Sugarcoating that will make any teacher or parent sick.

A quick break from sports world.

In a Los Angeles Times article published in Sunday’s “Region” section, Mary MacVean tries to write a wonderful story about L.A. Unified school district donating 21,000 uneaten meals each day to nonprofit organizations. She cites that approximately 200 agencies will benefit from the access food and estimates that more than 13,000 students in the district are homeless. Excess food was previously discarded and was of no benefit to anyone.

L.A. Unified currently serves 650,000 meals a day at 1,000 locations to kids in their school district as part of Title 1. If a single child household makes roughly $14,000 per year or less their child is eligible for Title 1 free school lunches. The federal government uses a sliding scale based upon the number of children per household and total household income. This is truly helping families and kids thought to be in need.

The blame for the over abundance of food left uneaten is placed upon cafeteria managers poor estimation of total food needed, the federal school lunch program’s instance to serve more food than a child may want, and the children’s lack of consumption. Basically, if the kids don’t like the lunch lady’s meatloaf, let’s give it away.

Just to clarify, several things are happening between the lines that should cause concern for all tax payers in L.A. County. If the numbers add up correctly this means that on average only 2 meals per school within the district go uneaten each day. Not a bad average if true but, it’s obviously not true. The items listed in the article that typically go uneaten include “granola bars, cereal, entrees, fruit, vegetables, and milk”. Problem is “entrees” means hot meals being cooked at the schools. Meals like nachos, chicken nuggets, pizza, ham burgers, spaghetti, etc… They do not serve neatly prepackaged lunches being ordered from a wholesaler.

If students receiving federal lunches that L.A. Unified is paying for and the kids are not eating them, well the kid must be eating pretty well if they are passing up a free meal. Why would that same child eat a meal that he/she passed up at lunchtime for dinner at a homeless shelter later in the day?

Granola bars and cereal do not spoil in a timely fashion. I’m not sure why those items are being given away? Why are cafeteria managers not adjusting their orders properly so the previously uneaten nonperishable items are used by those kids in need?

Fruit, vegetables, and milk are perishable items that deserve immediate attention. One has to hope that some of these items can be used for another meal later in the week before having them shipped out to a nonprofit organization. Or are the cafeterias managers in L.A. Unified being shipped the ripest fruit and vegetables that will spoil within the next couple of days, thus the reason to have to give the food away immediately? Does the milk being delivered have a one or two day expiration date? There has to be a simple fix here!

All of this adds up to waste and poor management of money and resources by L.A. Unified and all of those involved. This is a huge problem within the state of California and one of the many reasons the state of California is bankrupt... waste and poor management.

To further make matters worse L.A. Unified has “issued” 7,300 employees for the 2011-2012 school year; 5,000 of those issued are school teachers. Issued means those administrators and employees may or may not be retained for the following year due to budget cuts by California Governor Jerry Brown.

To break this down in financial terms, there are currently 180 school days in the L.A. Unified school curriculum. If the approximately 21,000 meals that are left uneaten each day were to add up to a $1 per meal, a very low estimate, but an easy number to work with, this means $21,000 per day is being wasted. $21,000 times 180 school days adds up to $3.78 million dollars over the course of a single school year. If the cost per meal is increased by 25 cents, that adds up to $4.725 million; a difference of $945,000 per year. Who knows what the accurate cost per meal is, but it’s scary to think how much money is being “donated” each year by L.A. Unified.

The effect of “donating” excess meals:

There are 672,000 students in L.A. Unified schools being taught by 31,314 teachers. This means the median average classroom holds 21.5 students per each teacher. This looks like a nice number and a great balance. Problem is the students are not evenly distributed through 1^st grade to 12^th grade. This is a mirage. The current average class size is closer to 42 students per teacher! If 5,000 teachers are dismissed before next year, the average student per classroom rises to 25.5. This means an actual average classroom size of 46 kids! Prisons in California are not this overcrowded.

Black Tuesday came and went on May 25, 2011 with a quiet protest of Governor Brown’s educational tax cuts. The hopes for the Black Tuesday protest were an increased recognition by tax payers, parents, and those interested in our children’s future that they will realize what these tax cuts and budget restrictions to education means, less teachers and less quality education for our children.

It’s great that excess food is going to a good cause. It’s horrible that because a cafeteria manager has a budget they are going to spend it regardless. Simple solution, stop making meatloaf if the kids are not eating it! Let’s apply the foundation for which our country’s business strategy is based upon, the capitalistic notion of supply and demand; seems simple enough?

How can L.A. Unified continue to be so poorly mismanaged? What will the final outcome be? 21,000 meals donated each day or fewer teachers in the classrooms to teach our kids?

You can read Mary MacVean’s article at: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-lausd-donations-20110529,0,1069339.story

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The Dodgers are good at this failing thing.

If you fail once, try to burn it again, and again, and again!

To prove that the Dodgers can truly do nothing right this season, McCourt and Co. “tried” to set Dodger Stadium on fire again early Sunday morning for insurance money but to no avail. The Los Angeles Fire Department is too good at their job, sorry Frank. LA Fire Department said a SECOND fire in two days broke out in the same storage area close to the right field reserved section due to paper products igniting. Luckily no one was hurt or injured during the fire.

Just to clarify:

How could there still be “paper products” dry enough to catch fire after being hosed down by the fire department the day before? Furthermore, how could there still be a fire hazard anywhere in Dodger Stadium, much less in the same location, after the previous fire? Who is running Dodger Stadium and why do they hate the Dodgers and their fans? When will Major League Baseball say enough is enough and take over the Dodgers? Even the NCAA would’ve come in and cleaned house by now!

Whether you like the Dodgers or not, they used to be a proud organization with a great deal of talent and an amazing farm system. The Dodgers won NL pennants 5 times in the 1950’s, three times in the 1960’s, three times in the 1970’s, and twice in the 1980’s. The ‘90’s began like another dominant run was in the making. For five straight years the Dodgers had a new stud coming up through the organization winning MLB’s Rookie of the Year Award; 1992 Eric Karros, 1993 Mike Piazza, 1994 Raul Mondesi, 1995 Hideo Nomo, and in 1996 Todd Hollandsworth. Now the Dodgers only have two bright young position talents in right fielder Andre Either and center fielder Matt Kemp and one great young pitcher in Clayton Kershaw… and that’s it!

Fans should not expect the Dodgers or any organization to roll out a Rookie of the Year winner like the Dodgers did for 5 years in a row. But one would think that talent would have translated to something to brag about for the organization and their fans. The Dodgers have not won a National League Pennant since their last World Series win in 1988! Translation, they have not been to the World Series since 1988! They’ve only won the NL West 4 times since ’88; winning in 1995, 2004, 2008, and 2009. Thankfully Bud Selig instituted the Wild Card format in baseball in 1994 but not used until 1995 due to the MLB strike in 1994 (poor Matt Williams, he should’ve hit over 60 dingers that year, and the Cleveland Indians). In typical fashion, the Dodgers have only taken advantage of a Wild Card berth twice since ’95; in 1996 and 2006.

Fans in LA deserve better from the Dodgers organization and their owners! Here’s to hoping that whomever buys the Dodgers (please let it be Mark Cuban!) uses the Dodgers as a legitimate baseball team and not as a pay check or a tax write-off.

Post script:

Thank God the Dodgers still have Vin Scully! It is heartbreaking hearing Mr. Scully trying to stir enthusiasm and bring optimism to Dodgers' fans when there has been little to nothing to cheer about on the field. How Scully has not turned into Harry Doyle from “Major League” is a testament to his professionalism.

