BCS? No Problem!

There is no college football playoff and I, for one, don’t think it’s a problem. It often sounds like I’m the only one who doesn’t think it’s a problem. Socialists running for president in a free republic and proposing more and more ways to establish government control over our lives is a problem. The lack of a college football playoff is not a problem.

It wasn’t that long ago that this BCS system was initiated, then tweaked and tweaked some more. Before that, the polls determined who the National Champ in NCAA Division I football was. And I can remember when nobody was terribly perturbed about that. The season ended, the bowl games were played, there was a final poll and the number one team in the poll was national champ. We moved on. On January 2 we moved on.

Then came 24-hour sports channels on cable TV. All of a sudden “it’s obvious” we have to have a college football playoff.

I wonder if this playoff would be on TV? Right.

Well its trash the BCS Season again and, once again, everyone bought a permit. Every year someone gets slighted by some perceived BCS flaw, hence, the aforementioned tweaking. It’s very wearying to listen to the sports talk when this is the topic. After a while, fantasy football talk begins to sound interesting. Or, come March, let us devote hours of airtime to debating the 65th team selected for the NCAA basketball tournament. It’s like soap operas for men. Well, “guys” might be more accurate.

Where was I?

Anyway, one of the schools which is “suffering” this year is Missouri, whose football team I’ve made no secret about rooting for. For one glorious week, the Tigers of Ol’ Mizzou were the number one team in the land according the poll. This week, after falling to Oklahoma, they were relegated to a non-BCS bowl, the Cotton.

Can I say, I’m not complaining? Can I say Mizzou went a lot farther, a whole heck of a lot farther, than anyone thought they would back in August. There’s a lot to be thankful for here. Can I just ask, did anyone really think Missouri was the best team in the land for that one week. I didn’t. I don’t believe anyone really did. And that opinion, THAT, is the major flaw in the BCS as far as I can see. The problem is the voters and what they do.

And I propose a solution.

Just put the teams in order from best to worst. If you believe that a two loss USC team is really the best team in the land, then vote ‘em number one. Is this so hard? This cockamamie stuff that allowed Missouri, my team mind you, to get to number one because LSU, Ohio St and Kansas all lost is crazy. Do you really believe Missouri’s Tigers are better than LSU’s Tigers. I don’t. So why vote them number one?

Dumb, dumb, dumb.

I think if people voted their opinion about the relative strength of teams instead of according to unwritten rules, or whatever, there might be less carping about the BCS.

Or not.

The Red Queen

There are things you know that you know, but you don’t know how to say them and that is why I am thankful I know how to read because every so often I will find the words that have eluded me.

Today was such a day for me. In a column on Hugh Hewitts blog today I found these words concerning the behavior of Hillary Clinton during Bill’s occupation of the Oval Office:

Here's a lovely glimpse of the inner Red Queen at work in Senator Clinton, from the article's extensive account of the rise and fall of HillaryCare:

She courted skeptical Senate Finance Chairman Daniel Patrick Moynihan, but undercut the stroking with threats. At a weekend retreat after the State of the Union address in 1993, she dismissed worries about meeting a 100-day deadline set by her husband for a healthcare bill. Asked what would happen if they were late, she said: "You don't understand. We will demonize those who are blocking this legislation and it will pass."

This is the Clintons, period. They. Will. Demonize. You. And then plead, maybe while biting on their lip, for an end to the politics of personal destruction. Right.

The Dems have had no new ideas since ’92. They have offered us nothing since the Clintons ascended to power in the way of progress or policy. And how do they keep winning elections?

By demonizing their opponents. At least that’s what Hillary said.

I Predict Some More

Two and one half hours until the ABC broadcast of "The Border War", Mizzou and Kansas 2007 style.

Since we last opined on the topic of Mizzou football, they have steadily climbed the rankings week by week, despite the setback after losing to Oklahoma. Missouri and Kansas have both got themselves in the mix for a national title. This is hard to put into words. I'll just say what I told my bride the other day. As thrilled as I have been for the exploits of the St. Louis Cardinals, nothing would beat a national title for Mizzou. She seemed surprised. But that's where we are. First things first, though. We gotta beat Kansas and then beat the Big 12's South representative. Difficult tasks, obviously, but possible.

I ask again, can you believe we, 1) are discussing the possibility of Mizzou winning a national title, and 2) have not suffered any head trauma?

Beating Kansas will be no walk in the park. The Jayhawks are thumping lesser opponents the way good teams are supposed to thump lesser opponents. However, the string of lesser opponents has run out. The Tigers will be, hopefully, the best team Kansas has seen this year.

I say Mizzou gets it done 41-28.

I Predict

I am sure you have noticed the motorized shopping carts they have at Wal-Mart and other stores. It seems to me I see more of them in use as the years go by. Are we that much less able than our forbears were to pick up the milk and bread and bologna?

I mentioned to my bride tonight that I thought in 20 years Wal-Mart will need to be twice as large because half of the people in the store will be using motorized shopping carts.

And they will be driving aggressively, too.

