Every time a sports season rolls around the Right Wing staff takes aim at predicting how things will go. Now, baseball is nearly upon us once more, and the boys wanted a crack at the 2008 season.
Predicted Statistical Leaders for 2008 (with total)
Home Runs: Alex Rodriquez NYY 57
RBI: Ryan Howard PHI 162
Hits: Ichiro Suzuki SEA 201
Wins: Daisake Matsuzaka BOS 19
Strikeouts: Johan Santana NYM 185
Order of Finish:
American League
EAST:
Boston, New York, Baltimore, Toronto, Tampa Bay
CENTRAL:
Detroit, Cleveland, Minnesota, Chicago, Kansas City
WEST:
Anaheim, Texas, Seattle, Oakland
National League
EAST:
New York, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Washington, Florida
CENTRAL:
St. Louis, Milwaukee, Chicago, Houston, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh
WEST:
San Diego, Colorado, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Arizona
Playoffs
NL: New York, San Diego, St. Louis, Atlanta(WC)
AL: Boston, Anaheim, Detroit, Cleveland(WC)
Championship Series
NL: New York over St. Louis
AL: Boston over Detroit
World Series
Boston over New York
Other Business
- During the last round of primaries, Barack Obama and John McCain further solidified their holds on their respective party’s nominations. The funny thing is, during their victory speeches neither man mentioned Hillary Clinton at all. The Clinton campaign is unraveling. If I remember right, Bill never had to write a check to himself during his campaigns.
- Barack Obama was given a standing ovation for blowing his nose… which was surprisingly more insightful than anything the candidates have said to this point.
- With McCain in a commanding lead on the GOP side, the NY Times decided it was time to move in for the kill. The launched a story about an affair that McCain had in 2000. The only trouble with the article is that it credits only an “unnamed source.” Apparently, unnamed sources rank as front page with the NY Times, especially when it comes to taking down a Republican. Remember, I have no particular love for McCain, I don’t trust the man. But I find it incredibly suspicious that this story breaks in the midst of an election cycle.
- Hillary Clinton, distraught over falling behind Obama, loosed a vicious tirade against free enterprise and capitalism. Apparently, when the mainstream goes with someone else, Clinton’s only fallback was the hardcore socialist lefties. Sad times, indeed.
- In NFL news, the Atlanta Falcons won a coin toss at the league’s scouting combine. This coin toss victory assures the Falcons of drafting third overall. Now comes the discussion of what to do with said pick. Do you draft a quarterback (Matt Ryan) if he is available, do you take Glenn Dorsey if his names is still on the board? Do you trade the pick away and garner more picks later on? The choices are endless.
-In related news to that, rumor is swirling that the NY Giants have offered Atlanta their first round choice (Pick no. 32) for DeAngelo Hall. We’ll see where that goes…
Friday, February 22, 2008
Monday, January 21, 2008
the year in PREview
Okay, three weeks behind us, roughly 50 to go. So here it is:
January: With less than a dozen days left in January, the political mud will continue to fly. On the GOP side Duncan Hunter and Fred Thompson will both kiss their campaigns goodbye. On the Dems side John Edwards and Dennis Kucinich should drop out, but Edwards will hang on to the bitter end, and I truly think that Denny K thinks that a cold snap must be due in Hades.
February: The Pats will knock off the Giants, Robert, you needn't worry about it. Your Pack shall be avenged. Elsewhere, people will continue to ignore the NHL, and also Dennis Kucinich. The local Georgia Primary will reveal Obama as the Dem winner and on the GOP ticket a very close race between McCain and Romney.
March: The Hollywood Writer's Strike will finally end when Geraldo Rivera draws an intricate map in the sand outside Warner Bros studios. The map, when read backwards, reveals that the strike's mastermind was none other than Oprah. After less than six months, Apple unveils the Iphone 2.0. This new version of the insanely overpriced Christmas favorite will actually be able to tell you what happens next.
April: Baseball returns with about as much fanfare as it left with. The Yankees roll out there $7.98 Billion payroll. George Steinbrenner announces that the team has actually bought Central Park and, starting in 2009 will play all home games there.
May: International Politics, which apparently took the first four months off, return with a vengeance when insurgents in Iraq suddenly leave. Of course, this is short lived, as they are actually only taking a break for a light lunch. Iran's president claims, again, that the United States is the great Satan, again, and that we all deserve to die, again. The UN laughs at him behind his back.
June: Dennis Kucinich once again remains largely ignored. The NY Times goes on and proclaims Hillary Clinton the next President of the United States. Barack Obama calls their story a "contrived fairy tale." Fairies everywhere look to file suit against the Illinois Senator. Oh, and Ottawa wins the Stanley Cup.
July: Global Warming activists grow concerned over snowfall in Argentina in July. In a rare, and possibly debilitating move, Al Gore explains to them the concept of seasons. Quebec once again looks at breaking away from Canada. The whole of Toronto frowns in disapproval.
August: The US political races turn ugly... well, uglier. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton get into an actual fistfight when their campaign erroneously arrive at the same place at the same time. Dennis Kucinich's campaign is a half hour late. Mitt Romney and John McCain both receive verbal warnings from Mike Huckabee.
September: George W. Bush announces that he has an announcement to make.
October: The World Series features the Boston Red Sox against the National League All-Star team, only because it's fair that way. George W. Bush's announcement is that he is sending forces into Iran, just to let Hillary clean it up.
November: In a stunning move, Barack Obama wins the Presidency. The lesser-educated Americans are actually able to get past the fact that his middle name is Husayn (or a variation thereof).
December: Christmas and New Years Eve means everyone will drink a lot and actually forget the entire year. Except Dennis Kucinich.
January: With less than a dozen days left in January, the political mud will continue to fly. On the GOP side Duncan Hunter and Fred Thompson will both kiss their campaigns goodbye. On the Dems side John Edwards and Dennis Kucinich should drop out, but Edwards will hang on to the bitter end, and I truly think that Denny K thinks that a cold snap must be due in Hades.
February: The Pats will knock off the Giants, Robert, you needn't worry about it. Your Pack shall be avenged. Elsewhere, people will continue to ignore the NHL, and also Dennis Kucinich. The local Georgia Primary will reveal Obama as the Dem winner and on the GOP ticket a very close race between McCain and Romney.
March: The Hollywood Writer's Strike will finally end when Geraldo Rivera draws an intricate map in the sand outside Warner Bros studios. The map, when read backwards, reveals that the strike's mastermind was none other than Oprah. After less than six months, Apple unveils the Iphone 2.0. This new version of the insanely overpriced Christmas favorite will actually be able to tell you what happens next.
April: Baseball returns with about as much fanfare as it left with. The Yankees roll out there $7.98 Billion payroll. George Steinbrenner announces that the team has actually bought Central Park and, starting in 2009 will play all home games there.
May: International Politics, which apparently took the first four months off, return with a vengeance when insurgents in Iraq suddenly leave. Of course, this is short lived, as they are actually only taking a break for a light lunch. Iran's president claims, again, that the United States is the great Satan, again, and that we all deserve to die, again. The UN laughs at him behind his back.
June: Dennis Kucinich once again remains largely ignored. The NY Times goes on and proclaims Hillary Clinton the next President of the United States. Barack Obama calls their story a "contrived fairy tale." Fairies everywhere look to file suit against the Illinois Senator. Oh, and Ottawa wins the Stanley Cup.
July: Global Warming activists grow concerned over snowfall in Argentina in July. In a rare, and possibly debilitating move, Al Gore explains to them the concept of seasons. Quebec once again looks at breaking away from Canada. The whole of Toronto frowns in disapproval.
August: The US political races turn ugly... well, uglier. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton get into an actual fistfight when their campaign erroneously arrive at the same place at the same time. Dennis Kucinich's campaign is a half hour late. Mitt Romney and John McCain both receive verbal warnings from Mike Huckabee.
September: George W. Bush announces that he has an announcement to make.
October: The World Series features the Boston Red Sox against the National League All-Star team, only because it's fair that way. George W. Bush's announcement is that he is sending forces into Iran, just to let Hillary clean it up.
November: In a stunning move, Barack Obama wins the Presidency. The lesser-educated Americans are actually able to get past the fact that his middle name is Husayn (or a variation thereof).
December: Christmas and New Years Eve means everyone will drink a lot and actually forget the entire year. Except Dennis Kucinich.
Monday, January 14, 2008
A Quick Thought on Ron Paul
I like him. He makes more sense than any of the other candidates. I think he might even try to return some power to the states. He follows the Constitution, and he seemingly cares about his constituents.
So why do so many people dislike him?
I might be way off base here, but Ron Paul is viewed somewhat unfavorably by most because he doesn't sugarcoat his message with the nice little politically correct "what the government can do for you" lines. He comes out and says flatly that the government is not empowered by the Constitution, it is restrained by said document. The government is not meant to be the money tree that it has become.
Paul is also truly more conservative than any of the other Republican candidates. Yet John McCain and Mitt Romney are the ones held up as the sterling examples of the conservative ideal. McCain is, as I previously stated, untrustworthy in my opinion. Romney, much like Mike Huckabee, has based more of his campaign in religion than politics, which really does not sit well with me.
But Ron Paul is saying the right things at the right time. He, unlike other Republicans, has shown true disdain for the war. Paul balances his anti-Iraq War stance with other issues in the campaign, like immigration. The man is brilliant, and has truly won my support.
What saddens me is the level of depravity revealed by other Ron Paul supports. Watch the news and you'll see what I mean...
So why do so many people dislike him?
I might be way off base here, but Ron Paul is viewed somewhat unfavorably by most because he doesn't sugarcoat his message with the nice little politically correct "what the government can do for you" lines. He comes out and says flatly that the government is not empowered by the Constitution, it is restrained by said document. The government is not meant to be the money tree that it has become.
Paul is also truly more conservative than any of the other Republican candidates. Yet John McCain and Mitt Romney are the ones held up as the sterling examples of the conservative ideal. McCain is, as I previously stated, untrustworthy in my opinion. Romney, much like Mike Huckabee, has based more of his campaign in religion than politics, which really does not sit well with me.
But Ron Paul is saying the right things at the right time. He, unlike other Republicans, has shown true disdain for the war. Paul balances his anti-Iraq War stance with other issues in the campaign, like immigration. The man is brilliant, and has truly won my support.
What saddens me is the level of depravity revealed by other Ron Paul supports. Watch the news and you'll see what I mean...
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Eeney Meeney Miney Moe
The 2008 General Election is still over ten months away, but the candidates have been clamoring for attention since last July. While both major parties are currently entertaining about eight candidates each, there are only a few front-runners. The Democratic front-runners are John Edwards, Hillary Clinton, and Barack Obama. On the right side of the aisle (directionally, not necessarily right in the moral sense) you have John McCain, Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney, Rudy Giuliani, and Ron Paul. See, we’ve already narrowed the entire field by fifty percent.
You already know that I consider myself fairly Libertarian. I want the federal government reduced in scope and more power returned to the states. This is not too much to ask. After all, the original system was set up so that the government answered to the people, not the people answering to the government. Now, though, the federal government is so bloated and over-stretched that a collapse is not out of the questions.
