B(owl) C(rap) S(eries)

I have never been a fan of the Bowl Championship Series in determining a 'National Champion.' The whole process is unfair and exclusive to the biggest school with the most power, influence, and money. Thus the term BCS Buster was introduced when the University of Utah broke the mold and forced their way into the 2005 Fiesta Bowl. BCS Busters have earned a spot in 7 BCS Bowl games, including the one previously mentioned. Only once has one of these 'BCS Busters' lost to a team with automatic qualification into a BCS Bowl Game. While this system is seriously flawed, it has the opportunity of becoming extremely worse this weekend. On Friday night the UCLA Bruins will play in the inaugural Pac 12 Championship game against the Oregon Ducks. This game is a preface for the Rose Bowl (aka the Grand Daddy of Them All) one of the BCS Bowl Games. The Ducks have earned the right to play in this game, (and the opportunity to play in the Rose Bowl) with only one in conference loss and and 10-2 overall record. The Bruins on the other hand have a much more dismal record. They have four losses in conference and a 6-6 overall record. If they beat the Ducks they will play the Big 10 Champion in the Rose Bowl on New Years Day. The Bruins aren't even ranked, but yet they have a win-or-take-all opportunity at the Rose Bowl. In all likelihood Houston will be the BCS Buster this year and Boise State will just miss out on playing in a premier bowl game. Boise State should be considered for this spot ahead of UCLA. The BSU Broncos are currently 7th in the BCS Standings and will probably be playing in a low tier bowl this year. Also, the BCS Championship Game is most likely going to feature a rematch of the Alabama-LSU game. While these two may be the two best in the country, Bama already had their shot. They lost to LSU at the beginning of the month and will probably be playing for the BCS Championship. LSU has to play in the SEC Championship this weekend while the Crimson Tide (Alabama) get the week off to rest and prepare for their rematch. How is this fair? Since when is the winning team essentially 'punished' for winning? They also have to play one more game before they clinch their spot in the big game. Because this system is so flawed, I refuse to call it a National Championship. Until all teams have a fair chance to play for the National Championship I can't call it a National Championship Game. I refer to this as the BCS National Championship or the BCS Championship Game, since only those teams in a BCS Conference have the opportunity to play in it.

Heavy Heart in Stillwater

As soon as I heard this story, I immediately reflected on the 'other' tragedy at Oklahoma State. The Cowboys are no strangers to tragedy, as nearly eleven years ago they experienced a great tragedy. The Cowboy Basketball team lost two members as well as other staff when their plane was on its way home from a Colorado. Now tonight, the community is again morning another plane crash. This one claimed the lives of the women's basketball coach and one of his assistants. It is hard to imagine the pain of those in Stillwater. The great thing about sports is that it offers a great opportunity to mourn with many people, even those cheering for another team. The football team had a rough night against the Iowa State Cyclones, but their was great mourning in the stadium by the fans. May God Bless the families involved and I hope that the healing process can begin again in Stillwater.

Coach K

Mike Krzyzewski has been known by many for his successes at Duke. The headlines today focused on win 902, tying him with the infamous Bobby Knight. About a year and a half ago I read an wonderful article by Andy Katz (ESPN) about a lapel pin that Coach K wears to every game. The story is riveting and I recommend it to everyone. The story explains the deeper meaning of sports and why people as famous as Mike Krzyzewski are human as well. Whenever I think of Coach K I think of this story. In my opinion, this story shows how Coach K uses his position in the world to be super human and make a difference. It is a lengthy story, but well worth the time.

You can read the story here.

The Shadow Engulfs

If you read yesterday's post you will know what this is about. Joe Paterno announced earlier today that he would retire at the end of the season. I was devastated by this news as it was very apparent that he didn't get to choose his retirement date. It is also tragic that a legend has to be taken down so hard. As I said yesterday, the facts are all not out and that makes it difficult to come to conclusions on this matter. Tonight the Board of Trustees pushed back harder firing the University President as well as Coach Paterno. It was devastating news to hear. The man that took the sidelines every week for the past 46 seasons was fired by the university that used to love him (and he loved it in return). The worst part about this whole scandal is clearly those that were abused. That should not be discarded. Another tragedy is that this scandal will forever be on Paterno's record. It should always be remembered that the coach didn't commit these atrocious acts, but he will largely receive the blame for them. When he eventually passes away (hopefully not soon) this story will be retold about why was fired from Penn State. Gone are the glory days and forgotten is the infamous Coach Joe Pa.

