Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Winter Olympics Medal Count
Here is your Winter Olympics medal count. As you can see, Albania, Algeria and Andorra are the power houses, while the United States is struggling to stay out of the basement.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
The State of Division I College Football: And a Segway into All of Division I College Sports by Means of Rambling Not Unlike this Title
The federal government should have no involvement in determining the system in which the national champion of college football is made. I think that most would agree with that. But yet it seems anyone with a microphone demands change. If you look at the federal government's recent involvement in pro sports it was different. In fact, looking back, it was necessary because it was a serious drug issue. An issue which had national concerns. Not to mention that Nancy Reagan's war on drugs is still ongoing, as far as I know. President Obama made one comment during a puff interview that was not even part of his State of the Union, unlike the steroid issue, and people ran with it. It should end now.
If a change is truly needed, then here is my solution to force a change. By the way, FORCE is the right word here. Let's face it, neither the BCS, NCAA, nor their members are going to make a change this big on their own. And this is in despite of the increasing cries from the fans that demand a playoff system. I put this simply, this is a state issue. Can you name a single university that is not a state institution in Division I? I cannot. But more importantly the major conference schools are. As state institutions they they receive state funding. With all the money that is generated by the BCS that these schools receive, clearly they are not in need of state funding. Right? Riiiiiigggggghhhhhhttt. What’s that about a bridge for sale? If you want to change the college football post season then petition your state legislature to withhold funds until a change is made. Granted your state's elected officials will probably come off as anti-education, but if they have the people’s support it shouldn't’t matter. At least in theory. However, that is not you problem anyway. OK then, if all goes to plan what happens next.
Well, the 100+ universities need to establish a board of governors. Much like it is in pro sports. Owners/GMs meet every so often to establish rules or work on labor agreements. The university athletic directors should do the same. But then you ask, isn't that what the NCAA is for. Originally the NCAA was more akin to a board of governors. They dealt with recruiting issues and player injuries, but it has evolved over the years. It has become an autonomous entity. The NCAA may be the only association, at least that I can think of, that does not work for its members. It dictates to them. In actuality, the NCAA today would be more equivalent to the NFL, NBA, or MLB. College sports, mainly football, is a dysfunctional system in general. College athletics would be better served modeling itself after pro sports. The fact that a third party dictates rankings and postseason match ups clearly shows they do not. Here is where it gets even better. With pro leagues already established, college athletics can pick and choose elements from all the leagues to make it even better then the pros. If college athletics did model itself after professional leagues, we can then finally move towards the biggest issue facing college sports, paying student athletes to play.
Long live OSM,
HHH
If a change is truly needed, then here is my solution to force a change. By the way, FORCE is the right word here. Let's face it, neither the BCS, NCAA, nor their members are going to make a change this big on their own. And this is in despite of the increasing cries from the fans that demand a playoff system. I put this simply, this is a state issue. Can you name a single university that is not a state institution in Division I? I cannot. But more importantly the major conference schools are. As state institutions they they receive state funding. With all the money that is generated by the BCS that these schools receive, clearly they are not in need of state funding. Right? Riiiiiigggggghhhhhhttt. What’s that about a bridge for sale? If you want to change the college football post season then petition your state legislature to withhold funds until a change is made. Granted your state's elected officials will probably come off as anti-education, but if they have the people’s support it shouldn't’t matter. At least in theory. However, that is not you problem anyway. OK then, if all goes to plan what happens next.
Well, the 100+ universities need to establish a board of governors. Much like it is in pro sports. Owners/GMs meet every so often to establish rules or work on labor agreements. The university athletic directors should do the same. But then you ask, isn't that what the NCAA is for. Originally the NCAA was more akin to a board of governors. They dealt with recruiting issues and player injuries, but it has evolved over the years. It has become an autonomous entity. The NCAA may be the only association, at least that I can think of, that does not work for its members. It dictates to them. In actuality, the NCAA today would be more equivalent to the NFL, NBA, or MLB. College sports, mainly football, is a dysfunctional system in general. College athletics would be better served modeling itself after pro sports. The fact that a third party dictates rankings and postseason match ups clearly shows they do not. Here is where it gets even better. With pro leagues already established, college athletics can pick and choose elements from all the leagues to make it even better then the pros. If college athletics did model itself after professional leagues, we can then finally move towards the biggest issue facing college sports, paying student athletes to play.
Long live OSM,
HHH
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Favre Kills Another Season
You could almost see it coming. As soon as Adrian Peterson failed to reach the endzone on a 63 yard screen pass, as soon as the Vikings came back up to the line, the aura of doom was about. Favre was in the red zone, ready to kill another fantasy season.
