Rites of Autumn

Bama escapes major sanctions in textbook "scandal"

The textbook scandal will not result in scholarship losses or postseason bans for the University of Alabama.  In a news conference this afternoon it was announced that since Alabama self reported the violations, major penalties would not be handed down by the NCAA.  From the presser:

"Although the committee commends the institution for self-discovering, investigating and reporting the textbook violations, it remains troubled, nonetheless, by the scope of the violations in this instance and by the institution's recent history of infractions cases," the NCAA said.

It was reported that the tennis and football teams were the ones with individuals with the most culpability in the case and both teams will be required to vacate wins over the period of 05-07.  What does that really mean?  To Auburn fans amazement, Bama got off somewhat light although the 3 years of probation is nothing to sneeze at.  It has been reported that Bama may appeal the probation and or the length of it. 

If I were in a power position, I'd let sleeping dogs lie and forget the appeal.  While they may have some merit, the fact that the committee, "remains troubled" as they put it, should signal to Bama to take their ball and go home and hope that all goes well the next 3 years.

The blogs at al.com are burning up with Tide and Tiger fans arguing the merits of the case as well as continuing to bash one another; which just leads to more fuel for the annual end of the season matchup.  Don't you just love a good fight once in awhile?  Fighting words are being waged at al.com, check it out.

RoA

8 tickets locked in for Cal at Minnesota...

One of our big road trips this year is the Cal Golden Bears at the Minnesota Golden Gophers in the new TCF Bank Stadium on the campus of the Gophers, September 19.  Gone is the Metrodome and the stale indoor air; Minnesota football is moving outdoors to a state of the art stadium.  It will be interesting since I was around Illinois when Tim Brewster showed up from California.  You can say we ran the streets of Champaign a little and sometimes a little late.  Good for Tim, he was an intense player; from video of him on the sidelines at Minnesota, me thinks he is intense as a coach also.

Our loyal left coast Cal man, Ian, purchased 8 tickets in the Cal section for the game today.  You gotta love it, they are putting the visitors in the upper deck in an end zone corner.  As our man from the land of surf and sun put it, 

 Visitors, as you can see, is shoved towards the top of the stadium beyond the end lines on the north side

editors note: please disregard the Cal Beserkley grad's english, damn class was an 8 o'clock.

Here is a link to the stadium info/pics/drawings from the Gopher website.  This should be a real positive for Tim and recruiting.  Back in the day, I played in the old stadium on campus and it left a lot to be desired, much like the Metrodome.

http://stadium.gophersports.com/

The bus will be full of diesel on the morning of 9/18 and the boyz will be road trippin' for a night in Minneapolis and a great intersectional college football game the next day.  We'll discuss the game in more detail the week of the game.  What do you think about this as the theme song for the trip?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpkeJWXY4ZA

Start the music...

RoA

 

Big Ten Expansion=BCS survival...?

Andy Staples at SI.com has an interesting story on Big Ten expansion/BCS survival.  Great article but at the end, he probably sums it up as best as it can be,

Of course, none of this will happen. Conference members won't want to split the pie any more than they already do -- even if realignment produced a bigger pie for everyone. But the Big Ten and Pac-10 have a golden opportunity to shut up the playoff pushers. All they need do is make like the universe and expand.

The idea of Notre Dame coming into the Big Ten makes the most sense to me, for all sports.  The Irish already have 3 Big Ten members on the schedule in football.  Road trips for the non-revenue sports would be much easier and less expensive than the current Big East setup.  Let's not kid ourselves here though, this is all about football.  Staples synopsis on the Irish in the Big Ten is,

Place Indiana, Northwestern, Penn State, Purdue, Ohio State and Wisconsin in one division and Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota and Notre Dame in another. Using the SEC model, which features one fixed interdivisional rivalry per team, would ensure the continuation of the Michigan-Ohio State series. The lone drawback would be that if Michigan and Ohio State each won their divisions, they might have to face off in consecutive games.

Fans of other conferences would absolutely hate this lineup. Complaints about the media overhyping the Big Ten would increase exponentially. TV executives wouldn't care, though. They would pay, and Big Ten members would laugh all the way to the bank.

No doubt this would be money for all the Big Ten; ND might have to take a pay cut in this scenario and I am not sure they think they can compete in a conference where they are going to get Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State, Wisconsin, Michigan State, etc. week in and week out.  They like to schedule around 3 big games a year.  Personally, we'd love to see ND in the Big Ten.