Let’s take a look at the candidates for President, you know, the ones who think they can stop the bleeding. We’ll start the search by looking at each candidate individually, and just exactly how much I could consider voting for them:
John McCain. I have no moral quarrel (hey, good rhyme) about saying that I do not trust McCain. Something about the man just does not set right. I don’t know if it’s the horrid McCain-Feingold Campaign Finance reform act, or if it is the fact that the man looks more like a grocery store manager than a Senator. I have loads of respect for McCain, but I’d never vote for him. Likelihood of me voting for him: 2%.
John Edwards. The ambulance chaser himself, then again, what politician isn’t an ambulance chaser in some way. Edwards lost out on the vice presidency in the last election because his running mate was essentially a dressed up lapdog. Edwards tries to endear himself to the common voter by getting $2000 hair cuts and flying in private jets.
Again, not someone I could vote for. Likelihood of me voting for him: 0%.
Rudy Giuliani. As Robert said the other after watching the Republican candidate debate, about half way through any event he attends, Giuliani pulls out his 9/11 drum and begins beating it. We get it, Rudy. Find a new message. Likelihood of me voting for him: 5%.
Barack Obama. He’s got charisma, and youth, which equal big points with voters. Plus, he may actually change things. Still, he talks a lot about programs that would bring the country under a more socialist umbrella. But, he is the only Democrat that I’d vote for. Likelihood of me voting for him: 10%.
Hillary Clinton. I will march in the streets to keep her from reaching the White House. Nothing could be worse for the country than for this hardened Socialist to gain more political power. Hillary would socialize medicine, then expand the federal government almost to the point that individual freedoms ceased to exist. That’s bad, people. Likelihood of me voting for her: 0%
Ron Paul. Robert was telling me about watching this debate where all the mild-mannered Republican candidates were sitting around, mildly jabbing at each other, and right in the middle was Ron Paul in full tin-foil hat mode, yelling, “Oh my God! Run for your lives! The world is ending! Vote for me!” The problem is, I heard Paul speaking after the New Hampshire primary and he made a lot of sense. Phrases like “the Constitution was written for the sole purpose of restraining the federal government,” “the federal government should never impose on a state’s right to self-govern,” and a stern castigation of the Patriot Act really caught my attention. I could actually see punching a ballot for Ron Paul. Likelihood of me voting for him: 35%.
Mike Huckabee. There are moments where I support Huckabee, and moments where he frightens me. The ardent left (moveon.org, etc.) have fought vehemently against Huckabee because he is a Baptist minister, and they fear that his first step in the Presidency would be to evangelize the nation. Firstly, evangelizing the entire nation wouldn’t exactly be easy. Secondly, it is a sordid state of affairs when a man is more feared for what he does on Sunday than what he does on the other six days of the week.
Likelihood of me voting for him: 25%
Mitt Romney. The Mormon. Much has been made of his religious beliefs. Maybe I’m being hyper-critical since I do fall more into the conservative category, but it seems like more is made of a conservative’s religion than of a liberals. The last time a fuss was raised over a Democrat’s religion (other than Joe Lieberman) was JFK in 1960. Like all politicians, Romney has some good ideas and some really bad ideas. Likelihood of me voting for him: 5%.
So, mathematically, I’m still 18% undecided on where my vote will land. Not bad, considering I’ve got the primary season to get through still. The search will continue…
You already know that I consider myself fairly Libertarian. I want the federal government reduced in scope and more power returned to the states. This is not too much to ask. After all, the original system was set up so that the government answered to the people, not the people answering to the government. Now, though, the federal government is so bloated and over-stretched that a collapse is not out of the questions.
Let’s take a look at the candidates for President, you know, the ones who think they can stop the bleeding. We’ll start the search by looking at each candidate individually, and just exactly how much I could consider voting for them:
John McCain. I have no moral quarrel (hey, good rhyme) about saying that I do not trust McCain. Something about the man just does not set right. I don’t know if it’s the horrid McCain-Feingold Campaign Finance reform act, or if it is the fact that the man looks more like a grocery store manager than a Senator. I have loads of respect for McCain, but I’d never vote for him. Likelihood of me voting for him: 2%.
John Edwards. The ambulance chaser himself, then again, what politician isn’t an ambulance chaser in some way. Edwards lost out on the vice presidency in the last election because his running mate was essentially a dressed up lapdog. Edwards tries to endear himself to the common voter by getting $2000 hair cuts and flying in private jets.
Again, not someone I could vote for. Likelihood of me voting for him: 0%.
Rudy Giuliani. As Robert said the other after watching the Republican candidate debate, about half way through any event he attends, Giuliani pulls out his 9/11 drum and begins beating it. We get it, Rudy. Find a new message. Likelihood of me voting for him: 5%.
Barack Obama. He’s got charisma, and youth, which equal big points with voters. Plus, he may actually change things. Still, he talks a lot about programs that would bring the country under a more socialist umbrella. But, he is the only Democrat that I’d vote for. Likelihood of me voting for him: 10%.
Hillary Clinton. I will march in the streets to keep her from reaching the White House. Nothing could be worse for the country than for this hardened Socialist to gain more political power. Hillary would socialize medicine, then expand the federal government almost to the point that individual freedoms ceased to exist. That’s bad, people. Likelihood of me voting for her: 0%
Ron Paul. Robert was telling me about watching this debate where all the mild-mannered Republican candidates were sitting around, mildly jabbing at each other, and right in the middle was Ron Paul in full tin-foil hat mode, yelling, “Oh my God! Run for your lives! The world is ending! Vote for me!” The problem is, I heard Paul speaking after the New Hampshire primary and he made a lot of sense. Phrases like “the Constitution was written for the sole purpose of restraining the federal government,” “the federal government should never impose on a state’s right to self-govern,” and a stern castigation of the Patriot Act really caught my attention. I could actually see punching a ballot for Ron Paul. Likelihood of me voting for him: 35%.
Mike Huckabee. There are moments where I support Huckabee, and moments where he frightens me. The ardent left (moveon.org, etc.) have fought vehemently against Huckabee because he is a Baptist minister, and they fear that his first step in the Presidency would be to evangelize the nation. Firstly, evangelizing the entire nation wouldn’t exactly be easy. Secondly, it is a sordid state of affairs when a man is more feared for what he does on Sunday than what he does on the other six days of the week.
Likelihood of me voting for him: 25%
Mitt Romney. The Mormon. Much has been made of his religious beliefs. Maybe I’m being hyper-critical since I do fall more into the conservative category, but it seems like more is made of a conservative’s religion than of a liberals. The last time a fuss was raised over a Democrat’s religion (other than Joe Lieberman) was JFK in 1960. Like all politicians, Romney has some good ideas and some really bad ideas. Likelihood of me voting for him: 5%.
So, mathematically, I’m still 18% undecided on where my vote will land. Not bad, considering I’ve got the primary season to get through still. The search will continue…
Tuesday, January 08, 2008
Changes is in the Air...
...But not the kind you think…
The Right Wing is not giving up its dedication to sports or politics, but we will try to focus on other things this year, which makes this post seem all the more ridiculous.
New Years Day is a haven for college football fans. The best games are usually reserved for the first day of January, or shortly thereafter. 1-1-2008 did not disappoint. Michigan took Florida to the limit before disposing of the Gators in Lloyd Carr’s last ride with the Wolverines. Texas Tech’s high powered offense was forced into a last second field goal to beat Virginia. Mizzou took out their frustrations on an unwary Arkansas team, beating the Razorbacks by 31 (a number that, give or take one or two points would be popular). Tennessee and Wisconsin battled in a tight game, the Vols emerging as the winner 20-17.
This brings us to the two BCS games played on the first day of the New Year. The Rose Bowl and the Sugar Bowl that respectively matched USC vs. Illinois and Georgia vs. Hawai’i. The case can now officially be made that two of these four teams deserved better fates than what they got.
Let’s first examine the Rose Bowl. USC knew they would play in Pasadena, but their opponent was, for a time, a mystery. Ohio State, who would’ve played the Trojans, was out because of a berth in the National Championship game. So the Rose Bowl got first selection of the at large teams, because of the rotation schedule. Immediately rumors began to swirl that the Rose was going to break tradition and select Georgia, creating perhaps the most intriguing bowl match up of the season. The Rose instead opted for its cob-webbed tradition and selected Illinois.
The game was a laugher. Illinois was overmatched at every turn. USC gave the Fighting Illini a steady dose of smash mouth football, eventually beating Illinois 49-17. For the record, the Right Wing prediction staff claimed that USC would win 45-17. Scary, huh?
The Sugar Bowl became a more intimidating match up as football fans in the southeast learned more and more about that Hawai’i could do. They averaged 46.2 points per game. Colt Brennan owned every passing record this side of eternity. They were the only undefeated team standing at season’s end.
All of which meant absolutely nothing to the Dawgs. Georgia was feeling slighted. They were being punished for not playing in a conference championship game while, they thought, Ohio State was being rewarded for the same thing. So you’ll forgive them if Georgia came in with a big chip on their shoulder.
The start couldn’t have been better for UGA. Hawai’i was penalized twice before the first snap of the game. If Illinois was overmatched, Hawai’i was playing out of its league. By halftime Georgia was up 24-3 and not looking back. The balanced offense gave Hawai’i’s Defense fits, and the Georgia D made Brennan and the Warrior offense look like a Pop Warner team. 8 sacks and 4 interceptions later the bleeding was stopped. Georgia pulled off a stunning victory, taking down Hawai’i by the score of 41-10.
So let the argument and debate begin…
Was Georgia snubbed by the BCS because they didn’t play in their conference title game? It would appear that way. Nebraska made it to the National Title game once without playing for their conference title. Oklahoma made it to the Title game a few years back… after losing their conference title game 36-0 to Kansas State. The point is, from a Georgia perspective, it looks like a rule that doesn’t exist suddenly kept Georgia from playing for the National Title.
Also, there is math to be done. Missouri and West Virginia were ranked 1 and 2 going in to the last week of the season. Ohio State was three and Georgia was four. Georgia was already ranked ahead of Tennessee and LSU, even though the voters knew that UGA could not win the SEC. Then the unthinkable happened. Numbers 1 and 2 both lost. Logic would dictate that when 1 and 2 lose, 3 and 4 move up. But, under the BCS mathematics, when 1 and 2 lose, 3 may move up to 1, but 4 must drop to 5. I’m sure that, in somebody’s mind, this all makes sense. The Right Wing doesn’t get it.
Then came the January 2nd BCS bowl game between Oklahoma and West Virginia. WVU had just lost their coach to Michigan. The Sooners were poised to roll in this game. But, Bob Stoops (Head Coach – OU) has earned the nickname SpongeBob BowlFlop from a certain ESPN analyst. Oklahoma lost 48-28.
January 3rd brought about the Orange Bowl, pitting Kansas against Virginia Tech. VaTech looked promising over the last couple of weeks of the season, but a stingy Kansas defense held the Hokies to 21 points. The Jayhawks won 24-21.
The BCS National Championship game featured Ohio State and LSU. The Buckeyes came out of the gate strong, but LSU kept a steady course of SEC football all the way to a 14 point victory, 38-24.
The tricky point, as was pointed out by another ESPN analyst, is as follows: the BCS doesn’t tell you who the national champion is, it tells you who the BCS wants you to think the national champion is. Certain college football writers have stated that a true national title game would actually require seeding ad that, if there were any justice in the world, the four teams seeded for such a mini-tournament would be Ohio State, USC, Georgia, and LSU. Others argue for Missouri.
