One Big Pile of "uh-oh"

Ohio State, the biggest, baddest, best team in the conference just got curb stomped by USC. We all know that, we all get it. Since that time, however, there have been several quotes that have bubbled up from USC and OSU players alike that tell it just how it (apparently) is:

"When we walked in at halftime, nobody was saying anything. I mean, what the [heck], we're Ohio State -- we should be screaming and swearing and saying everything evil you can think of...And guys are hanging their heads, and you don't know what to say to them. You try screaming, and they just put their head down even more. We can't play like that, and if we play like that the rest of the season, we won't be anything."

- Alex Boone, OT, Ohio State

“Easy” was one word defensive end Kyle Moore used after missing practice two days last week with back spasms before having the game of his life (eight tackles, a fumble recovery, two tackles for loss for 19 yards, including a sack for 15).

“You can tell they don’t practice full speed,” Moore said of the massive Buckeyes who made it “easy” to fly past them.

“They were still getting into their (first blocking) move, and we’d already be into our second move (on defense) and past them,” Moore said.

- Kyle Moore, DE, USC

"They did everything we saw on film -- nothing changed"

Rey Maualuga, LB, USC

Ohio State is not a bad team. In fact, I'm fairly confident that they remain the best team in the conference by some distance. These quotes, however, are not encouraging of Ohio State's chances at a BCS victory and, by extension, the entire Big Ten's overall goodness.

Ohio State lost. Bad. Alex Boone - who was largely responsible for the OSU collapse on offense - said nobody fought back in the locker room. Kyle Moore called the offensive line slow. Rey Maualuga noted that nothing changed from film to game. Add these three things together, and you get a big, steamy pile of "uh-oh" right there on the 50 yard line. As mgoblog pointed out, these are the very type of quotes that eventually led Lloyd Carr to his coaching demise. If I'm an Ohio State fan, I'm very worried that the coaches are resting on laurels and that the players don't have a true leader. I'm not usually a doom and gloom type person, but I really think that Ohio State stands on a brink right now: on one side rests the "highly talented but underachieving" path that I've seen so many Wolverine teams take. The other side points to a Big Ten Championship and a BCS Bowl berth. Either are completely within the realm of possibility - all we can do is wait and see which direction the team goes. Unless a leader steps up (Alert: Pryor isn't the answer) this Ohio State team is dangerously close to the former of the two paths.



Good luck, Buckeyes, and God Speed.

Michigan to Wreck Kid's Dreams; Ophans and Kittens Scheduled for Destruction as Well

Michigan fans are detestable. I know; I'm one of them. They walk around like that rich kid in school who didn't care what you thought of him because, dude, he's got tons more money than you do. It pisses you off even more that he doesn't care about your attitude, and gives you the cold indifference of the privileged when you pass him in the hall. As a Michigan fan, it used to be like that. Simply put, we were better than you, and we didn't care how much you whined for your spot in the sun. The entire conference, hell, the entire nation was our little brother.

Was.

Now, I find myself being more "apologist" than "arrogant asshole fan." I don't like it. Especially after reading stuff like this.

The upshot:

Michigan players won't be able to attend a golf fundraiser for kids because of mandatory workouts. In July. In the past, U of M, along with MSU, have sent 20 football players to play golf, sign autographs, and generally have a good time with kids. Now? Not so much.

I'm not an Ohio State fan, so I'm not predisposed to Rich Rod bashing, but dude, WTF? You're going to tell me that an S&C workout in July is more important than allowing some of your athletes to go golf for kids? Michigan State is now going to send extra athletes to cover, and you can't spare one? Oh - the AD approved 3 (3?!?!) athletes can attend from the women's gymnastics team, and from the women's basketball team. Way to turn on that PR juice, UM.

