused to see Semi Pro, and Blades of Glory was funny only because of Will Arnett and Amy Poehler (they will have the funniest kids on earth right?). In Ferrell's defense I will say Step Brothers was one of the most awkward and hilarious 90 minutes I've experienced in awhile, and I was one of the few people who really enjoyed him in Stranger Than Fiction. I don't know, for me, Ferrell has entered the "Dave Matthews Stage" for me (I used to be a HUGE DMB fan. Gigantic. Then came the "Everyday" album and I was disappointed. Then came "Stand Up", I listened to it once, threw it away, and haven't been back since. I still love his old stuff, but I'm not buying anymore new material or going to see him in concert until he goes back to the old stuff) where I'm no longer automatically going to see something he does just because it's him.
WHO WILL BE THE GOPHERS STARTING QB AT THE END OF 2009: Adam Weber or MarQueis Gray?
You know my opinion on this one- I think it will be Gray. He's just too damned good not to. And that's saying something, considering Rittenberg ranked Weber as the 18th best player in the entire conference. And I'm not disagreeing with him- I just think Gray is better. If Weber were a senior, then yes, I could see Gray biding his time on the bench, waiting for his shot next year. But Weber has two more seasons, and there's just no way you sit Gray for two more years when he'll be better than Weber and give you a better chance to win by midseason. Of course, all of this is a guesstimate, as we're not going to know what Weber or Gray looks like until the season starts. But as of right now, this is how I'm voting.
WHICH IMPENDING COMEBACK ARE YOU MORE SICK OF: Brett Favre's or Michael Vick's?
Back when I had a radio show, Jer and I used to play a game called "Would You Rather"? If you didn't like one of the two choices, we'd always give a third option which was "death by killer bees" (although I think when/if we get this game going again for the podcast this fall, the third option will be "sitting through the entire 55-0 Iowa loss again"). If asked this question for Would You Rather, I would definitely chose "Death by Killer Bees".
WHO WILL BE THE BETTER RECEIVER IN 2009: Eric Decker or Arrelious Benn?
Of the two Benn is the better pro prospect, but I think this year he steps up and becomes the better college receiver too. And not jut better than Decker, but better than everyone in the country. That's right, I think Benn is your 2009 Biletnikoff winner for the nation's best receiver. Sure, he was good last year, catching 67 for 1055 yds (an avg of 15.7) and 3 TD's, but with an improved Juice and improved talent around him, he's going to be a beast. And this is not to take anything away from Decker, who last year led the conference with 84 catches for 1074 yards and 7 TD's. I just think/hope/pray Weber and/or Gray will spread the ball around more when they throw. Last year Weber's options were throw to Decker for a completion, or throw to anyone else for an incompletion. For 2009, after what we saw in the spring, we think/hope/pray that one or all of Troy Stoudermire, Brandon Green and Broderick Smith (not to mention incoming JUCO transfer Heyo Carpenter) will step up to give the Gophs some other viable receiving options. So Decker actually having to catch less passes will be better for everyone- just not for his competition against Benn for best wideout.
WHICH PROGRAM WILL WIN ANOTHER NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP FIRST: Michigan Football or Kentucky Basketball?
With the news today that top point guard recruit John Wall has chosen Kentucky it's the Wildcats, and it's not close. Calipari has a history of turning programs around quickly, but with the signing of Wall to go along with four other top recruits plus the return of Patrick Patterson (and probably last year's leading scorer Jodi Meeks) the Wildcats could win a national title in year one. Funny, I don't hear anybody like ESPN.com's Pat Forde sqwaking now about how Calipari isn't the right guy to lead UK back to glory. As for Michigan and Rich Rodriguez, I still think he'll get Michigan turned around and back in the title hunt, but it'll be interesting to see if he's given the time to do it.
WHO WILL BE THE BEST QB IN 2009: Terrelle Pryor, Daryll Clark, or Juice Williams?
