THE GBU, 6/16

On By MikeIn Garbage10 Comments

The Good: Not that anyone cares about basketball news after everything that’s happened in the last week, but Navy’s first game in the season-opening Coaches vs. Cancer Classic has been announced, and it will be against none other than Texas. On top of that, the Mids will play three more games against teams that could include, among others, Rhode Island, College of Charleston, and Louisiana Tech. It won’t take long to find out what this team is made of.

The Bad: My air conditioner decided to crap out when Jacksonville is flirting with 100 degrees. That makes it about 130 with a computer on your lap. There is an epidemic of swamp ass at the Casa de Birddog.

The Ugly: Or The Good if you’re a fan of anyone else in the Pac 10… The NCAA has ensured that USC won’t be good for a while, taking away 20 scholarships and bowl games for two years. After SMU’s “death penalty” destroyed that program, the NCAA has been reluctant to go that far in punishing athletic programs that stray from the straight and narrow; USC got just about the max that the NCAA has the stomach for. They stopped short of a television ban, although considering how strongly-worded the report was, I’m not sure why.

USC AD Mike Garrett had this to say about the complexities of the investigation:

“As I read the decision by the NCAA, all I could get out of all of this was … I read between the lines and there was nothing but a lot of envy, and they wish they all were Trojans,” Garrett said to cheers Thursday night at the San Francisco Airport Marriott.

When the Pac 10 finally gets its network, the Mike Garrett Literary Review is sure to broaden minds across the Pacific time zone. A sampling:

“As I read The Iliad, all I could get out of all this was, they wish they all were Trojans.”

“As I read War and Peace, all I could get out of this was, they wish they all were French.”

“As I read the New Testament, all I could get out of all of this was, they wish they all were Pharisees.”

Air Force should make this guy their AD, since he sounds exactly like fans who think the only reason anyone dislikes Fisher DeBerry is because they’re jealous of him.

The Pipe Dream: …is over for the Richie Meade haters who thought John Tillman was ever coming back to Annapolis. Tillman is now the head lacrosse coach at Maryland.

The Cuban Missile Crisis: … has nothing on the behind-the-scenes drama of the Big 12’s miraculous comeback.

The Blogs: Along those lines, Barking Carnival has their doubts about the Big 12’s new TV deal that was supposedly the glue that kept the conference together. There are conflicting reports as to whether the Pac 10 has made an offer to Utah or not; Block U is staying on top of it. UHFanblog.com canvasses the Hawaii writers’ reactions to Boise State’s Mountain West move. One Foot Down ponders whether the preservation of the Big 12 also saved Notre Dame’s independence. They also rank their favorite running quarterbacks of all time. Navy quarterbacks as a whole get a generic honorable mention, although that’s sort of a copout. Chris McCoy is good enough to stand out on his own. The lack of any Air Force QBs on the list is also suspect; Beau Morgan and Dee Dowis have to get recognized on any list like this. Pre-Snap Read continues its countdown, including Navy opponent Central Michigan. And Patrick Stevens has a podcast.

The iPod: Fishbone– Unyielding Conditioning

The Padres: Slipped back into first place, even though they only score 3 runs per game. I’d say that there’s no way this can last, but here we are in June…

REPRIEVE

On By MikeIn conference talk, footballLeave a comment

After a fascinating week of panic, rumors, and closed-door dealmaking, the Big 12 will remain intact minus two teams. The worst-case scenario has been averted only two days after it appeared that it was all but inevitable. Some thoughts:

— The departure of Texas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, and Texas Tech to the Pac 10 was at one point considered in the bag, at least to Pac 10 commissioner Larry Scott:

Scott was quoted later saying he thought he had a deal with Texas. But UT officials apparently told Scott if the Longhorns didn’t have Texas A&M with them, it would cause too much political strife and would be a deal-breaker.

I don’t know how much I believe Texas’ claim. I would definitely believe it if the situation was more like the breakup of the Southwest Conference, with the threat of Texas A&M being stranded like Houston, Rice, and TCU were. But if the Aggies could’ve latched onto the SEC (as they were reported to be on the verge of), then everyone would be taken care of. It seems like a convenient excuse for Texas if you’re the Pac 10. If you’re Texas, it’s sound negotiating tactics. Either way, it gave the Longhorns the out they needed to grab the better deal.

— That better deal being increased television revenue and owning their local television rights. The Pac 10 could offer the former, but not the latter if it wanted to start its own TV network. Meanwhile, FOX has apparently upped the ante in what it will pay for Big 12 football, which is driving the increased revenue. Of tangential interest is that apparently NBC is also looking to expand its college football offering.

— Another part of the better deal for Texas, A&M, and Oklahoma comes in the form of, basically, extortion. Nebraska and Colorado are required to pay exit fees for leaving the conference. That money will not be split among the 10 remaining teams; instead, the five schools that weren’t on the Pac 10’s expansion list will give their share to the big three. That’s expected to be $15 million split between them, which makes for a pretty nice up-front incentive to stay put.

— Two days ago, Dan Beebe was looked upon as the most helpless, quasi-capable man in sports. Today, he’s the Anatoly Karpov of conference grandmasters. Some crow-eating might be in order for his harsher critics in the media.

— How awesome is Big 12 basketball now? A true round-robin between 10 schools including Kansas, Texas, Baylor, Kansas State, Missouri, and Texas A&M? The Big 12 is now what the ACC used to be.

— Of course, while the Big 12 is still alive for now, conference expansion isn’t necessarily over with. The Pac 10 is reportedly targeting Utah, and the Big Ten has long been rumored to be looking east. If I’m the Pac 10, though, I hold at 11. Nothing against Utah, but they aren’t the reason the Pac 10 got into this mess. Texas officials are saying that they’re committed to the Big 12 for the “long term;” but the school’s leadership can change. Even if it doesn’t, these same officials appeared ready to jump ship just two days ago. A lot can happen a year or two from now. If circumstances change and this opportunity comes up again, does the Pac 10 want to be stuck with Utah? Is a championship game that important? It wasn’t to Texas and Oklahoma…

Anyway, even if armageddon is inevitable, at least it’s postponed.