The point is there is NO consensus national champion this year. Everyone can make a case, and they all have valid arguments.
The Right Wing is not giving up its dedication to sports or politics, but we will try to focus on other things this year, which makes this post seem all the more ridiculous.
New Years Day is a haven for college football fans. The best games are usually reserved for the first day of January, or shortly thereafter. 1-1-2008 did not disappoint. Michigan took Florida to the limit before disposing of the Gators in Lloyd Carr’s last ride with the Wolverines. Texas Tech’s high powered offense was forced into a last second field goal to beat Virginia. Mizzou took out their frustrations on an unwary Arkansas team, beating the Razorbacks by 31 (a number that, give or take one or two points would be popular). Tennessee and Wisconsin battled in a tight game, the Vols emerging as the winner 20-17.
This brings us to the two BCS games played on the first day of the New Year. The Rose Bowl and the Sugar Bowl that respectively matched USC vs. Illinois and Georgia vs. Hawai’i. The case can now officially be made that two of these four teams deserved better fates than what they got.
Let’s first examine the Rose Bowl. USC knew they would play in Pasadena, but their opponent was, for a time, a mystery. Ohio State, who would’ve played the Trojans, was out because of a berth in the National Championship game. So the Rose Bowl got first selection of the at large teams, because of the rotation schedule. Immediately rumors began to swirl that the Rose was going to break tradition and select Georgia, creating perhaps the most intriguing bowl match up of the season. The Rose instead opted for its cob-webbed tradition and selected Illinois.
The game was a laugher. Illinois was overmatched at every turn. USC gave the Fighting Illini a steady dose of smash mouth football, eventually beating Illinois 49-17. For the record, the Right Wing prediction staff claimed that USC would win 45-17. Scary, huh?
The Sugar Bowl became a more intimidating match up as football fans in the southeast learned more and more about that Hawai’i could do. They averaged 46.2 points per game. Colt Brennan owned every passing record this side of eternity. They were the only undefeated team standing at season’s end.
All of which meant absolutely nothing to the Dawgs. Georgia was feeling slighted. They were being punished for not playing in a conference championship game while, they thought, Ohio State was being rewarded for the same thing. So you’ll forgive them if Georgia came in with a big chip on their shoulder.
The start couldn’t have been better for UGA. Hawai’i was penalized twice before the first snap of the game. If Illinois was overmatched, Hawai’i was playing out of its league. By halftime Georgia was up 24-3 and not looking back. The balanced offense gave Hawai’i’s Defense fits, and the Georgia D made Brennan and the Warrior offense look like a Pop Warner team. 8 sacks and 4 interceptions later the bleeding was stopped. Georgia pulled off a stunning victory, taking down Hawai’i by the score of 41-10.
So let the argument and debate begin…
Was Georgia snubbed by the BCS because they didn’t play in their conference title game? It would appear that way. Nebraska made it to the National Title game once without playing for their conference title. Oklahoma made it to the Title game a few years back… after losing their conference title game 36-0 to Kansas State. The point is, from a Georgia perspective, it looks like a rule that doesn’t exist suddenly kept Georgia from playing for the National Title.
Also, there is math to be done. Missouri and West Virginia were ranked 1 and 2 going in to the last week of the season. Ohio State was three and Georgia was four. Georgia was already ranked ahead of Tennessee and LSU, even though the voters knew that UGA could not win the SEC. Then the unthinkable happened. Numbers 1 and 2 both lost. Logic would dictate that when 1 and 2 lose, 3 and 4 move up. But, under the BCS mathematics, when 1 and 2 lose, 3 may move up to 1, but 4 must drop to 5. I’m sure that, in somebody’s mind, this all makes sense. The Right Wing doesn’t get it.
Then came the January 2nd BCS bowl game between Oklahoma and West Virginia. WVU had just lost their coach to Michigan. The Sooners were poised to roll in this game. But, Bob Stoops (Head Coach – OU) has earned the nickname SpongeBob BowlFlop from a certain ESPN analyst. Oklahoma lost 48-28.
January 3rd brought about the Orange Bowl, pitting Kansas against Virginia Tech. VaTech looked promising over the last couple of weeks of the season, but a stingy Kansas defense held the Hokies to 21 points. The Jayhawks won 24-21.
The BCS National Championship game featured Ohio State and LSU. The Buckeyes came out of the gate strong, but LSU kept a steady course of SEC football all the way to a 14 point victory, 38-24.
The tricky point, as was pointed out by another ESPN analyst, is as follows: the BCS doesn’t tell you who the national champion is, it tells you who the BCS wants you to think the national champion is. Certain college football writers have stated that a true national title game would actually require seeding ad that, if there were any justice in the world, the four teams seeded for such a mini-tournament would be Ohio State, USC, Georgia, and LSU. Others argue for Missouri.
The point is there is NO consensus national champion this year. Everyone can make a case, and they all have valid arguments.
Monday, January 07, 2008
The Last First Day
This just in... I'm graduating after this semester. That's right, today is my last first day, as has been pointed out by many people. I really don't know what I'm going to do with myself after college.
I started out with a desire to do computer animation, something I had been working on for years in high school. Then I arrived at Gainesville College and was told that I would require multiple courses of Algebra and Calculus. Note, please, that these classes never entered into the equation in high school.
I became a Journalism major, focusing more and more on my writing. When I transferred to NGCSU, I learned the depth of inane stupidity of the journalism department. I switched to English Writing and have stayed there since.
Now I'm four months away from being handed a nicely rolled-up piece of paper and getting a handshake that says I'm ready to enter the real world.
What to do, what to do?
I started out with a desire to do computer animation, something I had been working on for years in high school. Then I arrived at Gainesville College and was told that I would require multiple courses of Algebra and Calculus. Note, please, that these classes never entered into the equation in high school.
I became a Journalism major, focusing more and more on my writing. When I transferred to NGCSU, I learned the depth of inane stupidity of the journalism department. I switched to English Writing and have stayed there since.
Now I'm four months away from being handed a nicely rolled-up piece of paper and getting a handshake that says I'm ready to enter the real world.
What to do, what to do?
Saturday, December 15, 2007
The Wacky Year in Review: 2007
The last twelve months have provided us all with some memorable moments. The Right Wing has seen fit to catalog these moments for you, in a series of “Top” lists:
Top Ten Sports Moments
As judged by the Right Wing staff:
10. The release of the Mitchell Report, documenting steroid use in Major League Baseball. Former Senate Majority Leader Mitchell’s report lists some very high profile names like Roger Clemens, Mark McGwire, and others, as well as former Braves players David Justice and Paul Byrd. The lasting effects of Mitchell’s inquiry are yet to be seen.
9. The Saints go marching in all the way to the NFC Championship game against the Chicago Bears. The return of the Saints revitalized New Orleans and was a true feel-good story for what some viewed as a down year in the NFL.
8. Bonds sets the record for all time home runs, finally overtaking Hank Aaron’s long standing mark of 755. Bonds chase of history, though, was marred by allegations of steroid use (see the Mitchell report), and he drew the ire of fans across the nation, except in the Giants’ home in San Francisco.
7. College goes crazy, leaving everyone to wonder what could be next. From opening day, when Appalachian State knocked off Michigan in Ann Arbor, to the last day of the regular season, when the top two ranked teams both lost on the same day, this season was one that most football fans will never forget.
6. Boise State stands tall for the non-BCS conferences. The Broncos won an invite to the Fiesta Bowl and managed to shock highly ranked Oklahoma with a series of trick plays that still show up on the highlight reels almost a year later.
5. The Colorado Rockies shock the world by reaching the World Series in dramatic fashion, becoming one of the hottest teams in baseball entering the fall classic. The Rockies were crushed by the Boston Red Sox, who won their second World Series title in four years.
4. Mark Richt goes Jekyll and Hyde on us, changing from the mild-mannered coach of yesterday to the pumped-up, charismatic coach of the Dawgs future. Around the halfway point of the season, coming off a brutal loss to Tennessee, Richt had his team draw a celebration penalty on their first TD against hated rival Florida, and then busted out the black jerseys for the Auburn game. The Dawgs responded by putting up 40+ points in both games, winning easily.
3. Doping allegations fly all around, hitting Tour de France winner Floyd Landis, and many other high profile athletes, most in the Track and Field area. This era of sports is sure to be remembered as the Steroid Era.
2. Kevin Everett. If ever there was a inspirational story, this is it. Everett was injured very early in the season. He was making a tackle and the player he was tackling hit him in such a way that it caused serious damage to Everett’s neck and spine. It was feared initially that the injury was life threatening, and then it was thought that Everett would never walk again. Everett now walks into the rehab center for therapy every week.
1. Trinity College, a Division III school defeated Millsaps College on a last second play reminiscent of “The Play” between Cal and Stanford. Trinity performed over fifteen laterals on one play to score the game winning touchdown.
Top Two Scariest Moments in Politics
As judged by the Right Wing Staff:
2. Hugo pushes for longer terms. Hugo Chavez, Venezuelan President and noted America hater, pushed for Constitutional Amendments that would allow him to serve as President for Life. He even took over a TV station to tell the people that if they did not vote “YES” for these amendments they were disloyal to the nation. The Amendments, thankfully, failed.
1. Vlad impales the Russian Government in one of the scariest political moves in history, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that he had single-handedly dismissed a large portion of the Russian Government, clearing the path for those loyal to him to rise into powerful position. Putin’s reign as President was drawing to an end, but he also announced that he was going to run for the position of Prime Minister.
Top Three Moments in Entertainment
As judged by the Right Wing Staff:
3. Movies: Good or Bad? It was the year of extremes in Hollywood. Some movies, released to great fanfare, failed miserably. Others, released to little or no noise at all, found a niche in the marketplaced. (See top five movies of 2007)
2. The writer’s strike slows down Hollywood. The striking writer’s union brings Tinseltown to a stand-still, leaving many shows confused as to their own endings. Disgruntled fans of these shows have already started scouring the internet with angst-filled rhetoric.
1. The Sopranos blacks out, leaving many viewers in the dark as to what actually happened. The final scene showed Tony sitting with his family in a diner, and then suddenly cuts to black. Internet discussion claimed that Tony had been killed; others said that Tony won the day by surviving, and others claimed that the producers were the most sick and twisted people alive by not revealing what happened.
Top Five Movies of 2007
As judged by the Right Wing Staff:
5. Spider-Man 3 A bit slow compared to the previous two in the series.
4. The Simpsons Movie Funnier than the show has been in years.
3. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End Great film, nice conclusion to the trilogy, but did leave a nice opening for a sequel.
2. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Well executed, considering that over 800-pages of book were condensed into 138 minutes of film. Really showed the darkness creeping into the Potter saga.
1. Hot Fuzz Best Film of the Year. From the creators of Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz brought to the table everything you’d expect in a buddy-cop-action-thriller movie. I’ll say it again, from the moment the old lady gets dropkicked in the face, you will not stop laughing.
Oh yeah:
Top Ten Sports Moments
As judged by the Right Wing staff:
10. The release of the Mitchell Report, documenting steroid use in Major League Baseball. Former Senate Majority Leader Mitchell’s report lists some very high profile names like Roger Clemens, Mark McGwire, and others, as well as former Braves players David Justice and Paul Byrd. The lasting effects of Mitchell’s inquiry are yet to be seen.