Cubs’ fans take a deep breath and relax. I know your story is more horrifying and heart wrenching. You have goats and curses to deal with and a fan in Bartman that is the poster child for north side hate. This was about the Dodgers, not baseball’s loveable perennial losers. 

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Curious Sports News

Sports Conspiracy Theorist? Maybe but here are some curious pieces of news!

Jose Bautista, the sometimes right fielder and sometimes third baseman for the Toronto Blue Jays, belted his 20^th homerun of the year Saturday against the Cleveland Indians. Bautista is on pace to hit over 60 homeruns this season. How can a can a career journeyman (Baltimore, Kansas City, Pittsburgh twice, Tampa Bay, and Toronto), who is now 30 years old, all of the sudden hit 54 homeruns in 2010 and possibly hit 50 or 60 this year when his previous season’s best was 16 homeruns in 2006?!?! Hate to be skeptical but… something doesn’t seem on the up and up here. All the talk has been about his stance being changed which has lead to his increased homerun production. If Sammy Sosa could understand English again, he would tell us that's what helped his playing career as well!

ABC and the NFL?

Is it a coincident that the NFL has a television contract with ABC and ESPN, both under the same ownership, and all of these NFL players keep winning or placing in the top three on ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars”?

Checkout the results:

Jerry Rice, Hall of Fame wide receiver, came in second in the winter of 2006, Emmit Smith, Hall of Fame running back, won in the fall of 2006, Jason Taylor, former Miami Dolphins and NY Jets defensive end, came in second in the spring of 2008, Warren Sapp, former defensive lineman for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Oakland Raiders, came in second in fall of 2008, and Hines Ward, Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver, won in the spring of 2011; linebacker Kirstie Alley came in second!

Burn it down maybe we can get insurance money for it!

Did Frank McCourt try to burn down Dodger Stadium Saturday night for the insurance money? In the 5^th inning of the Dodger’s game versus the Florida Marlins, smoke billowed out of the upper tier sections in right field down into the bleacher sections. Los Angeles Fire Department officials said the fire was caused by paper igniting in a storage section below the reserved sections. The fire was quickly put out and no one was hurt at Dodger Stadium… this time.

Nothing has gone right for the Dodger’s this season. Nothing!!! Of course the Dodgers lost that game as well.

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Thanks for reading. 

 HogManInLA

Elway shows Elway who’s the man!

John Elway, the Denver Broncos’ vice president and a Hall of Fame quarter back, was informed recently that a Fort Collins, Colorado based punk rock band have been performing as the band “Elway”, and he’s not happy about it. John Elway had his lawyer issue a letter to the band asking them to stop performing using the name “Elway”.

The band stood up to the NFL legend and released this statement:

“We have no intention of changing the name again. We love the name, regardless of what connotations are inferred by the listener. Surely, if the Dead Kennedys could become one of punk’s most popular bands without incurring litigation, Elway can keep their moniker and continue making so-so music for our dozens of fans to enjoy”

Just to clarify, do I really need to go down the freedom of speech line here? Especially over Memorial Day weekend! I’ve heard that John Elway was arrogant, but this arrogant? Did John Elway know before issuing the letter if any of the band members knew another cat named Elway? Should all parents, fans of the former quarterback, and/or residents of Colorado not be allowed to name their children John without his express written consent? Is Elway a copy written name? Does John Elway have a techno band that performs high school graduations on the weekend called “Elway”? Is John Elway the only Elway on the planet? I guess to him he’s the only important one.

I wish the band would’ve changed their name, but changed their band name to “John Elway Sucks”. I hope the band can milk this free advertising for all that its worth. 

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Quick Hits

What does a Duke education get you these days? It gets you a job as a video coordinator for Ohio State’s men’s basketball team. Head basketball coach, Thad Matta, announced yesterday that Greg Paulus will be joining their staff. Paulus played basketball at Duke from ’06-’09 and then transferred to Syracuse for a one year stint as their starting quarterback. You may remember that Paulus was stuffed down our throats by ESPN during his stint at Duke; just like all other Duke players are.  

Tim Teabow should sue Charlie Sheen for his “winning” slogan because no one continues to win more than Teabow. The Denver Broncos have made it clear they are going to proceed forward with Teabow as their starting quarterback. I have to remind you that this is the same franchise that traded away this year’s Madden cover boy, Peyton Hillis. Not all of their decisions have been great. John Fox is their new head coach so maybe he knows what he’s doing at the QB position and evaluating talent? Wait, didn’t he waste a second round pick on Jimmy Clausen last year? Good luck Bronco fans, you really are rebuilding now.

The Broncos will shop Kyle Orton when the lockout is over. They are asking for a 1^st or 2^nd round pick(s) for Orton. Poor Brady Quinn… that draft night slide goes into year 5.

When I heard Anna Kournikova was going to be on the “Biggest Loser” I thought that was a bit harsh. Granted she never won a Grand Slam singles title but come on, she’s no Jo-Jo Reyes!

AP going Hollywood?

How good would Adrian Peterson look rolling down the Sunset Strip? His million dollar smile would be worth billions in Los Angeles. The possibility of Los Angeles finally getting a pro football team again took a small step forward this week when Minnesota Vikings officials met with members of AEG in Los Angeles. AEG is the group that has proposed a stadium plan for LA. Vikings officials claim they were meeting with AEG officials not because AEG needs a team to agree to move to LA before they build their stadium, but because they were interested in the sports training complex AEG recently completed. Right! I’m sure the Vikings are not trying to use this possible move as leverage against the state of Minnesota to get a new stadium built.

More Vikings news

Reports earlier this week came out that Rush Limbaugh is still delusional enough to believe he could possibly be a NFL owner one day. Limbaugh let it be known that he is interested in purchasing the Minnesota Vikings... and the world groans with you. Limbaugh came under major scrutiny in 2009 when he was part of an owners group wanting to buy the St. Louis Rams. Limbaugh’s presence as one of the owners became a major distraction due to Limbaugh’s on-air comments about Donovan McNabb. That ownership group quickly removed Limbaugh as one of their members. In 2003 Limbaugh had an ill-advised stint on ESPN as a pro football commentator. He only lasted a couple of weeks after he said the media and the NFL are giving Donovan McNabb the benefit of the doubt as a quarterback because he is black and they want a black quarterback to succeed in the NFL. Luckily ESPN fired Limbaugh immediately.

Just to clarify, politics and sports should never mix. Any form of sports for fans should be an escape from the daily grind, not a reminder of all that is going on in the world… good or bad. Limbaugh is fooling himself if he thinks NFL owners and players will ever agree to let him be an owner. NFL owners, even if they like Limbaugh personally, will never back him because they would lose the support of their players. ESPN was wrong to put him on-air and luckily he shot himself in his big mouth in 2003. 

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USC took the hardest hit I’ve seen in a while!

The NCAA has issued their ruling on USC’s appeal to reduce the punishment previously issued to their athletic department and their football program. With a strong and commanding NO to USC, the NCAA upheld all sanctions previously imposed.  Now the men and women of Troy are crying foul, but why? Clearly they are they thinking as fans of the program and they are not thinking of the betterment of college athletics.

Here’s a quick recap of the major highlights that lead to the NCAA’s ruling against USC on the grounds of a lack of institutional control. Reggie Bush’s family was given a $600,000 house to live in and Reggie Bush was given money and gifts by multiple agents while at USC; let’s not forget that Bush was such a standup guy that he shunned one of the agents that was giving him money once he “officially” became a pro athlete, he was taking money and gifts from anyone and everyone. An assistant on the football staff, Todd McNair, was aware of some of the gifts bestowed to Bush and his family, and did nothing to stop it or report it.