In my QB rankings a few weeks ago, I had them ranked 1) Pryor 2) Williams and 3) Clark, but you know what? I think Juice could be the guy this year. He's got BY FAR the best receiving core in the conference to work with, an more experience O-line, some depth at HB, and this will be his third year running the offense. Yep, I'm going to go ahead and say it now: Juice Williams will be better than Terrelle Pryor in 2009.
WHOSE SHOES WILL BE TOUGHER TO FILL: Shonn Greene's or Javon Ringer's?
I'm actually going to say Ringer's, and this is not a slight to the hated Hawkeyes. Yes, Greene rightfully won the Doak Walker as the country's best running back and outrushed Ringer 1850 yards to 1637, accounted for 75% of Iowa's rushing yards, and scored 20 of their 30 rushing TD's. However, he was virtually non-existent in the passing game, catching just 8 balls for 49 yards. Ringer's 1637 yards accounted for a ridiculous 96.7% of Michigan State's rushing yards last year!?!?! Not only that, his 28 catches for 190 yards were fifth best on the team, and believe it or not, the Spartans actually threw for more yards than the Hawkeyes last year! Greene was well deserving of the Doak Walker, but Ringer was more valuable to the Spartans, and he's going to be much tougher to replace. Iowa has former high school all-American Jewel Hampton, and a seasoned QB and O-line to ease the transition from Greene. Michigan State? Good question. They're trying to find a new QB, have no experience at HB (Glenn Winston, who was their top kick returner and one of the few guys with experience at HB, was arrested and suspended from the team indefinitely), an underwhelming group of wideouts, and some holes to fill on the O-line. Mark Dantonio is making great strides with this program, but Ringer's shoes are going to be very, very tough to fill for 2009.
Which Lost character were you hoping would get knocked off in the season finale: Kate or Kate?
I'm going to go with a third option, which would be Kate. A fourth would have been the entire Love Square.
WHICH TEAM WILL FINISH SECOND BEHIND OHIO STATE? Penn State, Iowa, or Illinois?
Thus far the general public seems to like Penn State, and you know how much I think of the Illini this year, but as much as it absolutely KILLS me to say it, I really think the Hawkeyes will finish second this year. Yes, Shonn Greene and Mitch King are big losses (especially King), but they've got more than enough talent coming back to offset it. If Stanzi develops as expected behind the conference's best O-lines, I think they upset Penn State in Happy Valley (no small task playing there at night, but that's why it would be an upset), meaning their only loss in conference would come November 14th at Ohio State. I hope I"m wrong, and I hope this acts as a reverse jinx, but I think the dirty Hawkeyes will be the Big Ten's second best team in 2009. You have been warned. WHO HATES IOWA?
Friday, May 15, 2009
Big Ten News of the Week
Yeah so not much in way of news for Gophers, the Big Ten, or college football. Welcome to May, where college football news of substance is harder to find than the NHL playoffs on your TV. Zing!! Seriously is anyone more out of touch with reality than Gary Bettman and the NHL? The Phoenix Coyotes are huge into debt, a guy from Southern Ontario with a TON of cash offers to buy them and relocate them to Southern Ontario- which is only the biggest hockey market in the world- and the NHL says no thanks, we'll keep losing money here and in other non-hockey-markets like the entire state of Florida (which let's face it, is a state that should not be allowed one pro sports franchise. Not one- go ahead, name me ONE pro sports franchise in that state that is well supported. You can't find one. Not one. But hey, let's keep teams there and continue losing money just so the pro sports leagues don't have to admit they're wrong), Atlanta (also not a pro sports town), Nashville (ditto), and Carolina (are you noticing a trend here?). Actually, this is not just an NHL problem? Why do we keep putting pro sports teams south of the Mason Dixon line? These states only care about college and high school sports, and they support them rabidly, but can't we just admit they don't care for pro sports and leave it at that? Would it be too hard? Apparently.