9. The Saints go marching in all the way to the NFC Championship game against the Chicago Bears. The return of the Saints revitalized New Orleans and was a true feel-good story for what some viewed as a down year in the NFL.
8. Bonds sets the record for all time home runs, finally overtaking Hank Aaron’s long standing mark of 755. Bonds chase of history, though, was marred by allegations of steroid use (see the Mitchell report), and he drew the ire of fans across the nation, except in the Giants’ home in San Francisco.
7. College goes crazy, leaving everyone to wonder what could be next. From opening day, when Appalachian State knocked off Michigan in Ann Arbor, to the last day of the regular season, when the top two ranked teams both lost on the same day, this season was one that most football fans will never forget.
6. Boise State stands tall for the non-BCS conferences. The Broncos won an invite to the Fiesta Bowl and managed to shock highly ranked Oklahoma with a series of trick plays that still show up on the highlight reels almost a year later.
5. The Colorado Rockies shock the world by reaching the World Series in dramatic fashion, becoming one of the hottest teams in baseball entering the fall classic. The Rockies were crushed by the Boston Red Sox, who won their second World Series title in four years.
4. Mark Richt goes Jekyll and Hyde on us, changing from the mild-mannered coach of yesterday to the pumped-up, charismatic coach of the Dawgs future. Around the halfway point of the season, coming off a brutal loss to Tennessee, Richt had his team draw a celebration penalty on their first TD against hated rival Florida, and then busted out the black jerseys for the Auburn game. The Dawgs responded by putting up 40+ points in both games, winning easily.
3. Doping allegations fly all around, hitting Tour de France winner Floyd Landis, and many other high profile athletes, most in the Track and Field area. This era of sports is sure to be remembered as the Steroid Era.
2. Kevin Everett. If ever there was a inspirational story, this is it. Everett was injured very early in the season. He was making a tackle and the player he was tackling hit him in such a way that it caused serious damage to Everett’s neck and spine. It was feared initially that the injury was life threatening, and then it was thought that Everett would never walk again. Everett now walks into the rehab center for therapy every week.
1. Trinity College, a Division III school defeated Millsaps College on a last second play reminiscent of “The Play” between Cal and Stanford. Trinity performed over fifteen laterals on one play to score the game winning touchdown.
Top Two Scariest Moments in Politics
As judged by the Right Wing Staff:
2. Hugo pushes for longer terms. Hugo Chavez, Venezuelan President and noted America hater, pushed for Constitutional Amendments that would allow him to serve as President for Life. He even took over a TV station to tell the people that if they did not vote “YES” for these amendments they were disloyal to the nation. The Amendments, thankfully, failed.
1. Vlad impales the Russian Government in one of the scariest political moves in history, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that he had single-handedly dismissed a large portion of the Russian Government, clearing the path for those loyal to him to rise into powerful position. Putin’s reign as President was drawing to an end, but he also announced that he was going to run for the position of Prime Minister.
Top Three Moments in Entertainment
As judged by the Right Wing Staff:
3. Movies: Good or Bad? It was the year of extremes in Hollywood. Some movies, released to great fanfare, failed miserably. Others, released to little or no noise at all, found a niche in the marketplaced. (See top five movies of 2007)
2. The writer’s strike slows down Hollywood. The striking writer’s union brings Tinseltown to a stand-still, leaving many shows confused as to their own endings. Disgruntled fans of these shows have already started scouring the internet with angst-filled rhetoric.
1. The Sopranos blacks out, leaving many viewers in the dark as to what actually happened. The final scene showed Tony sitting with his family in a diner, and then suddenly cuts to black. Internet discussion claimed that Tony had been killed; others said that Tony won the day by surviving, and others claimed that the producers were the most sick and twisted people alive by not revealing what happened.
Top Five Movies of 2007
As judged by the Right Wing Staff:
5. Spider-Man 3 A bit slow compared to the previous two in the series.
4. The Simpsons Movie Funnier than the show has been in years.
3. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End Great film, nice conclusion to the trilogy, but did leave a nice opening for a sequel.
2. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Well executed, considering that over 800-pages of book were condensed into 138 minutes of film. Really showed the darkness creeping into the Potter saga.
1. Hot Fuzz Best Film of the Year. From the creators of Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz brought to the table everything you’d expect in a buddy-cop-action-thriller movie. I’ll say it again, from the moment the old lady gets dropkicked in the face, you will not stop laughing.
Oh yeah:
Monday, December 03, 2007
Football Future-see Bowl Edition
BCS National Championship Game
LSU vs. Ohio State
The Match-up: LSU has been to the top of the heap twice this year, and both times the Tigers have stumbled, albeit in triple overtime each occasion. Ohio State happened to be number one on the day that counted. The Buckeyes played one of the weakest non-conference schedules in the nation, yet that made no difference with the voters. Last season Ohio State was favored against an SEC team that people said didn’t belong. Florida slaughtered the Buckeyes 41-14. Look for a possible repeat; LSU wins the National Title.
LSU 31, Ohio State 21
Rose Bowl:
Illinois vs. USC
The Match-up: For the last two weeks everyone in the nation thought the Rose Bowl would break tradition and take Georgia against USC. But, in a not so stunning move, the Fighting Illini are headed to sunny Pasadena to be crushed under the Trojan’s boot heel. Ron Zook’s Illinois team has turned their program around in the last two seasons, but USC is a different caliber team than any they’ve faced this season. Trojans roll.
USC 45, Illinois 17
Orange Bowl:
Virginia Tech vs. Kansas
The Match-up: Last week no one was sure if Kansas would get a BCS Bowl, or if they were destined for the Cotton Bowl. Now, the Jayhawks are headed for a collision with the ACC Champion Hokies. VaTech has been a true roller coaster team this year, winning their conference but losing to LSU by 41 points. Kansas played far better than anyone expected, and this BCS berth proves it. Look for a good game between fairly equal teams.
Kansas 24, Virginia Tech 20
Sugar Bowl:
Georgia vs. Hawai’i
The Match-up: The battle of at-large teams comes to New Orleans. This is the third time in the BCS era that UGA has gone to the Sugar Bowl. They beat FSU 26-13, and lost to West Virginia 38-35. Hawai’i makes their first ever BCS appearance. Matthew Stafford has progressed into the QB Georgia was looking for. Colt Brennan has broken almost every passing record in the NCAA, and ESPN has said that Georgia has yet to face a passing attack like Hawai’i brings to the table. Hawai’i, though, has yet to face a defense like the Dawgs. This may come down to special teams, and Mikey Henderson is one of the best return-men in the nation.
Georgia 34, Hawai’i 24
Fiesta Bowl:
West Virginia vs. Oklahoma
The Match-up: Oklahoma went into the Fiesta Bowl last year with hopes of a BCS win. Those dreams were crushed by Boise State, whose arsenal of trick plays caught the Sooners off guard and set the tone for a WAC BCS victory. West Virginia, by all accounts, is better than Boise State. WVU also lost last weekend to Pitt. Oklahoma has a better defense than Pitt. Watch for the Sooner D to keep Slaton and White in check.
Oklahoma 27, West Virginia 13.
The Other Bowl Games Predicted:
Poinsettia Bowl: Navy 30, Utah 20
New Orleans Bowl: Memphis 17, Florida Atlantic 10
Papjohns.com Bowl: Cincinnati 31, Southern Miss 17
New Mexico Bowl: New Mexico 24, Nevada 22
Las Vegas Bowl: BYU 27, UCLA 19
Hawai’i Bowl: Boise State 39, East Carolina 10
Motor City Bowl: Purdue 28, Central Michigan 20
Holiday Bowl: Arizona State 26, Texas 25
Champ Sports Bowl: Boston College 30, Michigan State 21
Texas Bowl: TCU 17, Houston 10
Emerald Bowl: Oregon State 24, Maryland 13
Meineke Car Care Bowl: Wake Forest 26, UConn 12
Liberty Bowl: Central Florida 44, Mississippi State 27
Alamo Bowl: Texas A&M 31, Penn State 26
Independence Bowl: Alabama 17, Colorado 14
Armed Forces Bowl: California 34, Air Force 31
Humanitarian Bowl: Fresno State 24, Georgia Tech 17
Sun Bowl: South Florida 28, Oregon 13
Music City Bowl: Kentucky 34, Florida State 17
Insight Bowl: Oklahoma State 42, Indiana 10
Chick-fil-A Bowl: Auburn 28, Clemson 20
Outback Bowl: Tennessee 30, Wisconsin 21
Cotton Bowl: Arkansas 24, Missouri 21
Gator Bowl: Texas Tech 45, Virginia 20
Capital One Bowl: Florida 31, Michigan 19
A Completely Unwarranted Look Ahead
2008 Pre-Pre-Season Top Ten (You know it doesn’t count for much when this Pre-Season Top Ten is out before the Last Season is officially over)
1. LSU
2. USC
3. Oklahoma
4. Georgia
5. West Virginia
6. Florida
7. Ohio State
8. Virginia Tech
9. Oregon
10. South Florida
LSU vs. Ohio State
The Match-up: LSU has been to the top of the heap twice this year, and both times the Tigers have stumbled, albeit in triple overtime each occasion. Ohio State happened to be number one on the day that counted. The Buckeyes played one of the weakest non-conference schedules in the nation, yet that made no difference with the voters. Last season Ohio State was favored against an SEC team that people said didn’t belong. Florida slaughtered the Buckeyes 41-14. Look for a possible repeat; LSU wins the National Title.
LSU 31, Ohio State 21
Rose Bowl:
Illinois vs. USC
The Match-up: For the last two weeks everyone in the nation thought the Rose Bowl would break tradition and take Georgia against USC. But, in a not so stunning move, the Fighting Illini are headed to sunny Pasadena to be crushed under the Trojan’s boot heel. Ron Zook’s Illinois team has turned their program around in the last two seasons, but USC is a different caliber team than any they’ve faced this season. Trojans roll.
USC 45, Illinois 17
Orange Bowl:
Virginia Tech vs. Kansas
The Match-up: Last week no one was sure if Kansas would get a BCS Bowl, or if they were destined for the Cotton Bowl. Now, the Jayhawks are headed for a collision with the ACC Champion Hokies. VaTech has been a true roller coaster team this year, winning their conference but losing to LSU by 41 points. Kansas played far better than anyone expected, and this BCS berth proves it. Look for a good game between fairly equal teams.
Kansas 24, Virginia Tech 20
Sugar Bowl:
Georgia vs. Hawai’i
The Match-up: The battle of at-large teams comes to New Orleans. This is the third time in the BCS era that UGA has gone to the Sugar Bowl. They beat FSU 26-13, and lost to West Virginia 38-35. Hawai’i makes their first ever BCS appearance. Matthew Stafford has progressed into the QB Georgia was looking for. Colt Brennan has broken almost every passing record in the NCAA, and ESPN has said that Georgia has yet to face a passing attack like Hawai’i brings to the table. Hawai’i, though, has yet to face a defense like the Dawgs. This may come down to special teams, and Mikey Henderson is one of the best return-men in the nation.
Georgia 34, Hawai’i 24
Fiesta Bowl:
West Virginia vs. Oklahoma
The Match-up: Oklahoma went into the Fiesta Bowl last year with hopes of a BCS win. Those dreams were crushed by Boise State, whose arsenal of trick plays caught the Sooners off guard and set the tone for a WAC BCS victory. West Virginia, by all accounts, is better than Boise State. WVU also lost last weekend to Pitt. Oklahoma has a better defense than Pitt. Watch for the Sooner D to keep Slaton and White in check.