OJ Mayo, a former guard on USC’s men’s basketball team, received cash directly from then head coach, Tim Floyd, to play at USC. This does not include the front row seats to NBA games and other gifts given to Mayo while playing at USC.

Remember these are just the quick highlights. Who knows what else happened that has not been made public?

USC fans stop crying. You knew this day was coming. If you’re looking for someone to blame, blame Pete Carroll. Carroll knew what was going on, he knew what sanctions were coming to the program, and he jumped ship to the NFL. He’s another fine example of a great leader of our children! What says you Jim Tressel?

The NCAA upheld their decision to impose a two-year bowl ban on USC’s football program and a reduction of thirty, yes, 30 scholarships over three years, 10 recruits per year, and I couldn’t be happier. I understand their punishment is a huge hit, one that would be devastating to any football program, even a program that recruits as well as USC. To put this into another perspective, NCAA division 1 football teams are only allowed to sign 25 recruits each year; certain exceptions to this rule such as loss of scholarships due to transferring, etc are sometimes made. USC will only be allowed to sign 15 new players each year over the next three years. I hope they recruit really well and don’t have any injury issues or they’re in for a long three years (Hey Washington State, this is your one and only chance to beat USC!). Once their recruiting ban is lifted, it will realistically take USC a couple of years to develop quality depth on their football team from that point. This really seems more like a 5 year punishment if they’re lucky.

As for Lane Kiffin, the current head football coach at USC; he was on staff during the Bush years thus I don’t feel sorry for him at all. Kiffin seemed to keep falling forward rather than backwards as he jumped from one coaching failure to the next after leaving USC as their offensive coordinator. He hasn’t been successful since he left USC and he handled the University of Tennessee and Oakland Raiders coaching jobs poorly. Somehow Kiffin seemed to keep falling forward with his coaching opportunities and managed to land the head coaching job at USC (thanks Papa Kiffin!); until recently USC was considered one of the top football coaching jobs in the nation. Time will tell if Kiffin will keep falling forward or if his string of luck has finally ended, coming full circle to face the punishment for the good fortune he reaped because of his NCAA determined illegal stint previously at USC.

Just to clarify, I’ve never agreed with kids paying the price for those that have come before them. If the person in front of me ran a red light but I stopped, why should I get punished for their actions just because I’m occupying their old space? This is how I perceive the NCAA’s sanctions on bowl restrictions and post season play on kids that had nothing to do with the previous team’s misconduct.

I also think it is wrong to take scholarships away from students that may not get an opportunity to go to college otherwise. If USC is not awarding 30 scholarships over then next 3 years that means 30 kids will not get a chance to go to college. I understand that the 5, 4, and 3 star recruits they normally recruit will still get a chance to play somewhere else but 30 kids towards the bottom of the talent pool will now miss out. The NCAA should force these teams to put the loss of those scholarships towards other students in need. If those scholarships stay within their sports programs, so be it. Someone should still receive the benefit of that college education.

I’ve always thought a player and/or coach should be held responsible for the infractions they committed even if they are no longer at said university. Reggie Bush, OJ Mayo, Tim Floyd, and Pete Carroll should have to face some sort of punishment for their NCAA determined illegal benefits. I’m not sure if a monetary fine would be enough or always fair. At the minimum they should have to do a PSA and community service regarding the infractions they committed. The “grab the money and go” and let the chips fall where they may attitude towards the university that was trying to help you is unfair for said school.

Ohio State, Auburn, and Oregon have to be really freaking nervous today! If the NCAA increases the total punishment given to USC upon any school found to be lacking institutional control moving forward, those schools are in for a rude awakening. Let this be a lesson to athletic programs and fans, enjoy the success your team is having now because you will have to pay dearly for it at a later date.

Another note to Mark May, USC fans, and other oblivious sports fans:

If BCS president Bill Hancock decides that USC must relinquish their rights to the 2005 National Championship because of Reggie Bush’s actions, you can no longer say you have won a national championship during the BCS era. The “other” championship you “won” in the 2003-2004 season, you didn’t because that was voted on by the Associated Press not won on the field as agreed upon in a BSC game which is why the BCS was formed… no split championships! That championship belongs to LSU. You can’t change the rules in your favor as you please… I guess if you’re USC you can until you get caught and then not accept your punishment like an adult. 

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The pros gave back yesterday… for the right or wrong reasons?

Sports fans were sent a few notable “I love yous” from the professional sports world yesterday. Only problem is only one of the gestures seems to be from the heart.

Yesterday I railed on Tiger Woods attempt to manipulate the media. In case you missed it; on Twitter Tiger promised to donate one million dollars to the Tiger Woods Foundation if no one asked him about his leg injury during his AT&T National press conference. First question of the press conference was about his leg. No donation, right? No. Tiger later tweeted that he would still donate one million dollars to his foundation. That was a shrewd marketing ploy by Tiger. 1) See if I can get away with not having to answer the same questions about my leg injury. 2) Promote my foundation. 3) Donate a million dollars to a charity so I can gain public approval. I’m not buying it.

Barry Bonds made positive headlines yesterday by setting up a college trust fund for the kids of Bryan Stow; Bryan is the San Francisco Giants fan who is still in critical condition after being beaten earlier this year after a Giants vs. Dodgers baseball game. The news of the college trust was made public through Bryan Stow’s attorney.

Another smart publicity stunt for a professional athlete widely considered to be a bad guy and not well liked by both the public and his peers. Remember Bonds is still waiting sentencing on his perjury charges. If someone out of Bonds’ camp made the press release regarding his kind gesture, this would’ve been a direct attempt to gain public favor. By having Bryan Stow’s attorney release the information, this makes Bonds look like a good guy that cares about others. I’m not buying it.

The Golden State Warriors used a marketing tactic that made headlines yesterday as well, and they used a tactic that I liked. They made four promises to their fans:

1) The Club will reach the NBA Playoffs in 2012.

2) The Club will have a player participate in the 2012 NBA All-Star Game in Orlando.

3) The Club will win 25 or more home games at Oracle Arena.

4) The Club will honor a risk free renewal, with a 5% interest free guarantee option for the 2011-2012 NBA season.

If the team fails to meet these goals, the Warriors will give gifts back to their season ticket holders. The gifts range from autographed Warriors paraphernalia to a promise to not increase their season ticket prices the following year.

What a great idea! Give back to the people that support your team year after year regardless of the players on the team, win or lose. Let your fans know you care.

Does anyone out there have a direct connection to Frank McCourt and the Dodgers or Donald Sterling and the Clippers front office? They might find the Warriors marketing strategy as blasphemous, but hopefully at some point they will see the value in treating your fans properly.

Just to clarify, I’m happy that someone out there will receive the benefit of a good deed by people with a less than honorable character. I’m also happy to see the owners of the Golden State Warriors letting their fans know that they care. Even if one of the rewards is to not raise season ticket prices on their season ticket holders the following year, thus getting them on the hook for two seasons of paid tickets. A discount is a discount and the Warriors fans definitely deserve that. The Warriors have only made the playoffs once (2007) since 1994.

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Tiger manages to be an ass even while doing a good deed.

The media and the Tiger Woods Foundation won a round against Tiger Woods today. Minutes before Tiger’s press conference at the AT&T National, Tiger tweeted, “Almost press conference time. I’ll donate one million dollars to the TWFoundation if no one asks me about the leg.”

The very first question asked was about his health and the status of his leg injury. Good for the media for not yielding to his attempt to manipulate them. As soon as the question was asked Tiger smiled and said, “There goes the donation.”

