Simulated Gameday Experience

To understand what’s going on with the Tennessee QB situation, it makes sense to go back a few years. 2010 was going to be a season of reckoning as most of the players we thought were going to be stars were upperclassmen of some form or fashion going into 2008. (In the case of Eric Berry, that’s a non-issue; we knew he was gone after 2009 anyway.) Four-year starter Erik Ainge departed after a successful 2007 season, so it fell to talented but largely unproven Jonathan Crompton to shepherd the team through the ’08 season. And then things fell to shit. (more…)

Let’s start with the obvious; those of you who have been following my writing for years should’ve noticed a distinct lack of any discussion on the NBA. Considering I watch pretty much any team sport that’s broadcast in the US (and a few that aren’t – hello, handball!) you figure I’d follow professional basketball, and yet I never really got into it. I’d watch it occasionally, but never really with any conviction or particular interest in results or players. And yet, I’m drawn to LeBron’s Game 6. (more…)

So the Nats’ Opening Day was on Monday. That isn’t necessarily news, but the crowd composition ended up making the most headlines. A group (and by “a group”, I mean “more than a few thousand”) Phillies fans ended up crashing Opening Day in DC, turning the game into a virtual home game for the Phillies. Those of you who are aware of foreshadowing are probably smart enough to figure out where this is going. (more..)

So I get the idea that Spring Training is supposed to be a time for hope, rebirth, and warm fuzzy feelings that make you excited about watching baseball for the next six months. My problem is that the franchise I’m dumb and/or crazy enough to follow decided to spend most of their offseason talking about moves that were progress and great for the franchise and generally the kind of treading-water crap we’ve come to expect from the likes of Baltimore and Pittsburgh. I should be excited over these guys? (more…)

With the postseason winding down, we’re down to just two teams standing. Er, um… wait… we arbitrarily picked two teams out of five contenders around this time last month, and said here you go, have fun. Indeed, the BCS has got to be breathing a sigh of relief, as unbeatens #3 and #4 fell in the last week. (Boise State, we’ll just conveniently ignore them, like in 2006 when they were the only team in the country to win all of their games.) But if you are planning on watching this game, don’t let that spoil your experience. This is a compelling matchup of two teams who came very close just a year ago, achieved perfection in 2009, and have earned the right to be in this game – even if another team should have earned that right too. (read more…)

We remember the first BCS Busters – Urban Meyer, Alex Smith, and the 2004 Utah Utes. We remember 2006 Boise State for the Hook ‘n Ladder and the Statue of Liberty in their epic Fiesta Bowl triumph. The 2009 TCU Horned Frogs, unlike any of the unbeaten midmajors before them and unlike their upcoming opponent in tonight’s Fiesta Bowl, received quite a bit of consideration for and discussion about inclusion in the BCS Championship Game. What separates these Frogs from the BCS Busters that came before them? (more…)

In retrospect, it’s my own fault I saved the Papa John’s bowl for last; of course I’m having issues with motivation when a bowl is pitting a couple of 7-5 teams against each other. The most notable on-field incident between South Carolina and UConn is UConn’s triple-OT win over Notre Dame, made famous because of a) the name of the team they beat and b) the significance of their first win following the tragic death of Jasper Howard. Aside from that, it’s a long way down; (more…)

In retrospect, I probably shouldn’t have posted as quickly about the Leach firing as I did. Since that post went up with my initial thoughts, there have been a few developments: (more…)

The Liberty Bowl has fallen off a bit from its 2004 Louisville – Boise State clash-of-the-mid-majors tilt; sure, it reeked of an undercard, but for a bowl who’s typically sitting around second-level status, it counts as glory days. Since then, Conference USA got raided by the Big East and the Mountain West backed out of the picture; the Liberty Bowl capitalized on that by bringing in some essentially random mediocre SEC West team (note: capitalized is only used in the highest irony possible). Under this scenario, it’d make East Carolina and Arkansas squaring off wholly unexciting. (more…)

One of the last games of the year, the Sun Bowl has had its share of good games and good stories in recent history – Oregon rebounding from the devastating loss of Dennis Dixon to win big in 2007, Oregon State making a huge 4th quarter comeback against Missouri and memorably going for two rather than sending the game to overtime… in fact, no game in the last eleven years has been decided by more than 12 points, and only two had double digit margins. Of course, close isn’t always good, as last year’s 3-0 win by Oregon State over Pitt was a complete disaster of a game, all the way down to the 1/4 FG line, but hey that shouldn’t happen this year, right? I mean, it’s not like one team has a great defense but at the same time has been completely decimated by injuries on the offensive… oh wait. But nah, this’ll be a good game! We promise! (more…)