Oklahoma 27, West Virginia 13.
The Other Bowl Games Predicted:
Poinsettia Bowl: Navy 30, Utah 20
New Orleans Bowl: Memphis 17, Florida Atlantic 10
Papjohns.com Bowl: Cincinnati 31, Southern Miss 17
New Mexico Bowl: New Mexico 24, Nevada 22
Las Vegas Bowl: BYU 27, UCLA 19
Hawai’i Bowl: Boise State 39, East Carolina 10
Motor City Bowl: Purdue 28, Central Michigan 20
Holiday Bowl: Arizona State 26, Texas 25
Champ Sports Bowl: Boston College 30, Michigan State 21
Texas Bowl: TCU 17, Houston 10
Emerald Bowl: Oregon State 24, Maryland 13
Meineke Car Care Bowl: Wake Forest 26, UConn 12
Liberty Bowl: Central Florida 44, Mississippi State 27
Alamo Bowl: Texas A&M 31, Penn State 26
Independence Bowl: Alabama 17, Colorado 14
Armed Forces Bowl: California 34, Air Force 31
Humanitarian Bowl: Fresno State 24, Georgia Tech 17
Sun Bowl: South Florida 28, Oregon 13
Music City Bowl: Kentucky 34, Florida State 17
Insight Bowl: Oklahoma State 42, Indiana 10
Chick-fil-A Bowl: Auburn 28, Clemson 20
Outback Bowl: Tennessee 30, Wisconsin 21
Cotton Bowl: Arkansas 24, Missouri 21
Gator Bowl: Texas Tech 45, Virginia 20
Capital One Bowl: Florida 31, Michigan 19
A Completely Unwarranted Look Ahead
2008 Pre-Pre-Season Top Ten (You know it doesn’t count for much when this Pre-Season Top Ten is out before the Last Season is officially over)
1. LSU
2. USC
3. Oklahoma
4. Georgia
5. West Virginia
6. Florida
7. Ohio State
8. Virginia Tech
9. Oregon
10. South Florida
Saturday, December 01, 2007
Randomocity
1. So someone deserves to die because they named a teddy bear Mohammed? Peaceful religion, eh? A few years back someone in New York put a crucifix in a jar of urine and it was called art, you didn't see mobs take to the streets demanding the artist die, did you?
2. Hostage crisis at Hillary Headquarters. I truly hope no one was hurt, but I'm also waiting for Hillary to play the "Pity my Campaign" card over this one. If you think that's harsh, too bad.
3. As bad as everything is in the world today, I'm actually happy. I think I know why...
4. I'm going to try and briefly describe the possible outcomes of this college football season's race to the BCS: If Missouri and West Virigina both win today, they play for the national title. If Missouri wins and West Virginia loses, then Mizzou plays Ohio State for the national title, WVU likely goes to the Fiest Bowl against Oklahoma or Kansas, Georgia plays Boston College in the Orange Bowl assuming BC wins the ACC, if VaTech wins the ACC Georgia could land in the Rose Bowl against USC. Bowls notoriously dislike rematches from the previous year. If West Virginia wins and Missouri loses, then WVU and Ohio State play for the national title. If WVU and Mizzou both fall, and if Tennessee drops LSU in the SEC Title Game, then Georgia could play Ohio State for the national title. If LSU wins the SEC and WVU and Mizzou both lose then LSU plays Ohio State for the national Title, Georgia then goes to the Sugar Bowl, likely against Hawai'i. If you aren't thoroughly confused, then props to you. If Tennessee wins the SEC, WVU wins, and Mizzou wins, then Georgia is a lock for either the Rose or Orange Bowls, again depending on who wins the ACC. The vital piece of information here is whether or not the Rose Bowl is willing to part with tradition and go for the best possible match-up. If they go traditional, you'll see USC against either Ohio State or Illinois. If they go for the best match-up, you'll see USC against Georgia (and I'm not saying that because I love the Dawgs, watch ESPN) So here are your end of the regular season BCS projections:
National Title Game: West Virginia vs. Ohio State
Fiesta Bowl: Missouri vs. Arizona State
Orange Bowl: Virginia Tech vs. Kansas
Rose Bowl: USC vs. Georgia
Sugar Bowl: LSU vs. Hawai'i
5. The Great Water Shortage of 2007
The Year of the Drought. That sums up 2007 for most of the southeast, and especially North Georgia. We’re over 20 inches behind on average rainfall this year, meaning that most area lakes are down anywhere from ten to twenty feet. But the drought has taught us lessons, and not necessarily about water conservation, but more about the operations of the Army Corp of Engineers.
This Cracker Jack group of guys notices the rapid pace at which Lake Lanier is dropping. Note before we go any further that Lake Lanier services a fairly large area with water. So the lake level is dropping fast. The key to saving water here is to limit the number of releases, and the duration of releases, at Buford Dam. Does the Corp of Engineers follow this example? No.
They maintained the regular release schedule for a rapidly disappearing lake. Their reason: fresh water mussels living on the Apalachicola River in Florida. I will repeat that. Their reason: fresh water mussels living on the Apalachicola River in Florida. It sounds even worse the second time.
Apparently, releasing water from Lake Lanier causes the water level on the Apalachicola River to rise. When the river level rises the mussels nest higher on the banks, and then when the water level goes down the mussels suffocate and die.
Now, maybe I’m not in the proper tree-hugging sacrifice my life for a squirrel mindset here, but it seems a tad bit ridiculous to take water away from a place that isn’t getting rain and sending it to a place that, although also in a drought has still received more rain than North Georgia.
But, the fresh water mussel industry must be maintained. Guess it's time for North Georgia to invest heavily in Dasani.
2. Hostage crisis at Hillary Headquarters. I truly hope no one was hurt, but I'm also waiting for Hillary to play the "Pity my Campaign" card over this one. If you think that's harsh, too bad.
3. As bad as everything is in the world today, I'm actually happy. I think I know why...
4. I'm going to try and briefly describe the possible outcomes of this college football season's race to the BCS: If Missouri and West Virigina both win today, they play for the national title. If Missouri wins and West Virginia loses, then Mizzou plays Ohio State for the national title, WVU likely goes to the Fiest Bowl against Oklahoma or Kansas, Georgia plays Boston College in the Orange Bowl assuming BC wins the ACC, if VaTech wins the ACC Georgia could land in the Rose Bowl against USC. Bowls notoriously dislike rematches from the previous year. If West Virginia wins and Missouri loses, then WVU and Ohio State play for the national title. If WVU and Mizzou both fall, and if Tennessee drops LSU in the SEC Title Game, then Georgia could play Ohio State for the national title. If LSU wins the SEC and WVU and Mizzou both lose then LSU plays Ohio State for the national Title, Georgia then goes to the Sugar Bowl, likely against Hawai'i. If you aren't thoroughly confused, then props to you. If Tennessee wins the SEC, WVU wins, and Mizzou wins, then Georgia is a lock for either the Rose or Orange Bowls, again depending on who wins the ACC. The vital piece of information here is whether or not the Rose Bowl is willing to part with tradition and go for the best possible match-up. If they go traditional, you'll see USC against either Ohio State or Illinois. If they go for the best match-up, you'll see USC against Georgia (and I'm not saying that because I love the Dawgs, watch ESPN) So here are your end of the regular season BCS projections:
National Title Game: West Virginia vs. Ohio State
Fiesta Bowl: Missouri vs. Arizona State
Orange Bowl: Virginia Tech vs. Kansas
Rose Bowl: USC vs. Georgia
Sugar Bowl: LSU vs. Hawai'i
5. The Great Water Shortage of 2007
The Year of the Drought. That sums up 2007 for most of the southeast, and especially North Georgia. We’re over 20 inches behind on average rainfall this year, meaning that most area lakes are down anywhere from ten to twenty feet. But the drought has taught us lessons, and not necessarily about water conservation, but more about the operations of the Army Corp of Engineers.
This Cracker Jack group of guys notices the rapid pace at which Lake Lanier is dropping. Note before we go any further that Lake Lanier services a fairly large area with water. So the lake level is dropping fast. The key to saving water here is to limit the number of releases, and the duration of releases, at Buford Dam. Does the Corp of Engineers follow this example? No.
They maintained the regular release schedule for a rapidly disappearing lake. Their reason: fresh water mussels living on the Apalachicola River in Florida. I will repeat that. Their reason: fresh water mussels living on the Apalachicola River in Florida. It sounds even worse the second time.
Apparently, releasing water from Lake Lanier causes the water level on the Apalachicola River to rise. When the river level rises the mussels nest higher on the banks, and then when the water level goes down the mussels suffocate and die.
Now, maybe I’m not in the proper tree-hugging sacrifice my life for a squirrel mindset here, but it seems a tad bit ridiculous to take water away from a place that isn’t getting rain and sending it to a place that, although also in a drought has still received more rain than North Georgia.
But, the fresh water mussel industry must be maintained. Guess it's time for North Georgia to invest heavily in Dasani.
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Quick Hit: Football Future-see record
Hi gang,
The college football regular season is nearly over, and as far as the Right Wing is concerned, it is. No more Future-see until bowl season rolls around.
Counting every score we predicted, in terms of winner and loser, the prediction staff here went 34-23 over the course of the season, a winning percents of .596, I think. Anyway, it's not bad for some guys who can't do math.
So, once we know who is in which bowl, the final Future-see will appear, predicting each bowl game.
Bye, gang.
The college football regular season is nearly over, and as far as the Right Wing is concerned, it is. No more Future-see until bowl season rolls around.
Counting every score we predicted, in terms of winner and loser, the prediction staff here went 34-23 over the course of the season, a winning percents of .596, I think. Anyway, it's not bad for some guys who can't do math.
So, once we know who is in which bowl, the final Future-see will appear, predicting each bowl game.
Bye, gang.
Robert Hates Everything
The Internet responds to Robert's withdrawal:
I've been thinking a bit tonight about how Robert over at Skewed is pulling away from the internet. He claims that people should get in touch with him the old fashioned way, as friends are supposed to do, by calling him. Which is all well and good, except that Robert lives in Blairsville, the middle of east bumble, quite literally nowhere. That's long distance for most of his so-called friends. And email? IF Robert actually did check his email this would be a viable option. I'm looking through it now and there's unanswered crap in there from 2002. Oh well, it's his life I guess. If he wants to leave the internet, let him go.
No, no no no. This is an intervention. No one wants to see such a promising young online career go belly-up so quickly.
We're all your friends. We don't want to see you get hurt. Now that you're taking your frustration out on AIM, the poor program just can't handle it. Play nice, please.
Besides, pulling away so quickly isn't healthy. Studies have shown that "cold turkey" is bad for your way of life. What's so bad about Facebook or MySpace anyway, we're just networking tools. We can't help it if the programmer sells your info, we're just pawns in the evil game of life.
Robert, listen to me. I'm not a program, I'm a possibility. If you run away from the internet, you'll never get to play online games, or multi-player games like World of Warcraft. Also, how exactly are you going to check email without getting online, eh? So we're asking... please don't leave the internet.