Tiger tweeted after his press conference, “Bet was over after the first question but of course I’m going to give the money to the TWFoundation.”

Just to clarify, I can’t decide if I’m just so sick of Tiger Woods that no matter what he does I’ll think he’s an ass or if his actions today were truly arrogant? I’m sure he’s tired of answering questions about his leg injury but to try and manipulate the press that way… This gives a good insight that he thinks he can buy his way out of any situation he wants. This also gives insight he feels everyone hangs on his every tweet.

Tiger, if the golf world didn’t care about your leg injury, all that you seem to care about… fame, money, and centering the world on you would be gone.

I guess the one good thing is the TW Foundation will receive a one million dollar donation from Tiger. Something it appears he was going to do anyway but he wanted to see if he could get away with something else in the process. Sickening! I wouldn’t be surprised if the TW Foundation pays Tiger Woods thus his “good deed” for a worthy cause is all for show.

For those of you unfamiliar with the TW Foundation:

The Tiger Woods Foundation was started by Tiger and his later father, Earl. In 1996 they built a 35,000 square foot learning center in Southern California for underserved youths. Their vision then and now is to help kids round out their educational opportunities by having college-access type classes. Essentially what this means is they are taking the traditional educational format for kids in grades 5-12 and expanding upon that curriculum in a private setting. The TW Foundation has grown to include to campuses in the Washington D.C. area. The Foundation also awards scholarships to students in need.

NBA Thoughts

Performance Enhancing Drugs in the NBA? Not the NBA?!?!

How quickly will this story be swept under the rug? Derrick Rose was asked on a scale of 1-10 if there is a problem in the NBA with players using PEDs. Rose was quoted in the May 30^th issue of ESPN the Magazine as saying, “7. It’s huge and I think we need a level playing field, where nobody has that advantage over the next person. Now Rose has a bad case of amnesia… he does not remember the question and has backed away from his previous statement.

There was a time when I heard the word steroids and I automatically thought about body builders and pro football players. I think MLB woke many of us up to the fact that steroids can be used in different sports to achieve different desired results. The NBA suspended OJ Mayo, guard for the Memphis Grizzlies, 10 games in January for an over the counter nutritional supplement. My skepticism makes me wonder how bad an over the counter supplement really is if that product can be purchased at a vitamin store? Conspiracy theory: could this be the NBA’s way of covering up a failed steroid test?

Just to clarify, not all PEDs are used to add muscle mass or for weight lifting. Many people take steroids to speed up recovery time or take a PED like EPO, which helps one with their endurance (Lance Armstrong). David Stern has been very crafty about the NBA’s public image and I’m sure he will do everything he can to make Rose’s statement a non-issue. But it seems that even individuals within the NBA don’t feel like everything is on the up and up (see NBA draft conspiracies and referee scandal). Rose’s statement reminds me “Where there’s smoke, there’s fire”.

More NBA thoughts:

Enough of the whining you big baby!

Too much talk in Los Angeles and around the nation has been centered on Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s recent statement regarding him wanting a statue of his likeness to be placed in front of Staples. He’s pouting because Magic Johnson and Jerry West will have statues in front of The Staples Arena and he won’t. There’s been a reason the public has not embraced Kareem nor has the Los Angeles Lakers; he’s not a likeable guy.

I’ve got a solution for you Kareem. We’ll build a statue for you but place it in front of The Forum in Englewood; where the Lakers played in the ‘70’s, 80’s, and ‘90’s. The occasional concert goers will be able to see your statue but Lakers fans and sports fans will not have to be bothered with it.

Just to clarify, I’m so tired of hearing about the younger generations being self centered and being all about “me”. Kareem is a 7’ 2” tall reminder of how selfish and greedy the Baby Boomer generation has become and how bad they’ve been all along. Our nation is in economic despair and ruin thanks to the Baby Boomer generation’s greed and there’s a 65 year old “baby” crying in the corner because he’s not getting enough “love”. Give me a break!

Say it isn’t so Ray!

Ego maniac, prophet, or crazier than we all thought? Perhaps a little bit of everything. All thoughts came to my head as I read Ray Lewis’ comments regarding the NFL lockout. The Baltimore Ravens linebacker said not only does he anticipate crime increasing for NFL players if there is no NFL season but also crime increasing for the general public in the U.S. He went on to say, "Millions of people live their lives through NFL players. If they don’t have football to watch on Sunday they will start to commit more crimes."

Really Ray? I’m a sucker for football on Sunday and I check my fantasy football stats 10 times too many throughout those days but I don’t live my life through any NFL players nor does anyone else I know. I don’t ever remember a coworker missing work on Monday because he and Brian Urlacher blew out their ACL on Sunday playing the Packers???

As for the increased crime rates, how has the NFL helped fight crime all these years without me knowing? Does the NFL logo strike fear into the hearts of criminals the same as the "S" on Superman’s chest? Has the NFL saved an old lady from getting mugged in Gotham City? Why have I not heard about this?!?! 

Is this how criminals decide how their days go? “Hey Bob, you want to rob a gas station?” “I can’t go Steve, the Bills are on at 1:00.” Have criminals made the fall and winter their off-seasons because of the NFL? I’m confused?

What will Ray do if the lockout continues? Let’s hope he doesn’t try to fight crime in Atlanta, obstruct it, or cause it (where is that missing white suit he was wearing?). I guess the NFL, that would be you Ray, couldn’t save Baker and Lollar from being stabbed after a Super Bowl party in Atlanta on January 31, 2000. Funny how the NFL and crime making, I mean, fighting works?

Just to clarify, if the NFL lockout continues perhaps the good citizens of Gotham City will not lose their paychecks gambling on "the players they live their lives through". And hopefully, domestic violence will decrease on Sundays during the criminal off-season because there will be no games for our so called NFL "heroes" to lose or fail to cover the spread.

Seems like crime might go on the down swing if the lockout continues. Sorry Ray.

Thank You

I wanted to thank all of the readers that came out for the meet and greet at the Whaler last night in Venice. We had a great time! Sports talk, beers, and the Dallas Mavericks vs. Oklahoma City Thunder game was the backdrop for our night. I met some new Arkansas Razorback fans too.

Reminder to all my readers:
Sign up to follow my articles by email and stop being shy!!! Sign up as a reader/follower. Show your Avatar off!

Thanks
HogManInLA

American Ninja Warrior

Yours truly was on the set of American Ninja Warriors this week; watching, not trying out! G4 began the early round auditions on Monday. Each day and round the obstacle course increased in difficulty until the finals on Wednesday.

The location was at the Venice Circle in Venice, California; you may remember the spot better as the main basketball courts in "White Men Can't Jump". I had a great time watching the competitors run the obstacle courses while displaying a different athletic skill set than what we are used to seeing watching hockey, basketball, football, and baseball. There were a lot of wipe outs, some nice face plants, and belly flops into the water. Some terrific athletes turned out for the event.

I took some pictures to share with you. Enjoy.

Reader Appreciation Meet and Greet

You, my readers have asked, and again I will deliver!

We are confirmed for tomorrow night at the Whaler in Venice, California starting at 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. for a HogManInLA reader meet and greet.

I look forward to meeting all of you there.

HogManInLA

Razorbacks Spring Evaluation Period

Matt Hinton of rivals.com recently wrote an article about Bobby Petrino and the University of Arkansas football program “cutting the fat” from their roster. He cites 7 players have been granted a release from their scholarship during the 2011 spring evaluation period with a “persona non grata” attitude from Petrino.