Maybe It's Busted

We are assured, as the new film The Golden Compass is set to release, that atheism is making a resurgence.

That's nice. Can I ask where it went?

What's it say about a philosophy that is in need of "resurging"?

Incredibly, Mizzou in Control

I read these words yesterday -

The possibility of Mizzou finding a way into the BCS championship game has just been upgraded from darned-near-impossible to real as real can get. Missouri still needs some help, but not as much as a week ago.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Bryan Burwell wrote those words and I just about could not believe my eyes. He's right, of course, but anyone who has followed Mizzou football for any length of time would have trouble digesting it, despite the logic.

It boils down to the Tigers winning out (K-State, Kansas, and, probably, Oklahoma) and either LSU or Oregon (or both!) stubbing their toe along the way. Obviously this is not easy, but, and this is the part that makes a long-suffering Tiger fan shake his head in disbelief, it is possible. I didn't say probable, I said possible.

Next door, the Jayhawks are the media darling right now and that's understandable, they haven't lost a game. And the truth is, the recipe for Mizzou is the same for KU - win out and if somebody in front stumbles, they get in the title game. But frankly, I like Mizzou's chances against Kansas as much as I like them against most everybody else, it'll be tough, but I think they win it.

And that means the Big 12 North Division title. Missouri has been trying to get there for so long - it has been so long since they were relevant. And now they are. It is sweet.

It's Hard To Root Against . . .

Clint Hurdle.


I saw this article at espn.com and thought it was worth sharing.

Of course, more folks will see it at espn.com than will see it here (sigh), but I know that most of my reader doesn't usually look at the other site.


I remember the year Hurdle came up with the Royals, in fact, I had a copy of the Sports Illustrated that's pictured in the article. Hurdle was supposed to be baseball's next star, a phenom, but it never worked out for him and the article will tell you why.


In any case, whether you are rooting for the Rockies or not (and I have to admit some part of me is pulling for them), the story is nice and it's good to hear that the man has left his demons behind.

Some World Series hardware would be nice, too.


But whether in baseball or real life, I hope he does well.

The Winner Will Win 4 Games

From the Baseball Crank:

The stage is set...it would be a fool's errand to try to predict this series; Boston is clearly the stronger team, but the Rockies' hot streak is just impossible to project one way or another, plus we have no idea what late-October baseball in Colorado will look like.

I like comments like this because I agree with them. Predicting the outcome of a baseball series is like predicting what the Dow Jones average will be tomorrow. No one has the foggiest idea what it will be and neither is there any way of knowing how the series will come out. Remember last year? I do – all Cardinals fans do. St. Louis wasn’t supposed to beat San Diego, but they did. They sure weren’t supposed to beat the Mets, but they did. And the World Series? This is from the USA Today from Oct. 20 of last year : Prediction The Detroit Tigers' biggest obstacle to a championship will be keeping a straight face. The Tigers in three. (OK, make it four.)

And we all remember how that turned out. Last year was another example, another example in a long list, of the inability of “baseball analysts” to “guess” with much accuracy what the outcome of 4-7 ballgames will yield.

I don’t know how many hundred times I’ve said it, and I’ve now quoted Baseball Crank saying it, so there’s one other sane person in the room, and IT simply is this: nobody has the foggiest idea what will happen between the Red Sox and the Rockies. That’s all.

And you know what? It’s fun that way. But that’s another subject. Having said all that, though, there are some things that you can know generally and look for.

1. You will be surprised by something. Roger Craig said that he saw something he’d never seen before in every ball game. Craig played major league ball for 11 years and managed for 10, not to mention many years on coaching staffs. Saw something new every game. Amazing.

2. Somebody you think will do well, won’t.

3. Someone you are overlooking will come up big.

4. The games tighten in October, generally. So little things (the walk, the error, the extra base, the stolen base, the HBP) are often things you should pay attention to.

That said, how about a list of expectations just to see how many I get wrong. I'll list 10 and we'll see if any of this is correct. I’ll probably miss most of it, which would make my point.

First, (1) I expect that the Rockies winning streak will end. This one’s a little easy, but it also is a case in point. Namely, nobody would have predicted what they’ve done up until now. I think we'll see lots of contributions from (2) Josh Beckett, (3) David Ortiz, (4) Manny Ramirez, (5) Matt Halliday, and (6) and Todd Helton. I think the (7) Red Sox will win in less than 7 games, the (8) Rockies pitching won’t be able to contain the Red Sox lineup, (9) Paplebon will be lights out, and (10) Dice K will continue his unimpressive playoffs.

There, that should do it. Let’s see.

#11 Missouri

Well, it's just the biggest game Missouri has played in a long time.

The radio is on while I write and Oklahoma has just scored again. The Tigers had just taken the lead, but the Sooners have responded. The two-point conversion has failed and the Sooner lead is 29-24 with plenty of time left in the fourth.

Missouri has promised us so many times - so many years. Maybe this would be the year we finally turn the corner, maybe this is the year Mizzou football matters again.

And then, we would get squashed by Kansas or Iowa St. or Bowling Green, for crying out loud.