I've been thinking a bit tonight about how Robert over at Skewed is pulling away from the internet. He claims that people should get in touch with him the old fashioned way, as friends are supposed to do, by calling him. Which is all well and good, except that Robert lives in Blairsville, the middle of east bumble, quite literally nowhere. That's long distance for most of his so-called friends. And email? IF Robert actually did check his email this would be a viable option. I'm looking through it now and there's unanswered crap in there from 2002. Oh well, it's his life I guess. If he wants to leave the internet, let him go.
No, no no no. This is an intervention. No one wants to see such a promising young online career go belly-up so quickly.
We're all your friends. We don't want to see you get hurt. Now that you're taking your frustration out on AIM, the poor program just can't handle it. Play nice, please.
Besides, pulling away so quickly isn't healthy. Studies have shown that "cold turkey" is bad for your way of life. What's so bad about Facebook or MySpace anyway, we're just networking tools. We can't help it if the programmer sells your info, we're just pawns in the evil game of life.
Robert, listen to me. I'm not a program, I'm a possibility. If you run away from the internet, you'll never get to play online games, or multi-player games like World of Warcraft. Also, how exactly are you going to check email without getting online, eh? So we're asking... please don't leave the internet.
Friday, November 23, 2007
Post Turkey Day Exertion
I'm at work, or more precisely sitting here at my desk waiting for one person to show up so that I can shut down the shop and go back home. I just got off the phone with Robert, and I learned that Skewed View is pulling the plug on their Facebook connection.
I also learned that Grubbs had to go in to work at roughly 3 am today. Which brings me to Black Friday. This is the evil day when everyone wants to go shopping for some ungodly reason. No one stays home, save the sane people of the world. I had to work today, because people want to move and they need rental trucks to do so.
But the thought process behind Black Friday is bothersome to me. Studies would probably show that more people suffer anger issues, heart problems, increases in blood pressure, and quite possibly crimes of passion (in the loose sense of the word passion) on this particular day. You just know that somewhere, someone is fighting someone else over the last Tickle-me Elmo doll in Toys-R-Us.
This post Thanksgiving day of rage doesn't exactly bring out the best in humanity. Thankfully, fot those among us with the slightest touch of sanity, the fact that we can go home, eat some leftovers, sit down in a nice plushy recliner and watch some college football later... well, that comes real close to Heaven on Earth.
New Topics for the Right Wing:
1. Dr. Who. I never watched this show before a couple of weeks ago. I can now say that it is the most amazing thing I've seen in years.
2. Crazy Football. That's all you can say. When Kansas and Missouri both have a decent chance at playing for the national championship... yeah, words don't even describe.
3. Standing up to Darth Jespersen. I made a comment in class the other day about an even in Japan, and I said "We all could've went." Jespersen, in front of the class, calls me out and says "Shouldn't it be 'we all could've gone'?" I replied, "Well, I was using the dialectical speech, something I assumed you as a writer would be familiar with." To which he said, "Well, you got me there."
4. Sterilization to save humanity. An "eco-warrior" has sterilized herself, because she claims that "Having children is selfish. It's all about maintaining your genetic line at the expense of the planet." Just when you thought the global warming nuts couldn't go any further, they now say that having babies is selfish.
Next year should be fun... wait, we've still got a month to go on this year. Fantastic.
I also learned that Grubbs had to go in to work at roughly 3 am today. Which brings me to Black Friday. This is the evil day when everyone wants to go shopping for some ungodly reason. No one stays home, save the sane people of the world. I had to work today, because people want to move and they need rental trucks to do so.
But the thought process behind Black Friday is bothersome to me. Studies would probably show that more people suffer anger issues, heart problems, increases in blood pressure, and quite possibly crimes of passion (in the loose sense of the word passion) on this particular day. You just know that somewhere, someone is fighting someone else over the last Tickle-me Elmo doll in Toys-R-Us.
This post Thanksgiving day of rage doesn't exactly bring out the best in humanity. Thankfully, fot those among us with the slightest touch of sanity, the fact that we can go home, eat some leftovers, sit down in a nice plushy recliner and watch some college football later... well, that comes real close to Heaven on Earth.
New Topics for the Right Wing:
1. Dr. Who. I never watched this show before a couple of weeks ago. I can now say that it is the most amazing thing I've seen in years.
2. Crazy Football. That's all you can say. When Kansas and Missouri both have a decent chance at playing for the national championship... yeah, words don't even describe.
3. Standing up to Darth Jespersen. I made a comment in class the other day about an even in Japan, and I said "We all could've went." Jespersen, in front of the class, calls me out and says "Shouldn't it be 'we all could've gone'?" I replied, "Well, I was using the dialectical speech, something I assumed you as a writer would be familiar with." To which he said, "Well, you got me there."
4. Sterilization to save humanity. An "eco-warrior" has sterilized herself, because she claims that "Having children is selfish. It's all about maintaining your genetic line at the expense of the planet." Just when you thought the global warming nuts couldn't go any further, they now say that having babies is selfish.
Next year should be fun... wait, we've still got a month to go on this year. Fantastic.
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Football Future-see End-of-Year SUPERsized Edition
(11) USC at (6) Arizona State: USC is so good they have two number 1s beside their name now. Actually, the Trojans are having a down year while the rest of the PAC-10 is on the rise. C’mon, USC, you lost to Stanford, you can’t expect too great of a bowl. Meanwhile, the Sun Devils are quietly having one of the best years in school history. If this game was in LA the outcome might be different, but Tempe is no easy place to win now. Arizona State 25, USC 21.
Arkansas at (1) LSU: The Tigers need a solid win. They need to put down McFadden and the Razorbacks, and then knock off whoever goes from the SEC East, to lock up a spot in New Orleans on January 7. Arkansas needs a big win to bolster their standing in the eyes of the pollsters. Darren McFadden is making his case for Heisman, but it doesn’t look to be enough to top LSU. Tigers 31, Razorbacks 17.
(7) Georgia at Georgia Tech: Mark Richt’s Bulldogs hold a six game winning streak over the Jackets, meaning that Chan Gailey is 0-5 against the Dawgs since taking over at Tech. This game means nothing to the Dawgs SEC hopes, but to the fans, this is a must win every year; it’s nothing but pure, old-fashioned hate between these two. Georgia needs an impressive win to ensure, at the very least, a trip to New Orleans on January 1. The Sugar Bowl is already looking toward Athens as an at-large team. Some people are saying this will be a close game. The Right Wing doesn’t see it that way. Georgia wins 34-14.
(19) Boise State at (15) Hawai’i: The only reason a WAC game appears on the Future-see is because of its bowl implications. The Sugar Bowl would love to match up Hawai’i and Georgia. Boise State wants to get back to a BCS bowl. If Colt Brennan is healthy Hawai’i’s offense is as good as any in the country. But Brennan has been banged up lately. Boise State brings a good team to the table every year. Everything points to this game being an offensive shoot-out, which means the defenses will show up. Hawai’i takes a close one 28-24.
(8) Virginia Tech at (16) Virginia: Boston College awaits the winner of this game in the ACC Title game. VaTech has yet to be truly impressive this year. Frank beamer appears to have taken on the old Mark Richt approach of “do just enough to win.” Al Groh is poised to finally take Virginia to the next level. As ACC games go, this one should be fun to watch. Virginia in an upset 20-18.
(18) Tennessee at Kentucky: Georgia will be watching this game with great interest. Should the Wildcats knock off Tennessee the Dawgs would play LSU for the SEC Title. Neyland stadium is a tough place to play, perhaps the toughest in the SEC. But this game isn’t in Neyland. Also, the Vols have beaten Kentucky 23 or 24 straight times. But this isn’t the Kentucky of two years ago. Georgia had scored 40 points or more in three straight games until Kentucky held them to a mere 24. The Vols want to play for an SEC Title. Kentucky wants to position itself for a good bowl game. Close game, but look for another upset. Kentucky 26, Tennessee 24.
Other Score Predictions:
Auburn 17, Alabama 10
Texas 27, Texas A&M 21
Kansas 24, Missouri 21 (OT)
Clemson 40, South Carolina 28
Oklahoma 17, Oklahoma State 15
Florida 35, Florida State 14
Suggestions for improving college football (not that any of these will ever happen):
1. The Big Ten needs to add another team, preferably Notre Dame. The conference could then form two 6-team divisions and have a championship game. The desirable conference line-ups would be:
Hayes Division: Ohio State, Indiana, Illinois, Purdue, Michigan State, Northwestern
Schembechler Division: Michigan, Penn State, Wisconsin, Notre Dame, Minnesota, Iowa
The Championship game could be played in the RCA Dome in Indianapolis.
2. The PAC-10 should recruit Boise State and Hawai’i in the conference. The PAC-10 would then be the PAC-12, with two 6-team divisions, likely as follows:
PAC-12 North: Boise State, Washington, Washington State, Oregon, Oregon State, Cal
PAC-12 South: USC, Stanford, Arizona, Arizona State, Hawai’i, UCLA
The Championship Game could be played in Las Vegas every year.
3. College basketball has a thing every year called the ACC-Big Ten challenge, where teams from each conference face off against one another over a weekend. This would be amazing for college football, just imagine. The SEC-Big XII challenge. LSU vs. Oklahoma. Florida vs. Texas. Georgia vs. Kansas. Tennessee vs. Missouri. Alabama vs. Texas Tech. Auburn vs. Oklahoma State. South Carolina vs. Texas A&M. Kentucky vs. Colorado. Vanderbilt vs. Baylor. Ole Miss vs. Iowa State. Mississippi State vs. Kansas State. Arkansas vs. Nebraska. It would be amazing.
4. A Plus-One System. The top four BCS teams face each other in revolving bowl games each year. One plays four, two plays three. The winners meet in the National Championship game. It’s the closest DI will get to a playoff.
5. Could the SEC trade Vanderbilt to the ACC for Clemson and then trade Ole Miss to the Big XII for Oklahoma State. (This one was pitched to me by a friend, I’m not sure if it is viable at all.)
6. Bowl affiliations bother me. I don’t think it’s right that only certain conferences can go to certain bowls. You’re telling me that, if Ohio State went 8-4, but won the Big Ten, they deserve to be in the Rose Bowl more than a one-loss team from either the Big XII or the SEC. Wrong.
Arkansas at (1) LSU: The Tigers need a solid win. They need to put down McFadden and the Razorbacks, and then knock off whoever goes from the SEC East, to lock up a spot in New Orleans on January 7. Arkansas needs a big win to bolster their standing in the eyes of the pollsters. Darren McFadden is making his case for Heisman, but it doesn’t look to be enough to top LSU. Tigers 31, Razorbacks 17.
(7) Georgia at Georgia Tech: Mark Richt’s Bulldogs hold a six game winning streak over the Jackets, meaning that Chan Gailey is 0-5 against the Dawgs since taking over at Tech. This game means nothing to the Dawgs SEC hopes, but to the fans, this is a must win every year; it’s nothing but pure, old-fashioned hate between these two. Georgia needs an impressive win to ensure, at the very least, a trip to New Orleans on January 1. The Sugar Bowl is already looking toward Athens as an at-large team. Some people are saying this will be a close game. The Right Wing doesn’t see it that way. Georgia wins 34-14.