What Hinton is not telling his readers:

Seth Oxner, a soon to be 5^th year senior, has already graduated from the University of Arkansas. Oxner was the starting center for the Razorbacks in 2009 and lost his starting position to freshman Travis Swanson last season. So what is Petrino suppose to do? Keep the kid on the bench during his senior season or let him transfer somewhere else so he can finish up his college career and possible football career as a starter at another/smaller school? In my opinion he is doing Oxner a favor. Oxner will never get another chance to be college eligible again. On a competitive note, if he’s not good enough to beat a freshman out???

Lance Ray is a wide receiver buried on a depth chart that is easily the best unit in college football… with more incoming talent being added in August. If Ray is more interested in smoking marijuana than running routes, he needs to go. I think Petrino was nice enough to let a starting corner back walk off the team and join Oklahoma State after a similar situation last year.

Kicker Eddie Camara was a freshman last year just like 2010 starter Zach Hocker. Most kickers do not get hurt during their career, sans Martin Gramatica. IF Petrino let Camara know that he is going to have a tough time making the field as a place kicker or kick-off team specialist… again, what are Camara and Petrino to do? Allow the kid to go somewhere so he can play.

Sophomore linebacker Austin Moss and freshman guard Cam Feldt are losses the Razorback program would be reeling from for a couple of years under the old regime. Both players were highly recruited coming out of high school. I hate to see them leave but I have to think they are doing what is best for their college careers.

Tight End Ryan Calender is another player that I was looking forward to watching progress through his years at Arkansas. Starting TE, junior Chris Gragg is another Chris Carter in the making, because “all he does is catch touchdowns”. With his speed and catching ability, Gragg could follow in departed TE, DJ Williams’s footsteps as another Mackey Award winner. This could seem daunting for Calender.

Colby Berna is looking for a medical exception due to complications with his shoulder. If he is physically unable to perform, there’s not much Petrino can do about that.

Just to clarify, three of the parting players I wish we could keep but I trust Petrino and hope those players are doing what’s best for themselves and the team. Of the remaining players granted their release, one has graduated from Arkansas, another is physically unable to perform, a third has been busted with marijuana, and a kicker that is in the same class as the returning starter.

Petrino has made it clear to all incoming players to be ready to play and keep working hard or else. De’Anthony Curtis is a hold over from the Houston Nutt staff. Curtis has been moved around to running back, wide receiver, and corner back. If Petrino was “heartless” he would’ve given Curtis his walking papers a long time ago. Petrino does not owe Curtis anything as he did not recruit him. Because Petrino sees Curtis working hard and trying to improve everyday, he has tried to find a way to get Curtis on the field. If these other players were exhibiting the same effort, I’m sure they would still be apart of the Razorback program.

Parting thoughts: 

I seriously doubt that any of the “student athletes” released by Petrino will have a tough time finding a school that will extend them a scholarship so they can receive their degree and grow as a football player.

I always thought that if a college student receives a scholarship due to their ACT and SAT test scores and/or high school grades, if that student does not achieve a certain standard nor progress while attending said school, that student could lose their scholarship. Why couldn’t a student-athlete be under the same scrutiny?

You can read Hinton’s article at:  http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/blog/dr_saturday/post/Oversigning-Arkansas-cuts-to-the-chase-on-cutti?urn=ncaaf-wp1658

Thanks for the memories Lance!

Another former Lance Armstrong teammate has come forward accusing the 7 time Tour De France winner of doping. Tyler Hamilton, 40, taped a segment on “60 minutes” admitting that he and Armstrong injected EPO before the 1999, 2000, and 2001 races. Hamilton said he and Armstrong’s routine included “EPO, testosterone, a blood transfusion”.

Armstrong immediately tweeted, “20+ year career. 500 drug controls worldwide, in and out of competition. Never failed a test. I rest my case.” He forgot to tweet, “and still never been caught!”

It’s hard to take Floyd Landis or Tyler Hamilton serious as both men were caught doping and both lied about taking performance enhancing drugs. Hamilton retired from cycling in 2008 rather than face an 8 year ban when he was caught taking DHEA, an antidepressant containing steroids, during a race. This was Hamilton’s second positive test. He had received a two year ban in 2005 after testing positive twice between 2004 and 2005. Armstrong’s camp points out that Hamilton is trying to sell his book and get a publishing deal in the process thus the reason for outing Armstrong. He just needs a name to help get a deal.

Just to clarify, I am of the opinion that all cyclists, and a great deal of other professional athletes, take some form of performance enhancing drugs. Some are just better about getting away with it than others. I’m tired of hearing about Lance Armstrong… did he or didn’t he. The French will hound Armstrong to his grave. Lance is no longer racing and he’s made his money… what is there to gain one way or another if we find out he definitively did dope during his streak of 7 straight wins? Let it be!

"Morality" gets the cover

ESPN and ESPN the magazine is finally turning on the "Vest" and Ohio State.

During all of these B(c)S years ESPN has been shoving Ohio State down our collective throats; they had to because that was their cash cow team and they had a Big 10 contract they had to exploit for advertising dollars. OSU continued kept getting top notch bowl games they did not deserve in the process. ESPN gave the Vest the cover of their magazine with the logo "BUSTED" across his chest in place of Ohio State University. I'm loving it!

2011 NBA Draft Order

Tuesday night had a few NBA fans excited for a couple of minutes as the draft order for the 2011 NBA Draft was announced. Gone are the years when fans tuned into this show to find out if their favorite team(s) was getting a good draft position. Now most fans will find out through a friend or wait until watching a game next season to find out that said player was a first round draft pick.

For those of you still somewhat interested in the 2011 NBA draft, I broke it down for you.

1. Cleveland Cavaliers
2. Minnesota Timberwolves
3. Utah Jazz
4. Cleveland Cavaliers
5. Toronto Raptors
6. Washington Wizards
7. Sacramento Kings
8. Detroit Pistons
9. Charlotte Bobcats
10. Milwaukee Bucks
11. Golden State Warriors
12. Utah Jazz
13. Phoenix Suns
14. Houston Rockets
15. Indiana Pacers
16. Philadelphia 76ers
17. New York Knicks
18. Washington Wizards
19. Charlotte Bobcats
20. Minnesota Timberwolves
21. Portland Trailblazers
22. Denver Nuggets
23. Houston Rockets
24. Oklahoma City Thunder
25. Boston Celtics
26. Dallas Mavericks
27. New Jersey Nets
28. Chicago Bulls
29. San Antonio Spurs
30. Chicago Bulls

Seven teams pick twice this year (T-Wolves, Wizards, Bobcats, Rockets, and Bulls) and the Cavs and Jazz pick twice within the lottery (picks 1-13). This could be a good year for the Cavs to rebound from LeBron’s departure.

Two of the top prospects barely had a college basketball career. Kyrie Irving is expected to go #1 overall and Enes Kanter, a Kentucky signee that never made into a college game and has not played competitively in two years should be drafted within the top 10. What does that say about incoming NBA talent? Not a lot.

Former Arizona Wildcat player, PF Derrick Williams, is considered the second best player in the draft. Problem is the T-Wolves two best players are power forwards. You can bet the T-Wolves will be trading something or someone come draft time. Williams is listed at 6’8” which means he’s more than likely 6’6”. Is that the size you want for a PF?

Three foreign players should go in the first 10 picks. I know nothing about them other than they are foreign players and I still have no idea where Ricky Rubio is!