ANYWAY, sorry a definite non-Gophers/Big Ten/college football tangent there, but then again, that's kind of the point- for the next two months, there's going to be NOTHING new to talk about for your Golden Gophers and the Big Ten. Comments? Suggestions? Discussion topics? We'll figure something out to try and keep you entertained in this space (which is of course making a large assumption that we've entertained you at all up until now), so in the meantime here's a very scant few college football news stories from around the country...
Former Dukie PG Greg Paulus has decided to play QB at Syracuse. I think this we all figured this is where he'd end up, as it made the most sense- well, as much sense as a guy starting at quarterback who has never played college football and who hasn't taken a snap of any kind in four years can make. Whatever. The publicity this has gotten certainly won't hurt a Syracuse program that has disappeared faster than David Ortiz' power, but considering he's only there for a year, I'm not sure how much this helps them either. Of course, Gopher fans will find out for sure Saturday, September 5th when the Gophs open the season against the Orange.
Former Miami QB Robert Marve is now considering walking on at Tennessee. As the story says, the Hurricanes won't release the former high school star to the Vols, Florida or LSU because they think those schools made contact with him illegally before officially leaving the Miami team. At first glance it seem like Marve would be crazy to pass up a full-ride and an almost guaranteed starting spot at Purdue in 2010, but Tennessee needs QB help in the worst way, and he'd only have to pay for school in 2009 before being eligible again for a scholarship in 2010. His parents are apparently rich if they're fine with him having to pay a ton in out-of-state tuition, or maybe they're "banking" on his transfer there making him NFL millions (oh snap! Come, on that was a good one). While Marve isn't a guaranteed college star, he would have been a HUGE get for Purdue for 2010 in their quest to get back to being relevant in the Big 10, but as of right now, I'd be surprised if he doesn't spurn the Boilermakers for the Vols. He's supposed to decide today or next week. Or next month. What is he, Brett Favre?
SI.com's Andy Staples, who is pinch-hitting for Stewart Mandell during the college football offseason, had a couple of good nuggets in his column this week. One is ACC commissioners continuing to push the idea of an early high school recruit signing day in December. The idea was shot down by NCAA schools as a whole, but it seems to slowly be gaining momentum. It seems like college coaches are becoming more and more in favor of it, while AD's are not, which is puzzling to me. Why would AD's be against getting talented recruits locked in earlier?
Also from the column is a story about Auburn assistant coaches making recruiting visits to Alabama high schools in a stretch Hummer limo. No seriously, they are, complete with Auburn decals and flags. They've been getting flack from some people
because in these tough economic times it IS ridiculous to be out and about in a stretch Hummer limo. But as Staples points, as does the article from Alabama.com, it's gotten Auburn exactly what it wanted, which was exposure and attention, not only away from rival Alabama, but from other SEC schools. As you can see from the pics, the idea has been a big hit with the schools they've visited, and have people down there talking Auburn football. I don't expect to see other schools follow this idea (can you see Coach Brewster and his assistants rolling around Minnesota in a stretch Gophers Hummer), but you've got to give credit to the Tigers' assistants for thinking outside the box here.
In other news...um yeah, that's about all I've gotten. As I hope you know, ESPN.com does a great job of covering college football with their full-time PAID bloggers, and they've got some good stuff up with spring recaps for every conference. In looking at how the spring went around the country, it looks like the teams who we thought would be at the top of the polls really did nothing to disuade that thinking. Florida should dominate the SEC East again, believe it or not Ole Miss looks loaded in the SEC West (that should be the best division race in the country as Alabama and LSU still have a ton of talent, Arkansas finally has a QB, and Auburn is always good), Oklahoma and Texas slot right in behind Florida for preseason #1, and how bout USC? They lose a QB and pretty much their entire defense from last year? Hey no worries. QB Aaron Corp apparently looked awesome (and he doesn't work then super frosh Matt Barkley will step in and if he doesn't former super frosh Mitch Mustain is there and if he doesn't... well you get the idea), they have like 19 former high school All-American RB's (the scary thing is I'm only slightly exaggerating there), the line is good and Damian Williams, who might be the best WR in college this year, anchors a deep receiving corps. And replacing the defense? Like at all those positions on offense, the Trojans just plug in former high school All-Americans to replace the vacating college All-Americans. Ho hum. I think USC waxes Ohio State by at least 3 TD's when they meet in September. Again.