In a way it's my own fault. I knew the risks. With the Jets playing in the cold and Braylon Edwards having been inconsistent, I put him on the bench. I looked at the Vikings, saw that Harvin was questionable, knew that Rice had been sick, and thought to myself "Shiancoe's the guy to put in. Especially against a bad Carolina team." It seemed reasonable. But I forgot one thing - Favre in December.
As Shiancoe streaked down the field, wide open on the right side, I felt as though my playoff victory was assured, that I'd be moving on to the title game to claim the crown that was rightfully mine. Then Favre threw left. Then there was Chris Harris, wide open, 5 yards ahead of Bernard Berrian. And then the season was over.
It's my own fault. December/January Favre is making his annual appearance. Sure, he still completes better than 60% of his passes. But his TD to INT ratio, which was 24:3 through November, has predictably fallen off the cliff to 3:4. In fact, since 2004, when you look at the final 5 games of each season, Favre has now thrown 30 TDs to 50 INTs.
But it's not all his fault. You see, I knowingly put the fantasy season in the hands of Brett Favre. To invoke the OSM catch phrase, "Kill yourself." It's what I did to my season.
Friday, December 18, 2009
Voting Irregularities Mar Smusings Awards
It all started with an innocent premise. CB40 though a little recognition might be good for morale. It might give those who have contributed a reason to smile. Let them know that their hard work has been seen and appreciated by their peers. So we set up the first annual Smusings Awards, sponsored by www.originalsportsmusings.blogspot.com. Using the wonders of the world wide web, we established a site that contained a number of poll questions, including best thread, rookie of they year and Smuser of the year. The link went out and everyone was invited to vote. It all seemed so simple. It all seemed so pure.
But tragedy has struck. We have now received more votes than there are eligible voters. The only realistic conclusion to be drawn is that some Smusers are attempting to manipulate the results. As you read this, more votes are likely being cast. The sacred principles of democracy, that one man may cast one vote, and that all votes are counted equally, have been called into question by the actions of one or more miscreants who seem bent on shattering the faith of the Smusers in our world and our blog. Who would do this?
The prime suspsect is obvious. He casts a constant shadow over our blog, threatening to pull it from the web at any time. Perhaps he believes that becoming Smuser of the year will give him a mandate to destroy the blog. Perhaps it's just his evil nature. Or perhaps...
It's not him. It's not the one you would expect. It's someone else. Someone who normally wouldn't show that kind of blatant disrespect for the readers or his peers. It's someone who directly benefits from the extra votes.
The Hat directly benefits from those extra votes. And votes have been cast for me over and above what should have been the total number of voters. To those casting these extra votes I say this - stop. Please do not cast a vote if you have already voted. It's not right and it's not fair. I appreciate your support, but I implore you, please, respect the process.
But that does leave a question - Is someone manipulating the voting for his own gain? The Hat has uncovered evidence that someone is in fact manipulating the voting for personal gain. 2 someones in fact. Perhaps the 2 with the most to gain of anyone. You know who you are. Rather than publish your names now, I grant you this opportunity to stop your nefarious ways and quit manipulating this vote. Do so and all is forgiven. Do not and you will be exposed here on the blog for all to see.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
End of an Era
This Sunday will mark the end of an era for me. I have owned my Ray Lewis Jersey since 1996 when the Ravens made their arrival in Baltimore. It almost met with a tragic end when Ray Ray was accused of murder. However it made it through and is now in steep decline. AS a new guard comes into Baltimore so to will a new jersey.
Career Highlights
Born : 1996
Produced by: Logo Athletic Gear ( no longer in Business)
Career Highlights: 1. Super Bowl Win in Super Bowl 35
2. Stomped the Class of 1998 in the Marist Alumni Bowl
3. Found Not Guilty of Murder in Atlanta after the Super Bowl
4. Survived a Packers Bar where a drunk women thought it a Brett Farve Vikings Jersey
Career Record - Unknown ( i do know its a winning one)
So Fare thee well #52 Purple
Friday, December 4, 2009
Video: CLJ shuts down OSM
Many of you will remember that fateful day when CLJ threatened to shut down OSM. What you didn't know, until now, was the way that all went down. I was there, as were some of my colleagues. It was not a good day. This video was smuggled out by one of our loyal bloggers. We thought it best for you to see for yourself exactly what happened that terrible day.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Retire #23?
We're baaaaack. It's been way to long since there was a post and this topic seemed like it was begging for a OSM post.
LeBron James recently announced that he was giving up the #23 in honor of Michael Jordan. He further said that others should do it too and that the NBA should retire the number, league wide. That has set off a debate between those who agree and those who disagree.