Jimmer Fredette, the 2011 NCAA basketball player of the year, is expected to drop into the second half of the first round. Does anyone remember how good Stockton and Price were in the NBA? Back when the NBA was loaded with talent! If Fredette learns how to guard someone, he could be a good player for years to come… I just realized I was writing about NBA players and defense. I had to laugh.

Even though the Bulls have two of the last three picks in the draft, I look for them to do something with both picks. I’m not sure if they will trade the picks or take two players. Either way, I see them getting value in this draft. They have done a really good job of stockpiling young talent over the last 4-5 years.

This is another year of the point guard draft. 7 point guards could go in the first round, with three going in the top 5.

Three Kansas players might be selected in the first round. Which poses the question, what is Bill Self doing in Kansas? He has too much talent going through there to not win at a higher level year after year.

Just to clarify, the Cavs and Jazz can make some good strides in this year’s draft. Both teams could draft a point guard to build around and add much needed talent with their second lottery pick. This should give both die hard fan bases something to be excited about for years to come.

The overall talent in this draft is very weak. How can it be great if the NBA has one lottery pick that played in only 11 college games and another that has not played competitively in two years?

Wednesday Quick Hits

Party like a Fin

Finland’s head coach, Pasi Nurminen (you may remember him as the goalie for the Atlanta Thrashers from 2001-2004), was feeling no pain after he took a Gerald Ford like spill while deplaning after his team won the IHF world championship. He face planted onto the tarmac and into the IHF trophy denting it. He walked away only embarrassed and not injured. I guess a little celebration on the plane never hurt anybody, only a trophy?

NBA Playoffs

My pre-post season NBA picks are still alive (kind of), which is good and bad. If you’ve been following my articles for any length of time, you know I’m not a fan of the Miami Heat but I reluctantly had them going to the Eastern Conference Finals. If game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals is a foreshadowing of events, HogManInLA will be a happy man after 4-5 more Eastern Conference games and the Bulls continuing on to the NBA Finals.

Before the playoffs started I didn’t give the Dallas Mavericks much of a chance to make the Western Conference Finals. In fact I had them losing in the first round. I picked the Thunder vs. Lakers with the Lakers winning. Who knew Gasol would wind up on a milk carton before their second round series was over?

Dirk showed up big last night scoring 48 points. He shot 12-15 from the field and set an NBA playoff record from the charity stripe hitting 24-24 while leading the Mavs over the Thunder 121-112. The Mavs played near perfect basketball last night. Their home court advantage will be the difference in this series. I now see the Mavs taking the series in 6.

Poster for dad

Taking it like a good sport, Miami Heat’s Dwayne Wade Twitted that his oldest son Zaire dunked on him on his Nerf rim and yelled “Gibson”! That had to hurt his pride just a little at first. If you haven't seen Gibson's dunk on Wade during game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals, YouTube it!

Whose town is Chicago?

It’s Oprah’s town. The Bulls had to practice at the University of Illinois-Chicago on Monday because Oprah’s last shows are being taped at the United Center.

Down and out… again and again

The Los Angeles Dodgers can’t seem to get anything going their way. Their collective bats have been quiet since the start of the season and Chad Billingsley paid the price for it on Sunday.

Andre Either caught baseball’s eye with a 30-game hit streak through April into May and Matt Kemp was off to a hot start but he has cooled over the past couple of weeks. Even a two pitcher combined 1-hitter can’t get the Dodgers a win. Chad Billingsley pitched 8 innings of 1-hit ball (striking out 8) and Kenley Jansen closed out the 9^th without giving up a hit only to lose the game 1-0.

Arizona’s only run, an unearned run, was made possible by a Billingsley throwing error in the second inning. Stephen Drew led off the inning with a double. A called pick-off play on Drew at second was not covered by shortstop Jamey Carroll. Billingsley threw the ball into centerfield, allowing Drew to advance to third base. Melvin Mora then hit a sacrifice fly to score Drew.

This was the 4^th time the hapless Dodgers (19-21) have been shut out and the 17^th time they have scored 2 runs or less this season. It’s hard to see a ray of light for the Dodgers and the rest of their season. The NL West is weak this year, as it was last year, and none of the teams are separating themselves from the pack. I guess the one good thing for the Dodgers and their fans is the San Francisco Giants threw two 1-hitters while losing last season on their way to winning the World Series.

Chipper Jones still hurting.

When news broke that Chipper Jones had a tear in his right meniscus, I thought his season was finished… again. When Bobby Cox announced that he was retiring before the 2010 season began, this signaled the end of an era in Atlanta. Jones, the #1 overall first round pick by Atlanta in the 1990 draft, is the last holdover from Atlanta’s incredible run through the ‘90’s and 2000’s. Chipper said he did not want to play for another manager as Cox had been his skipper throughout his MLB career. The thought was both Jones and Cox would retire at the end of a winning 2010 season. Chipper tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during their “swan song” and the Braves failed to make the World Series. With unfinished business, the highly possible future Hall of Famer came back. The Braves have a wild-card worthy team this season and we all know that anything can happen in the post season. It would be nice to see Jones and the Braves end this era with a winner.

Just to clarify, I think Jones will be a Hall of Famer some day. The problem is he doesn’t have a milestone that jumps out at you or one that he is close to passing. To date he has 2,529 career hits, 440 homeruns, 1,518 RBIs, and a .305 career average. All of his numbers are great but nothing that makes him a first ballot guy. With 1 World Series ring as opposed to his contemporary, Derek Jeter’s 5 and Jeter gaining on 3,000 career hits, Jones should go down in the books as one of it not the best third baseman of his generation. Fortunately Jones will only be out a few more games and he can continue to add stats to his sure to be Hall of Fame career.

That was one heck of a homerun.

Kendrys Morales’ 2011 season was over before it started. Last May Morales broke his left ankle celebrating a walk-off grand slam against the Seattle Mariners. While celebrating his winning homerun, Morales jumped on home plate and the rest as they say is history. “The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in Southern California not far off the I-5 interstate and close to Disney World but an hour away from Hollywood” have shut down Morales as he is to have arthoscopic surgery on his left ankle to clean up scar tissue. I hope this serves as a lesson to be learned for those that celebrate their accomplishments just a little bit too much.

On the line of celebrating just a little too much… how about the Miami Heat?

Much has been said about the 10 minute post game celebration the Heat players had after closing out the Boston Celtics in their semi-final matchup; either you like the Miami Heat or you don’t, there’s no in between with LeBron James anymore. If one didn’t know any better you would think the Heat had won the NBA Championship with their big displays of emotion, high fiving each other, and “barbaric yawps” to the crowd… nope, they just won the chance to get ran out of the building against the Chicago Bulls in game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals. I guess LeBron and company knew their season was over when they were celebrating their win against the Celtics?

Just to clarify, I hope the Bulls sweep the Heat. I bet the Cleveland Cavalier fans were celebrating that victory harder than the Chicago Bulls fans.

A Troubling Trend

Interracial profiling

While trying to promote an upcoming fight, Bernard Hopkins called out Washington Redskins’ quarterback Donovan McNabb. Hopkins said, “He’s got a suntan. That’s all. McNabb is the guy in the house, while everybody else is in the field.” A slave reference to plantation living? Why?

This isn’t the first time, nor the last I’m sure, that Hopkins has called out other people regarding their abilities due to the color, or lack there of, of their skin. Hopkins also said that Manny Pacquiao, a Filipino boxer, would not be able to beat a black boxer with inner city ability. Not just a black boxer, but one with an inner city background.

Leading up to his April 19, 2008 fight against Joe Calzaghe, Hopkins said, “I’ll never let a white boy beat me.” Hopkins would lose that fight in a decision to Calzaghe, a white fighter.