Finally, the Big Ten looks to be in better shape than I thought at QB heading into the fall. You're probably sick of hearing how craptastic the position was as a whole last year, but that's because it's true- it was craptastically crappy. But this year? The Big 12 is miles ahead of everyone else to start the year, but you could make a case for the Big Ten having the second best group. I mean, other than the Big 12, who else boasts a better top 3 than Terrelle Pryor, Daryll Clark, and Juice Williams? And if Ricky Stanzi and Adam Weber improve on solid performances last year (or if MarQueis Gray just outplays him), that's five really, really good QB's right there. Things are definitely looking up for the conference for 2009- now if only the season wasn't still four months away!!
ANYWAY, sorry a definite non-Gophers/Big Ten/college football tangent there, but then again, that's kind of the point- for the next two months, there's going to be NOTHING new to talk about for your Golden Gophers and the Big Ten. Comments? Suggestions? Discussion topics? We'll figure something out to try and keep you entertained in this space (which is of course making a large assumption that we've entertained you at all up until now), so in the meantime here's a very scant few college football news stories from around the country...
Former Dukie PG Greg Paulus has decided to play QB at Syracuse. I think this we all figured this is where he'd end up, as it made the most sense- well, as much sense as a guy starting at quarterback who has never played college football and who hasn't taken a snap of any kind in four years can make. Whatever. The publicity this has gotten certainly won't hurt a Syracuse program that has disappeared faster than David Ortiz' power, but considering he's only there for a year, I'm not sure how much this helps them either. Of course, Gopher fans will find out for sure Saturday, September 5th when the Gophs open the season against the Orange.
Former Miami QB Robert Marve is now considering walking on at Tennessee. As the story says, the Hurricanes won't release the former high school star to the Vols, Florida or LSU because they think those schools made contact with him illegally before officially leaving the Miami team. At first glance it seem like Marve would be crazy to pass up a full-ride and an almost guaranteed starting spot at Purdue in 2010, but Tennessee needs QB help in the worst way, and he'd only have to pay for school in 2009 before being eligible again for a scholarship in 2010. His parents are apparently rich if they're fine with him having to pay a ton in out-of-state tuition, or maybe they're "banking" on his transfer there making him NFL millions (oh snap! Come, on that was a good one). While Marve isn't a guaranteed college star, he would have been a HUGE get for Purdue for 2010 in their quest to get back to being relevant in the Big 10, but as of right now, I'd be surprised if he doesn't spurn the Boilermakers for the Vols. He's supposed to decide today or next week. Or next month. What is he, Brett Favre?
SI.com's Andy Staples, who is pinch-hitting for Stewart Mandell during the college football offseason, had a couple of good nuggets in his column this week. One is ACC commissioners continuing to push the idea of an early high school recruit signing day in December. The idea was shot down by NCAA schools as a whole, but it seems to slowly be gaining momentum. It seems like college coaches are becoming more and more in favor of it, while AD's are not, which is puzzling to me. Why would AD's be against getting talented recruits locked in earlier?