It very well could be that, as a first year coach, Rodriguez had no idea that this is something that his players are supposed to attend, and as such, scheduled an uber-important S&C workout. It was also somewhat irresponsible of the Michigan player liason for the even (former running back Jamie Morris, who I've met and enjoyed speaking with) to not notify the coaching staff until a few days before the event. HOWEVER, with all the negatives flying around the Michigan program as of late, you would have thought that the smart (and right!) thing to do would be to let 20 of your athletes go brighten someone's day.

Rodriguez had better win a hell of a lot of football games, because he's sure not making friends anywhere else.

Chris Carter is a big meany pants.

Not an asshole. Meanpants, but not an asshole.

There are very few blogs who manage to cross over into what many would call mainstream media, and even fewer who do so on their own terms. Mgoblog and EDSBS are the two best examples from the college football realm, but there are others - particularly in Baseball. Perhaps the most famous sports-ish blog who has jumped into mainstream without compromising the stinging commentary that acted as their diving board is Deadspin.com, and writer Will Leitch. Recently, Will has sparred on air with writer Buzz Bissinger, which actually spurred a ton of discussion and commentary on what blogs are, and how they are relevant to sports media. I would even go so far to say that the on air spat between the two (which left Buzz looking foolish) was a net gain for blogs. However, there are still those who absolutely won't accept that regular people, living regular lives, can sit behind a keyboard and reach literally thousands of people without having to be accountable to anybody except their readers. Witness Will's exchange with Chris Carter, former OSU Wide Receiver, and current ESPN analyst:

Somehow, I ended up being introduced to Cris Carter, formerly from HBO Sports (and the Minnesota Vikings) and now on ESPN. I shook his hand.

“Hello, I’m Will.”

Cris frowned, and even sneaked in a scowl. “Are you the blog guy?”

I smiled. The best way, I’ve learned, to deal with the hostility is just to smile. They’re not expecting that. I suspect they all think we look like the Comic Book Guy from The Simpsons or, more sinister, like a member of the thrash metal group GWAR. “Yes, sir, I do write a blog.”

Cris’ scowl was no longer sneaky. “You know, I got a problem with you,” the Ohio State grad said, through gritted teeth. “Some Michigan blog said I was an a–hole. Better nobody say that to my face.”

Smiling, trying to look calm, I said, “Well, sir, you know, I didn’t write that.”

Cris took a step closer to me. “You damn well better not of, ’cause if you had, I’d take you out right here.”

I smiled, again, shook his hand, and went on my way.

Will may not have wrote it, and I'm not sure which Michigan blogger wrote it, but Chris Carter needs to take a deep breath. You may not be an asshole (although evidence from this story may point otherwise), but your reaction to a blogger who has actually jumped into mainstream (meaning he's freakin' important, whether you care to admit it or not) is telling. If we're just a bunch of guys sitting around our parent's basements gaining weight between Halo 3 sessions, then why are you so threatened?

(HT: 11W)

Perrilloux Be Gone!

Troubled LSU quarterback Ryan Perilloux has been excused from the team indefinitely after failing to live up to the expectations of an LSU athelete for the fouth time. I believe the mantra for Les (pictured on left in normal attire) goes something like this:


Fool me once - shame on you.
Fool me twice - shame on me.
Fool me thrice - Whooooeeeeee! We'll just ignore that one boa'!
Fool me FOUR TIMES - Here's the door.


Seriously though - it took you 4 offenses before realizing that it wasn't going to work? Even Les - who really does have the phrase "whoooooooeeeee" running through his head most of the day - should have realized this was coming a lot sooner.

LSU will turn to...ummmmm...I don't actually know who their starting QB will be without RP. Welcome to Michigan-land Tigers!

VLSPSBET

When announcing goes bad: The Vern Lundquinst School of Proper Sports Broadcasting Etiquette and Technique.

Baseball is a thinking man's game, which is to say that it's boring as hell, and you've got to have a fair amount of cranial fortitude to stand up to the 2 minutes of non-action that fills the time between pitches that take 1.2 seconds to reach home plate. Since nobody has ever directly accused me of what (I think) we're all suspicious of - maybe a few donuts short of a dozen - I've gone right ahead and enjoyed baseball despite the fact that it is decidedly "not-football."