(Incidentally, Oklahoma just recovered a fumble and ran it in to lead 35-24 with a bit over 11 minutes to go. What's next? Well, either one of the greatest victories in Mizzou history or ANOTHER MISSED OPPORTUNITY. )

Anyway, we are so used to seeing a promising Tigers' season wind up on the ash heap. They haven't been ranked as high as 11 in many, many years. Going to fifth ranked Oklahoma promised to be a great challenge. But if you win this game, it's huge.

Here's hoping they pull it out - I've got my doubts. The good news is that even with this loss, if they lose, the Northern Division of the Big 12 is still winnable.

Where Have I Been?

It has been a long, long while since I've posted - and I've missed it, speaking for myself. I won't presume to speak for the two of you who I think check on me here.

I suppose it all goes back to the wedding my daughter insisted on having - and I don't want to leave the impression that we begrudge her a wedding - heavens, no! But if you've ever thrown one of these wingdings, well, you know that of which I speak, er, write.

The two kids are happy as larks these days, married nearly 3 weeks! And I have found a few minutes to write this. A beautiful ceremony, it was. They married in the chapel at College of the Ozarks, which I've posted before. If you want a beautiful wedding, have it in a beautiful spot, that's what I say.

A word about my daughter's new in-laws. What great folks! The reception hall was decorated to the hilt. While the beautiful, inspiring chapel required little in the way of decoration, the fellowship hall was, shall we say, more needy. And so, it was treated to a lot of sprucing up which made it look like a fairy land. The deal is, the fairies leave early and you've got to clean the place up after all the caking and punching. So we were prepared for a long night of turning fairy land back into a pumpkin, or something. Well, the Maddox family, near and far, pitched in and bailed us Scowdens out. They just jumped right in without any coaxing and I'm sure, cut that job down to a fourth of what it would have been. Thank you Maddox family!

And our good friends, Sherry and Gary, who helped with the chocalate fountain (what a great idea, eh?), thank you so much for your help in the clean up, as well as the emergency run to the deli!

It was a delight to be a part of the whole affair, not just because my daughter celebrated the biggest day of her life to date, but also because my vision of God's kingdom and family and friends was enlarged.

And something like that should have been written sooner.

Man Makes His Plans, But the Lord

My friend Rob, who knows people connected to the Springfield Cardinals, hooked us up with some tickets Friday night. Great seats, second level, all the soft drinks and hot dogs you wanted and it was Fireworks Friday, so we had fireworks.

We did not have, however, a ball game as this image from the web site testifies. I did take some photos and maybe I'll get some up soon.

The local Cardinals are headed to postseason play in a few days - the parent club is deciding whether or not to push for big boy playoffs. I think they are close enough to give it a try and they should make up their minds soon.

Make the Best Use of Your Time

The post below deals with being mature and using your time wisely. This post has some good advice from the good folks at desiringgod.org on the best use of your internet time. For many of you this is old information, but some of us are still checking sites one-by-one, ahem.

Anyway, it's good advice for me and/or anyone else who needs it.

Book Recommendation

I checked on this book at Barnes and Noble the other day and it looks like it comes out in August. The post I link to mentions that had I remembered it. Anyway it looks like an important book.

For me, I'm afraid I'm often more childish than is healthy. I don't think of myself as a grown-up, but rather, as that college kid who lived at "The Ranch" in the sloppy room.

Then I read this the other day: "Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil." (Eph 5:15-16, ESV)

Making the best use of the time - how does one judge that? Clearly, for the Christian, the Bible is the place to get your marching orders, your priotities - God, your family, your soul, those kinds of priorities.

Earlier, Kathy and I had discussions with our 17-year-old son about his use of time and that, get this, he's not a kid anymore, he needed to act more mature. I sure hope I was listening.

The deal is, time is short and we, I, don't have time for childish pursuits.

I Think I'm Over It

OK, I think I'm finally over the '85 World Series.

Time heals all wounds, they say. I say that 22 years, 3 more Cardinal pennants and another World Series championship in St. Louis doesn't hurt, either.

In my post-85 anger and disappointment (we weren't supposed to lose) I tried to like all kinds of other American League teams instead of the Royals. I really did used to like them in the 70's. They had some very good teams then, especially the '77 team, which I think was better than either of the two KC squads to win pennants. And those KC teams, managed exquisitely by Whitey Herzog, were far more enjoyable than the Cardinals of the late 70's. Heity Cruz was a key player - that's all you need to know.

Anyway, we lived in Ft. Worth for a while, so I tried the Rangers. The Bobby Valentine years. Need I say more? By the way, I don't know where Valentine gets his cachet. He has never impressed me as a manager. Later we lived in Northern New York and I followed the Red Sox and the Yankees. Not very loudly, of course. Later it was on to Florida and, yes, I tried to follow the Devil Rays. It can't be done.

So we're back in Missouri and I've made peace with the Royals and tonight the Cards will invade KC for the annual (now) interleague battle with the Royals. Next week the two will hook up in St. Louis.

I can follow them both now, though my heart is firstly with the Cards. It feels good to be home.