Also from the column is a story about Auburn assistant coaches making recruiting visits to Alabama high schools in a stretch Hummer limo. No seriously, they are, complete with Auburn decals and flags. They've been getting flack from some people
because in these tough economic times it IS ridiculous to be out and about in a stretch Hummer limo. But as Staples points, as does the article from Alabama.com, it's gotten Auburn exactly what it wanted, which was exposure and attention, not only away from rival Alabama, but from other SEC schools. As you can see from the pics, the idea has been a big hit with the schools they've visited, and have people down there talking Auburn football. I don't expect to see other schools follow this idea (can you see Coach Brewster and his assistants rolling around Minnesota in a stretch Gophers Hummer), but you've got to give credit to the Tigers' assistants for thinking outside the box here.
In other news...um yeah, that's about all I've gotten. As I hope you know, ESPN.com does a great job of covering college football with their full-time PAID bloggers, and they've got some good stuff up with spring recaps for every conference. In looking at how the spring went around the country, it looks like the teams who we thought would be at the top of the polls really did nothing to disuade that thinking. Florida should dominate the SEC East again, believe it or not Ole Miss looks loaded in the SEC West (that should be the best division race in the country as Alabama and LSU still have a ton of talent, Arkansas finally has a QB, and Auburn is always good), Oklahoma and Texas slot right in behind Florida for preseason #1, and how bout USC? They lose a QB and pretty much their entire defense from last year? Hey no worries. QB Aaron Corp apparently looked awesome (and he doesn't work then super frosh Matt Barkley will step in and if he doesn't former super frosh Mitch Mustain is there and if he doesn't... well you get the idea), they have like 19 former high school All-American RB's (the scary thing is I'm only slightly exaggerating there), the line is good and Damian Williams, who might be the best WR in college this year, anchors a deep receiving corps. And replacing the defense? Like at all those positions on offense, the Trojans just plug in former high school All-Americans to replace the vacating college All-Americans. Ho hum. I think USC waxes Ohio State by at least 3 TD's when they meet in September. Again.
Finally, the Big Ten looks to be in better shape than I thought at QB heading into the fall. You're probably sick of hearing how craptastic the position was as a whole last year, but that's because it's true- it was craptastically crappy. But this year? The Big 12 is miles ahead of everyone else to start the year, but you could make a case for the Big Ten having the second best group. I mean, other than the Big 12, who else boasts a better top 3 than Terrelle Pryor, Daryll Clark, and Juice Williams? And if Ricky Stanzi and Adam Weber improve on solid performances last year (or if MarQueis Gray just outplays him), that's five really, really good QB's right there. Things are definitely looking up for the conference for 2009- now if only the season wasn't still four months away!!
Friday, May 8, 2009
News of the Week
It's Friday and that means it's time for news of the week! And by news of the week, I mean news NOT involving Manny Ramirez, Brett Favre's unretirement or A-Roid's return to baseball...
GOPHERS FOOTBALL WIN ON FIELD, NOT SO MUCH IN THE CLASSROOM
The NCAA's latest attempt to prove they're not just a greedy, money-making monopoly and that they really do care about the "student" part of their student athletes came out this week in the form of the Academic Progress Report. The school that had a score lower than 925 (probably derived by a formula more complicated than the QB rating system) in any sport would lose scholarships. Your Golden Gophers and the Ole Miss Rebels were the only two schools whose football teams didn't "make the grade" (ohhhh you see what I did right there?), and had three scholarships taken away. They can recoup them with better scores next year.
In the Strib article, AD Joel Maturi says the main causes were:
"a 2007 campus sexual assault that led to the dismissal from the team of five players and conviction of Dominic Jones; transfers after the coaching change from Glen Mason to Tim Brewster; and poor academic performance by Brewster's first recruiting class in 2007. Only eight of 19 players remain from that class, which was hastily put together after Brewster got the job in January 2007."
The academics of the football squad is actually improving with Brewster, as their fall score was 957. The Gophs obviously were the worst in the Big Ten, who fared pretty well as a conference.