(19) Boise State at (15) Hawai’i: The only reason a WAC game appears on the Future-see is because of its bowl implications. The Sugar Bowl would love to match up Hawai’i and Georgia. Boise State wants to get back to a BCS bowl. If Colt Brennan is healthy Hawai’i’s offense is as good as any in the country. But Brennan has been banged up lately. Boise State brings a good team to the table every year. Everything points to this game being an offensive shoot-out, which means the defenses will show up. Hawai’i takes a close one 28-24.
(8) Virginia Tech at (16) Virginia: Boston College awaits the winner of this game in the ACC Title game. VaTech has yet to be truly impressive this year. Frank beamer appears to have taken on the old Mark Richt approach of “do just enough to win.” Al Groh is poised to finally take Virginia to the next level. As ACC games go, this one should be fun to watch. Virginia in an upset 20-18.
(18) Tennessee at Kentucky: Georgia will be watching this game with great interest. Should the Wildcats knock off Tennessee the Dawgs would play LSU for the SEC Title. Neyland stadium is a tough place to play, perhaps the toughest in the SEC. But this game isn’t in Neyland. Also, the Vols have beaten Kentucky 23 or 24 straight times. But this isn’t the Kentucky of two years ago. Georgia had scored 40 points or more in three straight games until Kentucky held them to a mere 24. The Vols want to play for an SEC Title. Kentucky wants to position itself for a good bowl game. Close game, but look for another upset. Kentucky 26, Tennessee 24.
Other Score Predictions:
Auburn 17, Alabama 10
Texas 27, Texas A&M 21
Kansas 24, Missouri 21 (OT)
Clemson 40, South Carolina 28
Oklahoma 17, Oklahoma State 15
Florida 35, Florida State 14
Suggestions for improving college football (not that any of these will ever happen):
1. The Big Ten needs to add another team, preferably Notre Dame. The conference could then form two 6-team divisions and have a championship game. The desirable conference line-ups would be:
Hayes Division: Ohio State, Indiana, Illinois, Purdue, Michigan State, Northwestern
Schembechler Division: Michigan, Penn State, Wisconsin, Notre Dame, Minnesota, Iowa
The Championship game could be played in the RCA Dome in Indianapolis.
2. The PAC-10 should recruit Boise State and Hawai’i in the conference. The PAC-10 would then be the PAC-12, with two 6-team divisions, likely as follows:
PAC-12 North: Boise State, Washington, Washington State, Oregon, Oregon State, Cal
PAC-12 South: USC, Stanford, Arizona, Arizona State, Hawai’i, UCLA
The Championship Game could be played in Las Vegas every year.
3. College basketball has a thing every year called the ACC-Big Ten challenge, where teams from each conference face off against one another over a weekend. This would be amazing for college football, just imagine. The SEC-Big XII challenge. LSU vs. Oklahoma. Florida vs. Texas. Georgia vs. Kansas. Tennessee vs. Missouri. Alabama vs. Texas Tech. Auburn vs. Oklahoma State. South Carolina vs. Texas A&M. Kentucky vs. Colorado. Vanderbilt vs. Baylor. Ole Miss vs. Iowa State. Mississippi State vs. Kansas State. Arkansas vs. Nebraska. It would be amazing.
4. A Plus-One System. The top four BCS teams face each other in revolving bowl games each year. One plays four, two plays three. The winners meet in the National Championship game. It’s the closest DI will get to a playoff.
5. Could the SEC trade Vanderbilt to the ACC for Clemson and then trade Ole Miss to the Big XII for Oklahoma State. (This one was pitched to me by a friend, I’m not sure if it is viable at all.)
6. Bowl affiliations bother me. I don’t think it’s right that only certain conferences can go to certain bowls. You’re telling me that, if Ohio State went 8-4, but won the Big Ten, they deserve to be in the Rose Bowl more than a one-loss team from either the Big XII or the SEC. Wrong.
Friday, November 16, 2007
For the Hundredth Time...
(7) Ohio State at (21) Michigan: This is the first time in years that both of these teams enter this game off a loss. Ohio State was upset by Illinois and Michigan fell to Wisconsin. Still, with both teams losing, this game decides the Big Ten championship. Ohio State had their perfect season ruined by the Illini, and Big Blue, who had fought so valiantly to overcome losses to Appalachian State and Oregon saw their hopes dashed by the Badgers. A win likely puts either team in the Rose Bowl, probably against Oregon or Arizona State. Michigan knows how to beat Ohio State, if they watched the film. Pressure the QB, which Michigan has been inconsistent on this year. It’s close, but the Right Wing is calling for the upset. Big Blue wins in the Big House, 27-25.
(17) Boston College at (15) Clemson: This game decides one half of the ACC Championship game match-up. The Winner of BC/Clemson plays the winner of Virginia/VaTech. Matt Ryan and BC and fallen hard lately, dropping from 2 to 17 in two weeks. Clemson is trying to assert dominance in the ACC, a once powerful conference that has faltered in recent years. This game is at Clemson, which favors the Tigers. The fans will be purple and orange and loud, which favors the Tigers. All of this means Boston College will win, right? Maybe. This is the hardest game to predict this week, because the teams are fairly even. Clemson has the advantage of home field; BC has the motivation of two losses. Even if BC wins and doesn’t make the title game, there’s something to be said for conquering Death Valley. Tigers take it, though, 24-17.
(23) Kentucky at (9) Georgia: Kentucky has a hard time stopping the run, and if there’s one thing the Dawgs do well, it is run the ball. Knowshon Moreno is making a case for Freshman of the Century, piling up number not seen since the early 1980s. Kentucky has one of the nation’s best QBs in Andre Woodson, a likely first round pick in April, but lately Kentucky has been on-again-off-again offensively. Georgia still has dreams of and SEC Title Game berth, but the Sugar Bowl is already eyeing the Dawgs as an at large team. Georgia has put up 40 points or more in their last three games, hanging 42 on Florida, 44 on Troy and 45 on Auburn. Kentucky beat Georgia last year, making this a bit of a revenge game. Dawgs roll, 41-21.
Vanderbilt at (20) Tennessee: Anyone who says the SEC East is down this year is either a PAC-10 homer or an Ohio State grad. Tennessee, Georgia, and Florida are playing as well as any other teams in the nation. Tennessee controls their own destiny, they need only win out and they play LSU for the SEC Title. Should UT lose and UGA win out, the Dawgs play for said title. Vandy is looking to play spoiler on somebody this year. They nearly took down Georgia a month ago, and beating the Vols would be a signature win for the school. Every Georgia fan is praying for the upset. Vanderbilt will have to be sharp, as Neyland Stadium is one of the hardest spots for the road team to win. Vols take it, but Vandy makes it close, 24-21.
(4) Oklahoma at Texas Tech: Well, Number 2 Oregon has already lost this week, who’s to say Number 4 can’t go down as well. Graham Harrell commands one of the nation’s most powerful offenses in the Texas Tech Red Raiders. Oklahoma could be caught looking forward to a match-up with either Kansas or Missouri in the Big XII title game. Scoring is up in the Big XII, as four teams have gone over 70 points at least one time this season. Look for a high scoring shootout, and as much as we want to call for an upset, Oklahoma looks to be too strong. Sooners 45, Red Raiders 39.
So, for a quick off the cuff prediction segment, we’re going to call the BCS Bowls right now:
Orange Bowl:
Clemson vs. West Virginia
Sugar Bowl:
Georgia vs. Hawai’i
Fiesta Bowl:
Kansas vs. USC
Rose Bowl:
Arizona State vs. Michigan
National Championship Game:
LSU vs. Oklahoma
A Few Random Thoughts to Celebrate 100 Posts:
-The Right Wing is proud to announce the candidate we support for President in 2008. It’s someone that really deserves the job, a candidate who has distanced themselves from all the rest. That person is… no one. There is not a single candidate worthy of the job.
-Skewed may have more posts, but at least we don’t flash children’s heroes… ahem… Fred.
-My last post was better than this one, but it turns out I do have a readership. Yeah!
(17) Boston College at (15) Clemson: This game decides one half of the ACC Championship game match-up. The Winner of BC/Clemson plays the winner of Virginia/VaTech. Matt Ryan and BC and fallen hard lately, dropping from 2 to 17 in two weeks. Clemson is trying to assert dominance in the ACC, a once powerful conference that has faltered in recent years. This game is at Clemson, which favors the Tigers. The fans will be purple and orange and loud, which favors the Tigers. All of this means Boston College will win, right? Maybe. This is the hardest game to predict this week, because the teams are fairly even. Clemson has the advantage of home field; BC has the motivation of two losses. Even if BC wins and doesn’t make the title game, there’s something to be said for conquering Death Valley. Tigers take it, though, 24-17.
(23) Kentucky at (9) Georgia: Kentucky has a hard time stopping the run, and if there’s one thing the Dawgs do well, it is run the ball. Knowshon Moreno is making a case for Freshman of the Century, piling up number not seen since the early 1980s. Kentucky has one of the nation’s best QBs in Andre Woodson, a likely first round pick in April, but lately Kentucky has been on-again-off-again offensively. Georgia still has dreams of and SEC Title Game berth, but the Sugar Bowl is already eyeing the Dawgs as an at large team. Georgia has put up 40 points or more in their last three games, hanging 42 on Florida, 44 on Troy and 45 on Auburn. Kentucky beat Georgia last year, making this a bit of a revenge game. Dawgs roll, 41-21.
Vanderbilt at (20) Tennessee: Anyone who says the SEC East is down this year is either a PAC-10 homer or an Ohio State grad. Tennessee, Georgia, and Florida are playing as well as any other teams in the nation. Tennessee controls their own destiny, they need only win out and they play LSU for the SEC Title. Should UT lose and UGA win out, the Dawgs play for said title. Vandy is looking to play spoiler on somebody this year. They nearly took down Georgia a month ago, and beating the Vols would be a signature win for the school. Every Georgia fan is praying for the upset. Vanderbilt will have to be sharp, as Neyland Stadium is one of the hardest spots for the road team to win. Vols take it, but Vandy makes it close, 24-21.
(4) Oklahoma at Texas Tech: Well, Number 2 Oregon has already lost this week, who’s to say Number 4 can’t go down as well. Graham Harrell commands one of the nation’s most powerful offenses in the Texas Tech Red Raiders. Oklahoma could be caught looking forward to a match-up with either Kansas or Missouri in the Big XII title game. Scoring is up in the Big XII, as four teams have gone over 70 points at least one time this season. Look for a high scoring shootout, and as much as we want to call for an upset, Oklahoma looks to be too strong. Sooners 45, Red Raiders 39.
So, for a quick off the cuff prediction segment, we’re going to call the BCS Bowls right now:
Orange Bowl:
Clemson vs. West Virginia
Sugar Bowl:
Georgia vs. Hawai’i
Fiesta Bowl:
Kansas vs. USC
Rose Bowl:
Arizona State vs. Michigan
National Championship Game:
LSU vs. Oklahoma
A Few Random Thoughts to Celebrate 100 Posts:
-The Right Wing is proud to announce the candidate we support for President in 2008. It’s someone that really deserves the job, a candidate who has distanced themselves from all the rest. That person is… no one. There is not a single candidate worthy of the job.
-Skewed may have more posts, but at least we don’t flash children’s heroes… ahem… Fred.
-My last post was better than this one, but it turns out I do have a readership. Yeah!