The Shadow over Happy Valley

Once in awhile there is a legend that dwells among man. They accomplish great things and are a rare find. In sports, these figures are even more rare. One man has led a college football team for more than fifty years. Their have been conference and national championships. For more than half a century Joe Paterno has roamed the sidelines leading the Penn State Football team. He has been an example both on and off the field. His career winning percentage is 74.6% (which is phenomenal if you didn't know). Last Saturday a huge scar was scratched into Coach Paterno's name, fame, and legacy. Former Defensive Coordinator, Jerry Sandusky was arrested on numerous counts revolving around sexual abuse of minors. Some of these acts took place on the Penn State Campus, with a few possibly occurring on the premises of the football facilities. Paterno was informed of the misconduct that occurred and reported it to the Penn State Athletic Director. All of these are just claims at this point and shouldn't be viewed as factual since the legal process hasn't yet taken its course. Many people have questioned if Paterno did enough to prevent Sandusky from abusing more children. These claims have also led to many asking that Paterno step down as head football coach. I am not taking a position either way about Paterno stepping down. We don't yet know the facts that only Paterno knows. What I am saying is how very devastating the whole situation is. Paterno was seen as a trusted person and devious people are attracted to trustworthy people. Sexual Abuse has no place in the sports world (I hope that I make it clear that it has NO place in the sports world). It is completely unfortunate that this has happened under Paterno's tenure. I hope that no matter the outcome of a possible resignation (Paterno) and conviction (Sandusky) that it will be for the right reasons.

Sports movie of the month

I thought it would be fun to share some favorite sports movies and books. The movie to start the list is "We Are Marshall." This is one of the greatest sports movies that I have ever seen. This is a movie that everyone should see. It focuses on the aftermath of the plane crash that many people thought would end the Marshall University Football Program. The story talks about the healing of teammates, families, and the community of Huntington, West Virginia through the continuation of the football program. "We Are Marshall" focuses on the lessons that we all can learn from sports and to remember that it isn't all about winning and losing. It is simply one of the greatest stories in sports history and one of the best movies of all time. Here is a quick taste to help you make the right decision and watch this one ASAP.

First Official Day of the Lockout

As many of you may have heard, the NBA is in a lockout. Many that do not follow sports closely wonder what a lockout is and why it is happening. A lockout is a business tactic in which the owners physically lock the players out of there workplace. The actual definition given by Webster is "the withholding of employment by an employer and the whole or partial closing of the business establishment in order to gain concessions from or resist demands of employees." In other words, the lockout is not a player strike. The owners start the lockout as a result of an expired Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). The CBA is a formal and legal agreement between all of the players and all of the owners. They hammer out an agreement on how the money will be split, the length of contracts, and other crucial business elements. The previous CBA gave 57% of the Basketball Related Income (BRI) to the players and 43% to the owners. Currently the players have offered to drop to a 52-48 split, basically a 5% pay cut; the owners are demanding a 50-50 split. Lets just time out here for just a second. Imagine in your profession your boss announces that he wants you to take a 7% pay cut. Therefore, if you were making $100,000 per year, your boss is now announcing that you will make $93,000 next year. How many of you would go for that? You instead decide to have negotiations with your boss on this issue. You agree to take a 5% cut, understanding that the economy is bad and businesses do lose money from time to time. After making several concessions, your boss brings the issue of salary back to the surface. He still demands the 7% cut in pay? This situation is very similar to what the NBA is going through right now. Yes, the players do make a lot of money. Yes, they are in a business that generates a lot of money. All things put aside, this is still their job. These owners typically own several businesses and should know how to forecast the business future. If they want that 7% gap closed, they shouldn't have let it be that far below. While this may sound like I am defending the players, I kind of am; however, the real losers of the situation are those that depend on the season for their livelihoods. Many jobs will be lost as ticket takers, parking attendants, and others that have a job directly impacted with the season won't be going to work this year.