School APR
Penn State 976
Northwestern 973
Ohio State 968
Indiana 957
Wisconsin 953
Michigan 947
Iowa 946
Michigan State 931
Illinois 930
Purdue 926
Gophers 915
The real surprise to me on this list was seeing Penn State #1. With all of the off-field problems they've had in Happy Valley lately, it's obviously not affecting the kids' school work any. Also I thought Iowa scored really well considering how many of their players were probably doing their homework from the backseat of a police car (come on, that was too easy. Like I was going to pass that one up?).
TWO OF THREE HAWKEYES PLEAD GUILTY TO UNDERAGE BOOZING
One of the players was Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz's son James, a freshman center, who had arrested for the second since October for an alcohol related incident. Look, I know, you know, we all know most college kids under 21 drink. It happens all of the time. But to be not just a football player (who is going to draw more attention to himself than a regular student), BUT THE COACH'S SON, and get arrested twice in your first freaking year on campus for boozing it up in public? I can understand it happening once, hey fine, we all make mistakes, but twice? I mean, how freaking dumb can you be?
COACHES POLL COULD BECOME EVEN MORE OF A JOKE
Why is more not made of what a total sham the weekly Top 25 Coaches Poll is? Of all the ridiculous things about the BCS (and there's a lot of them), the most ridiculous is that this poll makes up ONE FREAKING THIRD of the BCS rankings every week. ONE THIRD!!! This from a "coaches poll" that I can guaranteed is not filled out by one single college coach. Ok maybe the very first one, since they have all spring and summer to do it, and so Steve Spurrier can cast his one first place vote for Duke (where he got his first head coaching job). Oh what's that? They made him stop doing it because they thought it makes a mockery of the poll? Really? You know what else makes a mockery of the poll? THE ENTIRE POLL ITSELF!?!?! Good freaking gravy, college coaches do not, or at least should not, have the time to give an accurate poll of who the best 25 teams are in the country every week. They know their own teams, they know the teams they play each week, and they probably know enough about the teams in their conference. But for a Pac-10 coach to know if Minnesota is better than Oregon State, or a Big 12 coach to know if Texas is better than LSU? There's no freaking way!! The coaches ballots are filled out by either a grad assistant or the school's sports information director or the assistant sports information director or the assitant to the assistant of the sports information director. But hey, this is one third of the rankings for the BCS. Of course it is.
Anyway, to try to put some level of accountability on this whole biased, uninformed process, college fans and media wanted the coaches vote to be public. Every coach, every week. The coaches only relented to doing this for the final poll of the season, and now, they want to take that back. Why? Because they had the folks at Gallup take a look at it, and apparently that's what they're recommending. Look, I can understand all of the Gallup polls being secretive and not revealing a person's voting record, but this is not like voting for office. It should be public just like the voting record of senators and congressmen/women/people/PCblahblahblah. You're one third of the ranking for a system that will put HUGE money in your conferences' pockets and your school's pockets and therefore YOUR pockets if you vote for your team and those in your conference into a BCS game or higher than they deserve to be. Call me crazy, but I think a poll that has that much of a ramification on the outcome of the end of seasoson should be made public. Of course this would actually make sense for the fans, and when have those running college football ever done anything makes sense for the fans? Exactly.
FORMER CRAPPY QB SUES VIDEO GAME MAKER FOR LIKENESS OF HOW CRAPPY HE WAS
Former Nebraska and Arizona State quarterback Sam Keller is suing college football game maker EA Sports and the NCAA, saying the video-game maker wrongly uses the names and likenesses of athletes and the NCAA sanctions the practice. As you no doubt know, NCAA players cannot make any money from their college success while in college, and therefore the NCAA can not sell college jerseys or merchandise with a players' NAME on them. Of course, the NCAA gets around this by selling college jerseys every year with the numbers of the team's best player on them, but since the name isn't included, they have argued successfully that the jersey number has no relation to the player because his name isn't on it. This is all a bunch of baloney, of course, because you know damn well Ohio State fans are buying up #2 Buckeyes jerseys and Minnesota fans are buying up #7 Gophers jerseys because that's the number of Terrelle Pryor and Eric Decker (I would LOVE to see a study forcing the NCAA to prove that people are buying the jersey because it's their school jersey and not because of the player wearing it. If you went to the Gopher school bookstore and put a #7 jersey and a #0 jersey side by side, I can guarantee you that a #0 jersey wouldn't see until they were out of #7 jerseys).