I will not try to speculate on Hopkins' thought process but it is obvious that he is prejudice against others, even other African Americans or he is willing to say any stupid thing that pops in his head to get attention. Hopkins is an inner city boxer from Philadelphia. At the age of 17 in 1983 he was sentenced 18 years in prison for committing 9 felonies (mugging, etc…) which he served 5 years. Hopkins served his time and as our society is setup, Hopkins is to be forgiven for his crimes and he has been forgiven. It appears that this is a double standard for Hopkins as he is not forgiving of anyone who is not “black enough” or from the inner city.

This is the second time in two months that another high profile black athlete has called out another black athlete for essentially not being black enough. On March 13, 2011 Rose called Grant Hill and other black former Duke Blue Devil basketball players “Uncle Tom” because they played for Duke, a school considered to be for “privileged whites”.

There’s another double standard here. I’m not sure how Rose’s job at ESPN would not make him an Uncle Tom? It seems that if one is surrounded by other white people and is successful, this makes that African American not “black enough” or an “Uncle Tom”. Just because Rose is talking about basketball (a culturally viable sport), this would not give him a pass as Hill was not given a pass for playing basketball. So what gives?

To further this point, I don’t understand how African American athletes are allowed to date interracially and not be considered an “Uncle Tom”? Rose’s reported girlfriend, Kristen “Krissy” Terry is not black. She appears to be of Caucasian and Hispanic descent. What’s with that?

You can view Terry’s IMDB profile at: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3546329/

Just to clarify, I don’t care about race one way or another. It doesn’t matter to me and it shouldn’t matter to you. A couple in love is just that, a couple in love. A great athlete is just that, a great athlete. Life should be lived and viewed regardless of skin color. I just wish people would stop playing the race card, even within their own race.

HogManInLA Reader Appreciation Article

My readers have asked and I have delivered. I was sent an email by a reader asking my opinions regarding the federal BCS antitrust lawsuit with hopes that I would write an article for you, his fellow readers. After a great amount of research and internal debate over the subject, I’ve written the following article. I hope you enjoy it.

In April the Attorney General for the state of Utah, Republican Mark Shurtleff, garnered and rallied enough support from the University of Utah administrators and professors to file an antitrust lawsuit against NCAA’s division 1 college football Bowl Championship Series (BCS). Shurtleff’s lawsuit will attempt to disband the current BCS format and force the BCS to pay restitution to smaller division 1 football programs (like Utah and Boise State) that have been hurt by the unfair competitive practices and illegal monopoly the BCS is alleged to have committed and/or operate. This call to action would also, in theory, force the NCAA and BCS to adopt a playoff system for division 1 college football.

In response to Shurtleff’s complaint, a letter was sent to new NCAA President, Mark Emmert, PhD (former University of Washington president), from Christine Varney, Assistant Attorney General, on May 3^rd, posed three questions regarding the antitrust suit; the first steps towards a Sherman Act lawsuit.

1) Why does the Football Bowl Subdivision not have a playoff, when so many other NCAA sports have NCAA-run playoffs or championships?

2) What steps, if any, has the NCAA taken to create a playoff among Football Subdivision teams before or during your tenure? To the extent any steps were taken, why where they not successful? What steps does the NCAA plan to take to create a playoff at this time?

3) Have you determined that there are aspects of the BCS system that do not serve the interests of fans, colleges, universities, and players? To what extent could an alternative system better serve those interests?

First a little BCS history:

The BCS was put into place starting the 1998 season by former SEC commissioner Roy Kramer. Before the BCS came into existence, the #1 and #2 Associated Press ranked teams had only played each other 8 times in a post season bowl game over the previous 56 years. Fans, teams, players, and universities alike wanted a true national champions decided on the field not one that was voted upon by football writers and coaches. The BCS was formed to remedy this problem. The BCS replaced the Bowl Alliance format which replaced the previous Bowl Coalition format. The previously flawed format forced conference winners into predetermined bowl games due to conference tie-ins and contracts. For example, the winner of the Big 10 has a tie-in to the Rose Bowl, winner of the SEC has a tie-in to the Sugar Bowl, the winner of the PAC 10 has a tie-in to the Rose Bowl, the ACC winner ties to the Orange Bowl, and the Big 12 winner ties to the Fiesta Bowl. The Big East does not have a BCS bowl tie-in.

Six conferences, “power conferences” and one independent (Notre Dame), comprise the current BCS (ACC, Big East, Big 10, Big 12, PAC 12, and the SEC). The current system takes 10 teams and matches those teams into 5 bowl games: the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, the Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, Arizona, the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida, and the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans, Louisiana. The National Championship Game, pairing the top 2 rated teams, is rotated amongst the four bowl sites every four years. The conference winner from each league (total of 6) is given an automatic bowl berth. The 4 remaining spots are awarded to teams based off polls and computer rankings (a confusing and debatable approach). With the Championship game site and top teams determined by rules, BCS administrators then choose which teams will play each other within the 4 predetermined bowl sites; a subject of much controversy. Notre Dame has to finish in the top 8 to receive a BCS bowl berth.

Just to clarify, this seems like a political move on Shurtleff’s part to help promote his own political future not something to benefit college football. Smart move on Shurtleff’s part, but disgusting at the same time. Even if he loses, he tried and his name is circulating. Why does this seem like a pure political move and not something that will benefit the University of Utah and non-power conferences like Conference USA, the Sun Belt, Mid-American, Mountain West, and Mountain West moving forward? Conference realignment, University of Utah will be joining the PAC 12, a BCS league; in July thus they will no longer be one of the “little guys”. So why the big fuss? Political gain and name recognition.

Why and when did the debate for a playoff system become a national interest story?

The flaws in the system were really exposed in the 2003-2004 season; USC was wrongly voted #1 in the final AP Poll by sports writers. USC was ranked #3 going into their Rose Bowl matchup verses #4 Michigan. #1 Oklahoma played #2 ranked LSU in the Sugar Bowl. USC beat Michigan 28-14 and LSU beat OU 21-14. USC somehow was voted/awarded a part of the NCAA National Championship because the AP voted them #1 even though #2 LSU beat previously ranked #1 OU. This would eventually allow people like Mark May (ESPN) to say USC has won two national titles in a row… no they did not (and now for multiple reasons they have not won 1 BCS Championship game). USC was a one-loss team, 11-1. USC had the benefit of not playing in a conference championship like LSU had to play, thus USC played in one less game during the season. LSU ended their season 12-1. The controversy begins because of a lack of common sense on the writer’s votes.

Due to this erroneous decision and the AP Poll not wanting to be part of the BCS formula, the AP Poll is no longer part of the BCS equation for determining bowl berths or NCAA Champions. The AP Poll has been replaced by the Harris Interactive College Football Poll for determining BCS rankings.

The argument grew into a fervor during the 2004-2005 season. This season’s events would begin the argument for the non-power conference teams. At the end of the regular season there were 4 undefeated teams with legitimate hopes of playing in the National Championship game; Utah 11-0, Auburn 12-0, USC 12-0, and Oklahoma 12-0). Undefeated University of Utah (11-0 and a Mountain West Conference team, non-BCS) won an at-large BCS berth verses a weak Big East opponent in #21 University of Pittsburgh (8-3). Auburn beat Virginia Tech 16-13 to remain undefeated and USC beat OU 55-19. The BCS system that was supposed to solve our bowl problems now had 3 schools with a legitimate gripe about being the NCAA National Champion as all 3 were undefeated. USC would be crowned the BCS and NCAA Champion only to have to vacate that win and title due to Reggie Bush’s violations of NCAA rules. Leaving USC without a championship in the BCS era! Utah felt that they were slighted and because they played in a smaller conference they were bypassed for the National Championship game vs. USC.