As baseball is such a thinking man's game (see above definition), it becomes ever more important for broadcasters to be on top of the action during that 1.2 second window. Witness last night's game between the Yankees and the Red Sox. Baseball fans get all orgasmic over this game in one of two very distinct ways - and it all depends on where they live geographically. If you are from the Northeast, have a cousin who lives in Boston, or want to be gangsta, then you have a rooting interest in this game. You will speak orgasmically about the history, the tradition, and this years matchup about which you actually know very little. Conversely, if you live in the Midwest, or (god help us) the West Coast, you're so tired of MSM force feeding you this rivalry that you will speak orgasmically about how good the Indians/Tigers/Cubs/Padres are, and how they are ignored by ESPN and others of that ilk.

Back on topic (like there ever was one to begin with), broadcasting baseball has its own challenges - mainly filling up that 2 minutes between the action - and as such allows for a certain dance. ESPN's team of Joe Morgan and Jon Miller have been broadcasting baseball together for 18 years, and one would think they would have gotten pretty good at the dance. One could theoretically start waxing poetic about a young minor leaguer for a full 15 minutes while the other pops in for exactly 1.2 seconds to say "ball 2 outside." Not so. Not with Joe Morgan in the booth.


Joe Morgan scares kittens. And baseball fans. But mostly kittens.

Last night, after the brilliant insight of (verbatim) "Manny is so good because he keeps balanced, keeps his feet under him to stay balanced, and keeps balanced" Joe started talking steroids, and it's clear that he's getting really worked up. After about 5 minutes of disjointed babble, it's also becoming clear that something important is happening down on the field. The Yankees catcher (Molina) - having just hit a double - is being removed for a pinch runner, and it looks like there's going to be a pinch hitter too. Now, in a game that is 90% waiting for 10% payoff - this is a pretty fucking important switch. This isn't just waiting around, the Yankees have just switched TWO positions, and since Posada wasn't catching at the time (he was DHing), it was clear that he'd have to go to catch, and there would have to be a new DH. I say "it was clear" only in hindsight because at the time I had no fucking clue what was happening on the field because Joe just kept barreling through his "let's reward the clean players" diatribe. It was unbelievable, and took a full 30 seconds (which is a long time to be clueless in a sporting event) for Jon to jump in and fill us in on the action.

So, for a special non-football version of the VLSPSBET, I'm going to just say this: In a game that is only 10% action, if you're a broadcaster, it is very important to actually call the action.

That is all.

Peace Talks Coming to Fruition Between BTN, Comcast?

Get excited, because what was used to be free is now free again. Maybe. Well, probably not even maybe, but hey, it's a start. According to this and this, it looks like the Big Ten Network will be on Comcast Digital basic in time for football season, but only in the Big Ten footprint. This seems to me to be screwy because...well...the B10 footprint was (before the BTN) already getting their local games.

However, congratulations are in order for Comcast and the BTN for successfully reinventing the wheel. Big Ten footprint dwellers - you can now watch your local teams with the added benefit of terrible camera angles, worse announcing, and the probability that a commercial will cut into the first play upon returning from a time out.

This is a good sign for Comcast users, but it's not exactly a reassuring sign for those who like to practice common sense. The BTN is just offering (only to those living in the footprint) a service that was once offered for free - namely being able to watch your local B10 team in your living room. If the BTN truly wanted to be innovative and new, why don't they branch out and say...offer the network to people who never got the local coverage? Wouldn't that make more sense? I live in Boston, and I never got local coverage of Big Ten football. Why not go out to markets that hold a big contingent of B10 grads and fans, but don't have any local coverage?

It doesn't make sense to me, but the whole network is generally baffling, so I guess it's par for the course. I will (not living in the footprint) continue to go to sports bars to watch BTN games, because the BTN seems convinced that reinventing the wheel and offering the same service for local teams + headache is the way to go. If you're living in the footprint, you can now enjoy the shoddy broadcasting from your couch. If you live outside the footprint, and never got the local coverage to begin with...well...umm...you're still screwed.