Likewise the EA Sports NCAA Football video game (my favorite game on the planet), does not use player names in the game, but instead has players on the roster that are identical to the players on a college football teams every year, they just use the player numbers for names. For example, Decker would be named "WR #7" in the game. His height, weight, number and game ratings would be exactly like those of Eric Decker, just without the actual name. In the article the NCAA and EA Sports appear confident they'll beat this in court, but I'm not so sure. I mean, when you give a player his actual name, the in-game announcers say it. If the players are just supposed to be random players and are NOT based on the real guys, then why are the in-game announcers able to pronounce all of the names once they're changed?
It also just seems REALLY random that Keller would do this now, and not when he was in school. NOt only that, but I would think the jersey thing would be even more obvious and easy to disprove than the video games. Just have to wonder what Keller's motives are in all of this, especially when he says he's "not interested in getting compensated for himself." Maybe he's just mad they didn't make his unlikeness better than he actually was?
GOPHERS FOOTBALL WIN ON FIELD, NOT SO MUCH IN THE CLASSROOM
The NCAA's latest attempt to prove they're not just a greedy, money-making monopoly and that they really do care about the "student" part of their student athletes came out this week in the form of the Academic Progress Report. The school that had a score lower than 925 (probably derived by a formula more complicated than the QB rating system) in any sport would lose scholarships. Your Golden Gophers and the Ole Miss Rebels were the only two schools whose football teams didn't "make the grade" (ohhhh you see what I did right there?), and had three scholarships taken away. They can recoup them with better scores next year.
In the Strib article, AD Joel Maturi says the main causes were:
"a 2007 campus sexual assault that led to the dismissal from the team of five players and conviction of Dominic Jones; transfers after the coaching change from Glen Mason to Tim Brewster; and poor academic performance by Brewster's first recruiting class in 2007. Only eight of 19 players remain from that class, which was hastily put together after Brewster got the job in January 2007."
The academics of the football squad is actually improving with Brewster, as their fall score was 957. The Gophs obviously were the worst in the Big Ten, who fared pretty well as a conference.
School APR
Penn State 976
Northwestern 973
Ohio State 968
Indiana 957
Wisconsin 953
Michigan 947
Iowa 946
Michigan State 931
Illinois 930
Purdue 926
Gophers 915
The real surprise to me on this list was seeing Penn State #1. With all of the off-field problems they've had in Happy Valley lately, it's obviously not affecting the kids' school work any. Also I thought Iowa scored really well considering how many of their players were probably doing their homework from the backseat of a police car (come on, that was too easy. Like I was going to pass that one up?).
TWO OF THREE HAWKEYES PLEAD GUILTY TO UNDERAGE BOOZING
One of the players was Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz's son James, a freshman center, who had arrested for the second since October for an alcohol related incident. Look, I know, you know, we all know most college kids under 21 drink. It happens all of the time. But to be not just a football player (who is going to draw more attention to himself than a regular student), BUT THE COACH'S SON, and get arrested twice in your first freaking year on campus for boozing it up in public? I can understand it happening once, hey fine, we all make mistakes, but twice? I mean, how freaking dumb can you be?
