Happy Major League Baseball Rule 5 Draft Day everybody! I’m contemplating heading out of town for the day but before I do that, it’s a new column as promised. Am I a good guy or what? Anyway, we’re going to go with a strictly college football column today and we will tackle college basketball tomorrow. Maybe I should have used tackle in reference to college football. Actually no matter how you slice it they’re both bad attempts at humor. On with the show”¦
Unrelated Chatter:
-If you want to know why Major League Baseball is the greatest sport in the world, I have two words: WINTER MEETINGS. Over the past few days I have been swamped with school work but wasn’t able to concentrate on most of it because I have been checking every baseball website imaginable for all the latest happenings. Luckily all the idiotic signings took place before the meetings thus bringing the market back down to reality. I love Jason Schmidt and think he’ll thrive in Los Angeles but when him getting $47 million over three years is considered bringing the market back to reality it just goes to show how stupid some GM’s are.
-So let me get this straight, Lashley is the new ECW champion but wasn’t even willing to blade in the Elimination Chamber match in which he won it? What’s the over/under on the month ECW folds, March? And to anyone who paid $39.95 for that crap, well I guess you deserve what you got.
Related Chatter:
-As an aspiring coach (in either baseball or basketball), I only hope that one day that I reach the level of fame that allows me to make such stupid decisions as Tom O’Brien. O’Brien has been named the head coach at North Carolina State and left his position at Boston College to do so. Considering that Boston College is the much better job, you would have to think he got a nice raise. According to a USA Today report, O’Brien made $737,626 last season so expect him to get at least $1,000,000 a year. That extra cash might be nice and I guess you can’t blame him for wanting to set up his family financially but just remember the grass is always greener on the other side.
-Speaking of head-scratchers, West Virginia head coach Rich Rodriguez has been talking with the University of Alabama about their vacant head coaching job. Personally I think this is nothing more than Rodriguez using some leverage to get more money out of West Virginia. If that’s the case then nicely played, Rich. If Rodriguez is genuinely interested in the Alabama job then I really don’t know what to say. Rodriguez is a West Virginia native and his Mountaineers will no doubt be a favorite to win the national title next season. Alabama meanwhile, hasn’t been a relevant program in years and in terms of talent isn’t even in the top 5 of the SEC.
-This season I have become further and further disenchanted by the NFL. It has become so big business and boring that I find myself looking for other options on Sunday. The league has essentially brainwashed America into thinking it’s the greatest thing going when offenses have become so bland and predictable. If it weren’t for the facts that they play just one game a week and fantasy football is a booming industry, the NFL would be right there with the NHL in terms of financial ruins and I truly believe that.
-The reason for the NFL mention in the “Related Chatter” section instead of the “Unrelated Chatter” section is their latest Nazi action. The NFL Network has the rights to the Texas Bowl this season which is fine, if you are one of the few markets that actually gets the NFL Network. The reason for my rant though is that Rutgers and Kansas State are the two teams in this yea’s Texas Bowl. So what’s the problem? NO ONE IN THE NEW YORK/NEW JERSEY AREA GETS THE NFL NETWORK! As a result, the NFL Network is alienating one team’s entire fan base and forcing them to go to a bar to watch the game. Rutgers has contacted the NFL Network about airing the game on a local network in the NY/NJ area but was told essentially to take a hike. That’s your NFL folks, may the entire league fold tomorrow.
-As reported here (either that or I just told my friends), Greg Schiano will remain at Rutgers and will not be taking the Miami job. It makes a ton of sense for Schiano to stay in Jersey as he has a much better chance of winning there at the moment and with a lot less expectations. Rutgers can go 8-4 next year and people would still be happy but at Miami it would just be cause for “here we go again.” Not to mention Miami has what many would consider among the worst facilities in major college football and Schiano is still getting the Miami-area athletes, he’s just getting them to go to Rutgers.
-With Schiano out of the running, Miami has apparently turned their eyes to former Hurricane QB Bernie Kosar. Kosar would be a great hire except, he’s never coached before in his life! With a program in turmoil like Miami is, they need a safe hire more than a home run at this point. Get the program back on its feet, and then worry about national championships.
-Yesterday the Heisman finalists were announced and to the surprise of no one it was Ohio State’s Troy Smith, Notre Dame’s Brady Quinn and Arkansas’ Darren McFadden. The only real surprise is that three guys were invited to New York City and not a fourth player like Hawaii’s Colt Brennan. All of America is pretty much in agreement that Troy Smith has this thing locked up and another player winning it would certainly be an upset.
-Last but not least, as you all know by now it will be Florida vs. Ohio State in the BCS National Title Game. Consider me somewhat biased as a student at Florida but I think the BCS got this one right. The game between Ohio State and Michigan wasn’t nearly as close as we all are told to believe it was as Michigan scored a meaningless touchdown with about 2 minutes to play. Also why should Ohio State have to beat Michigan twice in order to become national champs? Michigan fans can be as sour as they want but the truth is they had their chance and lost. Is Florida more talented than Michigan, I don’t know. I do know that USC lost and Michigan had their chance so they are the only true option remaining.
That’s all for today. Check back tomorrow for a loaded college basketball edition. Until then, enjoy your Thursday!