The second scenario that Staples opines about is one where Missouri leaves the Big 12 and TCU gets into it.  This makes a lot of sense but doesn't have the wow factor of Notre Dame.  Staples writes,

Missouri's exit would allow the Big 12 to welcome Texas Christian. TCU has played outstanding football for the better part of two decades, and the Horned Frogs would compete right away. After an infusion of Big 12 cash, TCU could rise to elite status. The Big 12 boasts plenty of fans in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, but not a school in the area. Adding TCU would change that. It also would put a dent in the Mountain West's quest to break the BCS.

Go read the article, a very good read and some interesting thoughts on Big Ten expansion and how it relates to the BCS busting atmosphere.

Any thoughts after reading the article?

RoA

Happy Mother's Day from the ghost of Paul "Bear Bryant"

Coach Bear Bryant adored and loved his mother.  He talked about her more than most grown men.  From the book "I Ain't Never Been Nothing but a Winner" by Creed and Heidi Tyline King there is this:

    "Another defining characteristic of his childhood was the devotion and love between mother and son.  As a coach, he emphasized to players the importance of keeping in touch, and he thought it was healthy for every one of them to find time to write their mother.  Years later, while saying his lines in the now-famous television commercial he made for a telephone company, Bryant asked, 'Have you called your mama lately?'  The he replied impromptu, 'I sure wish I could call mine.'

I try to call my mom as often as possible.  She loved football and still does.  I wish I could spend the day with her but they are 600 miles away on top of a mountain in Appalachia having fun with the bears, living large in an Airstream trailer beside a beautiful mountain lake as their golden years pass by.

My mom washed more grass stains out of football uniforms during those early years of my career than probably any Mom ever.  She had some super secret method because my stuff always looked like it was brand new.  Drove me to and from practices 17 miles away and never, ever, said anything bad about all that driving.  She and Dad were always at every game, usually the first ones there.  A game at Madison against the Badgers, the weather was rainy, misty, cold on a late October Saturday.  I went out early to test the footing, 2 plus hours before kickoff.  As I jogged out of the tunnel and out onto the field, Camp Randall was empty.  Except for 2 people sitting about 10 rows up behind our bench; Mom and Dad were the first fans in the stadium.  We waved and then my Mom did her famous whistle that in my youth signaled it was time to get home.

Have you called Mama lately?

Picture of Mom and me, 1963.

RoA

 

Urban is great, Tressell is good and Joe Pa is crazy...

Stealing a line from Billy Currington's song that is getting much play time with the title to this post (awesome song by the way).  Who are the best coaches in the game?  I think right now you have to start with the defending national champion Florida Gators and Mr. Meyer.  He's getting it done in what folks say is the best conference in the land.  Oh yea, and he has won a couple of National Titles the past few years.  Here is my top five, what do you think?

1. Urban Meyer

2. Nick Saban

3. Jeff Tedford

4. Jim Tressell

5. Les Miles

As you can see there are 3 SEC head coaches in my top five and there are a couple more who would be in my top ten.  Tedford is in there because he has taken a Cal program that could not compete for a PAC 10 title prior to his arrival to a team that is now at least in the discussion.  Saban is just a damn good coach and recruiter.  Senator Tressell gets the kids and gets them to play; if I were USC I'd be cautious on the trip to Columbus this September.  Both teams will be young but Mr. Pryor should be light years ahead of last year and I saw the kid in person.  He can play!  Les Miles is a tribute to his mentor Bo Schembechler; coaches tough teams and not afraid to roll the dice once and awhile.  Joe Pa is still out there coaching 'em up in his 80's, is that crazy or what?  Joe's definitely in my top 10 for the longevity in a tough business, doubtful we'll ever see another man coach into his 80's.

So, your top 5?

RoA

Heisman frontrunner?

Who is your Heisman front-runner?  Tebow, Bradford, McCoy?  All pretty good players at the glamor position of QB.  Mine is Jahvid Best, California Golden Bears.  Ever since he stepped on the Beserkley campus, he has shown he compares favorably to his idol, Reggie Bush.  Desean Jackson hung the nickname on Jahvid of "little Bush."  Check out this highlight real of Best runs of 2008 (sent to me by our Cal guy in the bay area, Ian; Bear season ticket holder since 1978 and tells a great story about "The Play" in person):

http://www.californiagoldenblogs.com/2009/1/7/711260/jahvid-best-2008-highlight

Remind you of a USC Trojan RB who took home the hardware in his junior year a few years back?  I know the trio mentioned above at the QB position will be tough to beat.  But, if Jahvid stays healthy, we think he will be at the ceremony in NYC and just may take home the hardware for 2009.