COACHES POLL COULD BECOME EVEN MORE OF A JOKE
Why is more not made of what a total sham the weekly Top 25 Coaches Poll is? Of all the ridiculous things about the BCS (and there's a lot of them), the most ridiculous is that this poll makes up ONE FREAKING THIRD of the BCS rankings every week. ONE THIRD!!! This from a "coaches poll" that I can guaranteed is not filled out by one single college coach. Ok maybe the very first one, since they have all spring and summer to do it, and so Steve Spurrier can cast his one first place vote for Duke (where he got his first head coaching job). Oh what's that? They made him stop doing it because they thought it makes a mockery of the poll? Really? You know what else makes a mockery of the poll? THE ENTIRE POLL ITSELF!?!?! Good freaking gravy, college coaches do not, or at least should not, have the time to give an accurate poll of who the best 25 teams are in the country every week. They know their own teams, they know the teams they play each week, and they probably know enough about the teams in their conference. But for a Pac-10 coach to know if Minnesota is better than Oregon State, or a Big 12 coach to know if Texas is better than LSU? There's no freaking way!! The coaches ballots are filled out by either a grad assistant or the school's sports information director or the assistant sports information director or the assitant to the assistant of the sports information director. But hey, this is one third of the rankings for the BCS. Of course it is.
Anyway, to try to put some level of accountability on this whole biased, uninformed process, college fans and media wanted the coaches vote to be public. Every coach, every week. The coaches only relented to doing this for the final poll of the season, and now, they want to take that back. Why? Because they had the folks at Gallup take a look at it, and apparently that's what they're recommending. Look, I can understand all of the Gallup polls being secretive and not revealing a person's voting record, but this is not like voting for office. It should be public just like the voting record of senators and congressmen/women/people/PCblahblahblah. You're one third of the ranking for a system that will put HUGE money in your conferences' pockets and your school's pockets and therefore YOUR pockets if you vote for your team and those in your conference into a BCS game or higher than they deserve to be. Call me crazy, but I think a poll that has that much of a ramification on the outcome of the end of seasoson should be made public. Of course this would actually make sense for the fans, and when have those running college football ever done anything makes sense for the fans? Exactly.
FORMER CRAPPY QB SUES VIDEO GAME MAKER FOR LIKENESS OF HOW CRAPPY HE WAS
Former Nebraska and Arizona State quarterback Sam Keller is suing college football game maker EA Sports and the NCAA, saying the video-game maker wrongly uses the names and likenesses of athletes and the NCAA sanctions the practice. As you no doubt know, NCAA players cannot make any money from their college success while in college, and therefore the NCAA can not sell college jerseys or merchandise with a players' NAME on them. Of course, the NCAA gets around this by selling college jerseys every year with the numbers of the team's best player on them, but since the name isn't included, they have argued successfully that the jersey number has no relation to the player because his name isn't on it. This is all a bunch of baloney, of course, because you know damn well Ohio State fans are buying up #2 Buckeyes jerseys and Minnesota fans are buying up #7 Gophers jerseys because that's the number of Terrelle Pryor and Eric Decker (I would LOVE to see a study forcing the NCAA to prove that people are buying the jersey because it's their school jersey and not because of the player wearing it. If you went to the Gopher school bookstore and put a #7 jersey and a #0 jersey side by side, I can guarantee you that a #0 jersey wouldn't see until they were out of #7 jerseys).
Likewise the EA Sports NCAA Football video game (my favorite game on the planet), does not use player names in the game, but instead has players on the roster that are identical to the players on a college football teams every year, they just use the player numbers for names. For example, Decker would be named "WR #7" in the game. His height, weight, number and game ratings would be exactly like those of Eric Decker, just without the actual name. In the article the NCAA and EA Sports appear confident they'll beat this in court, but I'm not so sure. I mean, when you give a player his actual name, the in-game announcers say it. If the players are just supposed to be random players and are NOT based on the real guys, then why are the in-game announcers able to pronounce all of the names once they're changed?
It also just seems REALLY random that Keller would do this now, and not when he was in school. NOt only that, but I would think the jersey thing would be even more obvious and easy to disprove than the video games. Just have to wonder what Keller's motives are in all of this, especially when he says he's "not interested in getting compensated for himself." Maybe he's just mad they didn't make his unlikeness better than he actually was?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