Iowa Football is All About the Cheddar

(ht BHGP)

Straight Cash Homey. It's how FORMER Iowa football player Dominique Douglas rolls. He'll also steal yo girl if she a bad bitch - according to his facebook page. He's been tryin to get wit da bitches without spendin' his paper for yearz. Word.

On a side note, he is also not going to play organized football ever again, which is sad. State of Game has learned, however, that he has obtained building permits to build a giant money vault filled with gold doubloons and cash. "It's always been how I roll" said Douglas in an exclusive interview. "But up until now, it's always been in a figurative sense. I'm looking to make the metaphor come true. I've always been interested in the fine line that separates the allegorical from the literal. Now, when I roll with cash, I can literally roll in cash. It's art, pure and simple"

Douglas went on to talk about the allegorical meaning of Milton's Paradise Lost for a half hour.

It's on the Internet, So it Must be True

There's nothing better than good, old fashioned spin, especially when it comes to statistics, which can be put into two categories: Lies, and Damn Lies. The basis of those two categories basically lies in the fact that you, the educated poster/writer/spinner, can pretty much do whatever you want to any set of statistics to prove any point. An agenda is all that matters - the statistics can be molded. For the best statistical analysis out there, I beg you to read SMQ's Stats Relevance Watch. It's a good look at statistics without agenda - something very few try to do, and even fewer accomplish.

Why bring this up now? In the first installment of "State of Game Address" I mentioned - several times - that interest has never been higher in College Football, especially during bowl season. I even linked an article from the NCAA. I distinctly remember being surprised at the fact that bowl viewership appeared to be up across the boards despite lousy matchups and blowout games. Actually, surprised may be an understatement. I was shit my pants shocked. But - none the less - there it was in black and white, proof that the NCAA was still on the right track. So, instead of writing a scathing review of the BCS, I was forced to say, basically "well, it appears to be working" while adding snarky "but it won't last forever" and "see: NBA" comments to justify my original point. Then the counter punch came today in the form of this post from the Wizard of Odds.

Now, folks, the conundrum: One piece saying "yay us" from the NCAA, one piece saying "boo you" from the Wiz. Oh, and they're both about the '07-'08 season. I checked. Where's the discrepancy lay? Well, for starters, the NCAA article didn't include shit about any of the bowls that sucked. It highlights the good bowls (all two of them), and conveniently ignores the others by making blanket statements like "Viewership for all pre-Christmas bowls increased!! Woo!!" Sweet!! More people got to watch MSU melt down again, and Purdue triumph over a MAC team they were beating by 30 at one point. Exaggeration? Maybe. But you get the picture. Nobody cares about those bowls, mostly because they were invented specifically for the purpose of getting more people to watch a TV station at odd hours during the holidays. Congratulations, bowls before Christmas, you're doing your job, which is more than can be said for New Years Day/BCS bowls.

The NCAA, by virtue of having written such garbage (that I, being an idiot, linked to as fact - mea culpa) is simply blinding you with bright shiny objects while pushing that dirty 800 pound gorilla under the rug. But Beauford's no Magpie, or at least isn't once somebody points out that shiny objects aren't really that cool, and that maybe somebody should take care of that gorilla. At least bathe it, right?

So, NCAA, my original suspicions were, at least partially, right. Viewership is already decreasing, and will continue to do so until you right this ship. Sure, the pre-Christmas bowls are doing their job. We get that. But the expressed job of New Years Day and BCS bowls is to produce the best matchups and crown a "true" national champion. Neither of those things is happening which means, NCAA, you've failed. Despite all the articles you publish telling us otherwise (which is creepy in and of itself), the people are starting to take notice that the BCS sucks, and the squeeze is going to start being felt in the one place that (apparently) it matters: your wallet.