RoA

Easton vs. Phillipsburg, 1993 all over again in 2009

I am in my 50's and the tug of the game; putting on the pads and getting after it with your teammates still pulls at me during sleep.  This Sunday, Easton and Phillipsburg players from 1993 will attempt to break the tie that occurred when they met that Thanksgiving day long ago.  To see the story in video format go to www.missiong.com.  For a written article see: 

http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/sports/index.ssf?/base/sports-0/1240632367101570.xml&coll=3

Any guy who ever put on the pads and loved it is watching this story.  Gatorade is a title sponsor and they provided much support to the guys; as 30+ year old men tried to get their bodies back in shape to play football.  The video at missiong.com is excellent and shows the struggles leading up to the game by both squads.  13000+ tickets have been sold. Where is Frank DeFord when you need a great column?  Looking forward to the outcome and the post game stories.  A smile is all over my face as I think about putting the pads on once again; I think the same will happen Sunday morning to the players from Easton and Phillipsburg of 1993...

Imagine you could go back with your high school boys, play for your head coach and the assistants that you came to admire, respect and love and play your high school rival; one LAST time.  Goosebumps come over me thinking about what these guys have and will experience with this endeavor.  A little envious here...

Any thoughts?

 

RoA

UPDATE SUNDAY 11 AM Eastern

Temps will be in the high 80's for gametime.  Another hurdle for the boys of '93 to endure on the journey...

Been awhile, GOD Bless our troops, far away...

Haven't posted for quite awhile; life intrudes and lays heavy on your shoulders at some points in your life.  While chaos may seem to reign here in the good old US of A, the real struggle goes on far from home, far away from TARP and AIG.  While we worry about whether a product will make it or if we will have a job in the current economy, our troops fight the jihadists in foreign lands.  They don't have anything to worry about other than when the last breath they may take will come.  The pictures below are from one of ours and hopefully one of yours in your prayers.  He stopped by today, Army proud, to show us the pictures and video of him and his counterparts in Afghanistan.  Funny video he had of the Afghan interpreters; the one was him trying to teach them how to hit a golf ball.  It was hilarious until the explosion in the background brought them all to a quick halt; then sent them to their respective spots in case there were more coming.  So as I sit here and beat myself up for feeling stupid for worrying about things that in the overall scheme of life don't mean squat, he will be heading back for 6 more months, in 48 hours, leaving behind a wife and 2 sons under the age of 10.  He will be heading back to a place that from all reports, is going to be real hot in the not too distant future.  He worries not about himself but about his interpreters, and what will happen to them if the Taliban get them before they can be taken from the country and be resettled here.  Typical of most American soldiers, they try to save the lives of man and beast in the countries they patrol.  Yet, we hear some comments from our ruling elite that paint a very different picture of our American soldiers.  They truly are our finest, volunteering so that our lives may be safer here in our land.  Here are a couple of pics of America's finest in Afghanistan's Camp Phoenix with an Illini RIVALSflag.  God please watch over our men and women far from home.

 

  

RoA 

National Title, OU or Florida? I like UTAH...

No disrespect to either of tonight's teams in the BCS Title Game.  Two very good teams that had outstanding seasons and are lead by 2 great coaches.  Stoops and I mixed it up a little when he was a DB at Iowa; he played the way he coaches, very intense.  Same can be said for Urban Meyer.  Both teams have a blemish on their resume.  There is only one team that does not and that is the Utes from Salt Lake City.  Let's hope the AP does their job and splits the title between tonight's winner and Utah.  There are BCS conferences and non-BCS conferences but all I see are football teams.  With what Utah did during the season (TCU, BYU, Oregon State, etc) and then in the Sugar Bowl, I know they would get my vote if I had one.  What do you think?

RoA

Michigan miss, Dads and daughters, Hawkeyes in the sand...

As we rapidly approach the new year, one constant is no more in 2008.  The Michigan Wolverines have gone to a bowl game for about as long as I can remember.  Not so after the 2008 season.  The Wolverines lost out on a QB that had committed to them earlier in the year so now they only have one QB commit for the 09 season (he changed to Tulsa of all places).  Things have to get better in Ann Arbor don't they?

The Iowa Hawkeyes and their faithful are partying it up in Tampa this past week.  My high school QB and his wife are down there enjoying the bowl experience; my goddaughter (cheerleader at Iowa) was able to go on the trip and cheer in the game so Dad and Mom decided to go down also.  We've spoken on the phone for the past few days and wish we could be there with them and the Hawkeye faithful.  We love those Hawkeyes around here and thought we'd share a pic of our girls at the Iowa/Illini game and one from Clearwater Beach of our Hawk cheerleader.  Go Hawks! (She is the one on the right)

RoA

Dads with their Hawkeye girls at the Iowa/Illinois game 11/1/08.