The 2006-2007 season ended with yet another controversy as WAC champion, Boise State, finished their season undefeated and upset one of college football’s elite teams, Oklahoma. Boise State was not selected to play in the national championship game thus they were not given an opportunity to play for the national championship. One-loss Florida won the championship by beating Ohio State 41-14. This furthers Shurtleff’s argument.

2007-2008 season had undefeated WAC champion, Hawaii, in a lesser bowl even though they were the only undefeated team going into the BCS. Hawaii would end up losing in a lopsided beating by Georgia (at-large berth) 41-10. A two-loss LSU team was picked to play in the national championship game, even though they had loss their last regular season game to University of Arkansas before the SEC Championship game.

At the end of the 2008-2009 season, Utah was once again undefeated and whipped Alabama (at-large berth) in the Sugar Bowl. Florida 12-1 beat Oklahoma 12-1 in the BCS National Championship game.

In the 2009-2010 season 5 teams finished the regular season undefeated (TCU, Boise State, Cincinnati, Alabama, and Texas). TCU and Boise State were matched up in the Fiesta Bowl with Boise State winning 14-10. Alabama cruised to a 37-21 victory over Texas in the BCS Championship game. Again, there’s another undefeated team from a non-traditional power conference at season’s end. The other outcry over the BCS pairings was that the non-power teams were matched up against each other instead of playing a power conference team. Boise State and TCU would’ve been in a win-win situation as most people would not expect them to win, so if they did beat a power team they have defied the odds.

2010-2011 season had 3 undefeated teams at regular season’s end, TCU, Auburn, and Oregon. Auburn and Oregon would battle in the BCS Championship game with Auburn winning. TCU would get their chance to shine by beating Big 10 Champion Wisconsin. Two undefeated teams left at season’s end; is their a legitimate national champion?

There are several sides to this debate and I understand each perspective. As this is a complicated issue, I will make this simple for everyone out there. If you play in a non-power conference and want to be taken serious year after year, schedule 2 non-conference games every year against teams that are from power conferences. As most people, teams included, will try to take a loop hole out of this. Teams like Duke, Vanderbilt, Washington State, Indiana, etc… do not count as power conference teams. Play the big boys and you will be treated like a big boy.

What people like Shurtleff do not understand is not all conferences are equal, teams are not equal, and schedules are not equal. Because all teams are different each team should be treated differently. Not all power conferences are equal. The Big East is known more for their basketball contributions than their football prowess. A SEC schedule is more demanding and tougher than a MWC schedule or a WAC schedule. The overall talent level in the SEC or Big 12 will wear any team down. Typically there are no “easy” games during conference play in the SEC, Big 12, or ACC. In the MWC, WAC, or Sun Belt said team may have one tough conference game during the season. What this means is less players injured, fresher legs, and an easier path to an undefeated season.

I’ve always been a big proponent that all power conferences must have a championship game to be in the BCS. The 2011-2012 season will be the first time the PAC 12, formerly PAC 10, and Big 10 will have a championship game. Playing in a championship game against the other division conference winner is a tough game. It is unfair that the SEC or Big 12 winner had one more tough game to play, which could add to a team’s injury list or cause them a shot at the national championship, while another power conference team has an easier ride to the BCS Championship game.

As for Varney’s questions to Emmert:

Question 1: Yes, there needs to be a playoff system. Outwardly a division 1 playoff system is not in place is due to fear of losing advertising revenue and lack of fan attendance for a possible 2 extra games per team in route to the championship game. The possibility of teams like Texas (see their strangle hold on the Big 12) wanting a larger percentage of playoff money than other universities is a major problem as well. Is Texas’ or any other team’s appearance in the playoffs worth more than the other? No, but try telling that to University of Texas. Another contributing factor is the BCS is in control of all the TV deals for the bowl games, not the NCAA. College football bowl games are not controlled by the NCAA. Emmert will change the swing of power at some point back to the NCAA.

Arguments against federal intervention cite that this lawsuit will push college football back to the old bowl format with tie-ins and previous conference alignments. If this theory would come to fruition, this would make it more difficult for teams like Boise State to ever make a top tier bowl, thus hurting their own cause by filing the lawsuit.

There’s too much money at stake to go back to the old format. TV bowl ratings are up. Fans do not want to go back to watching a poor PAC 12 vs. Big 10 matchup on New Year’s Day if the game has no bearing on the national championship. As a fan, if I know that a team will be crowned champion when all the bowl games are finished by the play on the field not by a writer’s vote, I am more apt to watch the other bowl games with enthusiasm and lend my time watching those games. I like watching the other games as it builds up to the championship game. If Texas wants to try and flex their muscle against the rest of the college football world they are in for a rude awakening. College football will go on without them. We did this past season.

Other reports suggest that capitalism and free market demands should shape the future of college football. I don’t see that being a positive outcome either. The NCAA and BCS have to be pushed into a playoff system. If federal intervention is what is needed then let it happen; but the lawsuit or investigation is a joke. If the playoff system does not work after 4 years, then the NCAA can always revert back to the current BCS configuration or a form close to it. What is there to lose by trying? So some fans may not be financially able to make 2 extra games, in an 8 team playoff system. The bowl games and colleges are primarily funded and paid by bowl advertisements, not ticket sales. The other bowl games would still be relevant, and the 7 games played in the playoffs would be a cash cow for all involved. The “trickle down” cash theory would still be in place plus the addition of meaningful games (see NCAA division 1 basketball) and the programs like Texas and Alabama will still get paid… well, I might add.

Question 2: No new steps have been taken because they already have the model in place for their subdivision football teams. The blueprint is being used by the NCAA. Slicing the financial pie and saying goodbye to BCS control is the only holdup on a playoff system.

Question 3: No system is perfect and there is no way to make everyone happy. So yes, there are certain aspects (how vague of a question was that?) of the BCS that do not serve the fans, universities, or players interest. If the NCAA was to agree on an 8 team playoff, people like Shurtleff would then argue for a 16 game playoff citing unfair practices. There’s no way to make everyone happy!

Just to clarify, this is not an antitrust matter as I understand the law. The BCS has actually allowed smaller schools like Boise State and Utah an opportunity to compete in major bowls, something that was not common place in years past. Granted they were not given a chance to compete for a national championship, and with the current system they never will. If said school(s) were to have a tough non-conference schedule then they may be taken serious during the BCS bowl selection process.

If a playoff system is put into place something else must change.

College football teams now play 12 regular season games with the possibility of playing 13 or 14 games per season due to their conference championship game and bowl game. The addition of 2 extra playoff games may not seem like much on paper, but this puts two college teams on a NFL type schedule. My suggestion is to eliminate one non-conference game during the regular season. Who needs to see Florida State play Cream Puff University? If the season is to be lengthened, will they extend the total number of recruits and scholarships a team can have? If you’re playing more games, you’re going to have more injuries; you’re going to need more players. Fair is fair. The argument against this is the “stockpiling” of talent power conference teams will have over others. Again, there’s no way to make everyone happy. If this happens, Boise State better stop Shurtleff in his tracks.

True our federal system and tax payer dollars could be put towards better matters than an investigation into the fairness of the BCS format vs. a NCAA division 1 playoff system. Let’s be honest though, would our government really be getting anything else productive done during the time wasted on getting the fans what they want? I didn’t think so either. Might as well put them to work to help us get a true NCAA football champion?