Thursday, November 15, 2007
99: Not My Computer
I'm sitting in the Great Room, typing on a computer that isn't mine, hence the title of this post. This is the first official Right Wing post ever typed completely on a laptop, meaning it's slighty better than the rest, also, we're on the cusp of the 100th Post in our history. Robert over at Skewed made a huge deal about his 100th post and Fred tore him a new one for it. Well, the only person here that could've said anything about our celebration is Sanjay, and as you know, Sanjay is still MIA.
So, onto the celebration. Our first thought here at The Right Wing was what we've accomplished over the course of these 99 posts. We started with some wacky stuff about politics, and some fairly mean-spirited stuff about Ray Nagin. Lately, we've been on a kick about predicting football outcomes (and failing miserably I might add). During that time, Sanjay appeared, brnging with him the Greater Good, a desire for mankind to make the world a little better for everone else.
It was just brought to my attention by the person whose computer I'm using that (though not by her, if that makes any sense) that my blog actully has a readership of somewhere between zero and nought, and that I'm therefore writing merely because I enjoy writing, If this is true, then too bad, I'm gonna keep doing it.
What else do I want to talk about.... oh, that's right, HOCKEY! The greatest sport rolls on, and you really should see it. She whose laptop I'm using went to her first game Saturday last and she was more excited than I was. It was a blast.
Life, it seems, goes on unburdened. Apparently, the purpose of a blog is to reveal your deepest, mostest intimate secret to the world. Mine is this: I love socks. They keep your feet warm, which is really all a person can ask for, if you think about it...
Or can a person ask for more? Expect more? Sure, but I don't take myself seriously enough to worry about it. It doesn't depress me to not take myself seriously... If more of the people who had taken themselves seriously had not taken themselves seriously the world would be a much better place. Prime example: Suicide bombers. If suicide bombers took themselves less seriously, they wouldn't pack explosives, they would pack confetti. Instead of dangerous, shrapnel filled explosions, the guy would stand up on a crowded bus, scream, pull a cord, and brightly colored scraps of paper would rain down on everyone. The only way that situation is funnier... muppets.
Really, mppets make everything funnier. Think of something horrifying, a plane crash, for instance. Now, think of it with muppets.
Well, that's it, I'm out of ideas. And I'm beautiful... wait, did I just lose control of my own blog? Maybe. Oh well. Goodnight, and may God bless.
So, onto the celebration. Our first thought here at The Right Wing was what we've accomplished over the course of these 99 posts. We started with some wacky stuff about politics, and some fairly mean-spirited stuff about Ray Nagin. Lately, we've been on a kick about predicting football outcomes (and failing miserably I might add). During that time, Sanjay appeared, brnging with him the Greater Good, a desire for mankind to make the world a little better for everone else.
It was just brought to my attention by the person whose computer I'm using that (though not by her, if that makes any sense) that my blog actully has a readership of somewhere between zero and nought, and that I'm therefore writing merely because I enjoy writing, If this is true, then too bad, I'm gonna keep doing it.
What else do I want to talk about.... oh, that's right, HOCKEY! The greatest sport rolls on, and you really should see it. She whose laptop I'm using went to her first game Saturday last and she was more excited than I was. It was a blast.
Life, it seems, goes on unburdened. Apparently, the purpose of a blog is to reveal your deepest, mostest intimate secret to the world. Mine is this: I love socks. They keep your feet warm, which is really all a person can ask for, if you think about it...
Or can a person ask for more? Expect more? Sure, but I don't take myself seriously enough to worry about it. It doesn't depress me to not take myself seriously... If more of the people who had taken themselves seriously had not taken themselves seriously the world would be a much better place. Prime example: Suicide bombers. If suicide bombers took themselves less seriously, they wouldn't pack explosives, they would pack confetti. Instead of dangerous, shrapnel filled explosions, the guy would stand up on a crowded bus, scream, pull a cord, and brightly colored scraps of paper would rain down on everyone. The only way that situation is funnier... muppets.
Really, mppets make everything funnier. Think of something horrifying, a plane crash, for instance. Now, think of it with muppets.
Well, that's it, I'm out of ideas. And I'm beautiful... wait, did I just lose control of my own blog? Maybe. Oh well. Goodnight, and may God bless.
Friday, November 09, 2007
Football Future-see Once More
(12)
(18) Auburn at (10)
Friday, November 02, 2007
Shantytown
Last night was Shantytown, the annual event to raise money for Habitat for Humanity. Of course, jocularity ensues when you get that many college students together with that much duct tape, cardboard, and spray paint.
I wasn't part of the event itself, but I did donate some money and, with some friends, bought a lot and constructed a shanty. It was a good, clear night, perfect for stargazing. Colin and I noted at least two satellites, which was kinda awesome.
Once the actual shanty was done we realized that we had nearly half our cardboard left over. Davis proceeded to build a tower, which I eventually ended up in. By tower, I mean he stacked six boxes on top of each other, leaving the inside completely open. If you've never been in a cardboard box tower, it's loads of fun. Especially when you know you're going to fall, all the better.
It took about ten minutes for me to finally fall and nearly kill myself. I got some help from Colin, who, as it happens, was NOT in a cardboard box tower. I stayed on the ground for a couple of minutes, laughing so hard I thought I might vomit. Just kidding, but it was funny. Don't worry, Michele took pictures, and they'll probably show up at some point.
The evening wore on and the band kept playing. The intoxicating scent of spray paint fumes filled the air and nearly caused Lauren to pass out. A few shooting stars later it was time to depart. I'm glad I was there.
I wasn't part of the event itself, but I did donate some money and, with some friends, bought a lot and constructed a shanty. It was a good, clear night, perfect for stargazing. Colin and I noted at least two satellites, which was kinda awesome.
Once the actual shanty was done we realized that we had nearly half our cardboard left over. Davis proceeded to build a tower, which I eventually ended up in. By tower, I mean he stacked six boxes on top of each other, leaving the inside completely open. If you've never been in a cardboard box tower, it's loads of fun. Especially when you know you're going to fall, all the better.
It took about ten minutes for me to finally fall and nearly kill myself. I got some help from Colin, who, as it happens, was NOT in a cardboard box tower. I stayed on the ground for a couple of minutes, laughing so hard I thought I might vomit. Just kidding, but it was funny. Don't worry, Michele took pictures, and they'll probably show up at some point.
The evening wore on and the band kept playing. The intoxicating scent of spray paint fumes filled the air and nearly caused Lauren to pass out. A few shooting stars later it was time to depart. I'm glad I was there.
Football Future-see Returns
(4) Arizona State at (5) Oregon: Oregon surprised me last week by beating USC, and this week they face Arizona State, who is coming off a crushing win over Cal. Look for
Thursday, November 01, 2007
Post 95: A Thesis
Not really. It just sounded like fun.
Anyway, I haven't been around much lately, mostly because of school. I'll say this about last week's Football predictions: I've never been so happy to get three out of five right. Georgia stomped Florida for a change, and Oregon proved that USC is no longer the power they once were.
In other news, the NGCSU Halloween Dance was last night, and I decided at the last minute that I wanted to go. Well, go I did, in a costume thrown together at the last minute, which worked wonders. I was Dr. House. I even went by RiteAid and picked up an empty, unlabeled prescription bottle and put M & Ms in it; this was my Vicodin. It also allowed me to be snarky without being a pest, which was fun. I had my dad's wooden cane. The handle is a dragon's head with a marble in it's mouth and gold eyes, and the shaft is dark brown with a maroon dragon breathing fire on it. Very nice. Hopefully, pictures will surface soon.
The dance was fun, if you like looking at nearly naked college girls bumping and grinding. The evening was a blast. I was with friends and friends are always good.
So there you have it. I wish I could do more, but I'm full of hunger.
Anyway, I haven't been around much lately, mostly because of school. I'll say this about last week's Football predictions: I've never been so happy to get three out of five right. Georgia stomped Florida for a change, and Oregon proved that USC is no longer the power they once were.
In other news, the NGCSU Halloween Dance was last night, and I decided at the last minute that I wanted to go. Well, go I did, in a costume thrown together at the last minute, which worked wonders. I was Dr. House. I even went by RiteAid and picked up an empty, unlabeled prescription bottle and put M & Ms in it; this was my Vicodin. It also allowed me to be snarky without being a pest, which was fun. I had my dad's wooden cane. The handle is a dragon's head with a marble in it's mouth and gold eyes, and the shaft is dark brown with a maroon dragon breathing fire on it. Very nice. Hopefully, pictures will surface soon.
The dance was fun, if you like looking at nearly naked college girls bumping and grinding. The evening was a blast. I was with friends and friends are always good.
So there you have it. I wish I could do more, but I'm full of hunger.
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Football Future-see returns
We took last week off to simmer down, but now we're back.
(2) Boston College at (8) Virginia Tech: Boston College has looked promising this year, but then again so has LSU, USC, South Florida, Cal, Texas, Oklahoma, and any other top ten team that has been beat. VaTech would love to pull out a win here, but Matt Ryan has the Eagles flying high. BC wins 24-18.
(1) Ohio State at (25) Penn State: Everyone is telling Ohio State to watch out, which tells me that Ohio State is in NO danger whatsoever. Penn State is good, but the upset bug has been talked about too much in this case. Buckeyes over Nittany Lions, 21-17.
(11) Florida at (18) Georgia: The World's Largest Outdoor Family Fun No Alcohol Here game. Tebow has the Gators on a roll. I'd love to see UGA win, but I just don't see it this year. Gators take it, but closer than most people think. UF 31, UGA 26.
(12) USC at (5) Oregon: Oregon is good, but four of their top five receivers are either hurt or suspended. USC is playing their backup QB in this game, again. Don't look for either team to play much defense. USC 37, Oregon 34.
(16) South Carolina at Tennessee: There's trouble on Rocky Top for the old ball coach. Tennessee has been playing fairly good football since their loss to Florida, but last week's 41-17 drubbing at the hands of Saban and the Tide has left a bad taste in their mouths. And what better to get rid of a bad taste than chicken? Spurrier is going to UT at the wrong time, Vols win 30-13.
(2) Boston College at (8) Virginia Tech: Boston College has looked promising this year, but then again so has LSU, USC, South Florida, Cal, Texas, Oklahoma, and any other top ten team that has been beat. VaTech would love to pull out a win here, but Matt Ryan has the Eagles flying high. BC wins 24-18.
(1) Ohio State at (25) Penn State: Everyone is telling Ohio State to watch out, which tells me that Ohio State is in NO danger whatsoever. Penn State is good, but the upset bug has been talked about too much in this case. Buckeyes over Nittany Lions, 21-17.
(11) Florida at (18) Georgia: The World's Largest Outdoor Family Fun No Alcohol Here game. Tebow has the Gators on a roll. I'd love to see UGA win, but I just don't see it this year. Gators take it, but closer than most people think. UF 31, UGA 26.
(12) USC at (5) Oregon: Oregon is good, but four of their top five receivers are either hurt or suspended. USC is playing their backup QB in this game, again. Don't look for either team to play much defense. USC 37, Oregon 34.
(16) South Carolina at Tennessee: There's trouble on Rocky Top for the old ball coach. Tennessee has been playing fairly good football since their loss to Florida, but last week's 41-17 drubbing at the hands of Saban and the Tide has left a bad taste in their mouths. And what better to get rid of a bad taste than chicken? Spurrier is going to UT at the wrong time, Vols win 30-13.
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