Where do I fall? Not sure, actually. He was the greatest athlete I’ve ever seen in any sport and he certainly changed all sports in a way that is unlikely to be seen again. That’s a pretty good argument for it. Then again, seeing a guy like LeBron wear #23 kind of seems like an honor to me, in itself.
Well, as you ponder this, here's a video for your enjoyment. No matter what you think of the #23 retirement debate, if you were born prior to the early 80s, you HAVE to recognize this commercial. In fact, I’d say if you don’t remember the words, you are likely not in my generation or you lived in a hole until 2001 or so. It is simply one of the best commercials ever.
I guess that’s just one more thing at which the man excelled.
LeBron James recently announced that he was giving up the #23 in honor of Michael Jordan. He further said that others should do it too and that the NBA should retire the number, league wide. That has set off a debate between those who agree and those who disagree.
Where do I fall? Not sure, actually. He was the greatest athlete I’ve ever seen in any sport and he certainly changed all sports in a way that is unlikely to be seen again. That’s a pretty good argument for it. Then again, seeing a guy like LeBron wear #23 kind of seems like an honor to me, in itself.
Well, as you ponder this, here's a video for your enjoyment. No matter what you think of the #23 retirement debate, if you were born prior to the early 80s, you HAVE to recognize this commercial. In fact, I’d say if you don’t remember the words, you are likely not in my generation or you lived in a hole until 2001 or so. It is simply one of the best commercials ever.
I guess that’s just one more thing at which the man excelled.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
How Do You Watch TV?
It has been awhile since I have posted something to Sports Smusings but I think it is about time that I relieve some of the burden from The Hat. So here it goes.
I have never believed that the Internet or mobile devices would replace sitting in front of a television set during prime time. I still don't because the quality is just far superior on TV. May be one day that will change but I will either be dead or some grumpy old man that hates new fangled contraptions because I don't understand them. I admit that, foremost because of the serious difference in quality, I never gave new programming mediums a chance. That is until quite recently.
Due to travel plans and a DVR that is stacked to the brink I have been missing some of my favorite shows. Wanting to see what I missed I turned to the Internet. Well, imagine my surprise when it turned out it wasn't half bad. Despite a few buffering issues and lower resolution I have come to discover that the Internet was quite serviceable. As I said I don't believe that this medium will replace standard television but it is a handy tool if you ever find yourself in the situation I was in. It also helps that you don't have a computer that is a billion years old like mine. Hence the issues. Now that I have opened myself up to viewing TV on the Internet I have found that not everything is available online. I don't understand why that is but I am now in a position where I have to look elsewhere for content.
When I was traveling I actually watched programming on my phone. It turned out to be harder because it is a much, much smaller screen. That reminds me, I should get my eye sight checked. Anyways, overall my phone was actually fairly serviceable as well. Because of the screen size I don't recommend constant viewing but it did a good job for what I was looking for. It is also challenging because episodes are broken up. You can't watch a full episode straight through. Yet I persevered. If you have not viewed programming on your phone before it too is pretty handy sitting at an airport of something.
I am not one to predict the future of new mediums but the back up options that available are nice to have.
I have never believed that the Internet or mobile devices would replace sitting in front of a television set during prime time. I still don't because the quality is just far superior on TV. May be one day that will change but I will either be dead or some grumpy old man that hates new fangled contraptions because I don't understand them. I admit that, foremost because of the serious difference in quality, I never gave new programming mediums a chance. That is until quite recently.
Due to travel plans and a DVR that is stacked to the brink I have been missing some of my favorite shows. Wanting to see what I missed I turned to the Internet. Well, imagine my surprise when it turned out it wasn't half bad. Despite a few buffering issues and lower resolution I have come to discover that the Internet was quite serviceable. As I said I don't believe that this medium will replace standard television but it is a handy tool if you ever find yourself in the situation I was in. It also helps that you don't have a computer that is a billion years old like mine. Hence the issues. Now that I have opened myself up to viewing TV on the Internet I have found that not everything is available online. I don't understand why that is but I am now in a position where I have to look elsewhere for content.
When I was traveling I actually watched programming on my phone. It turned out to be harder because it is a much, much smaller screen. That reminds me, I should get my eye sight checked. Anyways, overall my phone was actually fairly serviceable as well. Because of the screen size I don't recommend constant viewing but it did a good job for what I was looking for. It is also challenging because episodes are broken up. You can't watch a full episode straight through. Yet I persevered. If you have not viewed programming on your phone before it too is pretty handy sitting at an airport of something.
I am not one to predict the future of new mediums but the back up options that available are nice to have.
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