Is it wrong that I spent half of the last week remembering how awesome it was that you could create custom conferences in NCAA 2001?

THE NAVY FAN’S GUIDE TO CONFERENCE EXPANSION

On By MikeIn conference talk, football36 Comments

The looming cloud of conference expansion is the top story in college sports right now, and undoubtedly will be all summer. It’s no surprise that just about everyone seems to be weighing in on the subject. Well, everyone except for me until now. There’s two reasons for that. One, I have the work ethic of a sloth. Two, this is a very hard subject about which to write, because the news and rumors change so quickly that anything written becomes obsolete after a day or two. By the time I’m done writing this, the Pac 10 will have invited Germany and Japan to join the conference, with plans to invade Poland by Labor Day. A simple report that the Big Ten is looking at expansion options has turned out to be the seed of an impending college athletics armageddon, with conferences and schools maneuvering to put themselves in the best possible position to ride out the tsunami.

It feels like we just went through this little exercise when the ACC declared open season on the Big East in 2005, but that was but a hiccup compared to the seismic shift on the horizon now. When Virginia Tech, Boston College, and Miami defected, it started a domino effect of conferences reshuffling their lineups to make up for the schools they lost. The change was significant, but not overwhelming. This is different. The Big Ten and Pac 10 are reportedly both looking to expand to perhaps as many as 16 teams, and they’re willing to filet the rest of the BCS in the process.

The view from Big 12 headquarters, looking west.

It’s premature to say for certain that either conference will do something that drastic, but it isn’t that hard to imagine. If they do, it will mean a lot more than just another round of musical chairs. Conferences will cease to exist. Rivalries will end. The traditional geographic boundaries of each conference’s footprint will be meaningless. It will be chaos, at least for a while. When the dust settles, college athletics will come out looking completely different.

But different enough for a Navy fan to care?

Absolutely.

Continue reading “THE NAVY FAN’S GUIDE TO CONFERENCE EXPANSION” →

THE GBU, 6/9

On By MikeIn Garbage6 Comments

The Good: Strasmas!

Back when the Nationals announced that yesterday would be Stephen Strasburg’s major league debut, I felt sorry for the guy. I mean, there’s pressure, and then there’s pressure… Like having the hopes and dreams of a franchise on your shoulders and being hailed as the savior of the future of the sport in Washington. There’s no way anyone can live up to that kind of hype on the first day, right? LOL wrong. Apparently what the Nationals call the “minor leagues” is really Xavier’s School for Gifted Pitchers, teaching mutants like Strasburg how to control their powers of knee-buckling curveballs and escape-velocity fastballs. A few of those pitches were one flux capacitor away from landing in 1955. The town of Strasburg, Virginia decided not to rename itself “Stephen Strasburg,” a decision they’ll likely regret when Strasburg eventually destroys all of us. You could’ve had your lives spared to merely serve as his slaves for eternity, Strasburg VA, but now you’ve just made him angrier.

Seeing a sold-out baseball game in Washington on a Tuesday night in June made me wish I was back in high school in Arlington. Then again, if DC had baseball when I was in high school, I would’ve flunked so horribly after going to games every night that I never would’ve made it to USNA. But at least you would’ve been spared this horrible blog. The real tragedy in all this is that clearly Strasburg would’ve single-handedly tipped the scales in Washington’s favor in the From The Rumble Seat Sporting City Tournament. Definitely grounds for a do-over.

The Bad: Hell’s offseason has claimed another prize, as Mario Washington has been separated from the Academy. Washington is a sure-handed wide receiver who had 9 catches last year, which is significant in this offense. He’ll probably be missed the most as a punt returner, though. Not that he set the world on fire running punts back, but his good hands were a real asset. He was switched to cornerback as an experiment this spring and played well, but it’s all moot now.

The Ugly: The Baltimore Sun’s Faceoff lacrosse blog looks at Navy’s prospects for next season. When the “Bad” paragraph is twice the length of the “Good” paragraph, you know you’re in for a treat!

The End of the World: The seventh seal might be broken as early as Friday if this story in the Omaha Herald comes to fruition. More on that later…

The Blogs: Subway Domer finds a silver lining in losing to Navy twice in the last three years. If you come away from that post offended instead of realizing that it’s a compliment, resist the urge to react the way you did when you wrote letters to newspapers complaining about the Missouri marching band you pansy. Barking Carnival LOLs @ Baylor. I admit, though, that I have a soft spot for Baylor thanks to The Next Step In Human Evolution, and defensive coordinator Brian Norwood– Niumat’s best friend, former Navy assistant coach, and all-around nice guy. Pre-Snap Read is up to #86 in his countdown, Arizona State. The cool kids who follow him on Twitter, though, know to tune in tomorrow, because #85 is Army.

The iPod: Neko Case– Fox Confessor Brings The Flood

The Padres: Can’t hit worth crap, slipped a half game behind the Dodgers in the NL West, and are one good losing streak away from selling Adrian Gonzalez to the first team who offers them a box of rocks and a coupon for Applebee’s. But other than that they’re awesome.

BAD NEWS, GEORGIASOUTHERNHAWAIINAVYTECH FANS

On By MikeIn cliches, football, Paul Johnson28 Comments
This play probably failed.

I hate to be the one to break it to you, Georgia Southern Hawaii Navy Georgia Tech fans, but I think you’ve hit your ceiling. It’s time to accept the hard truth: your one-dimensional, gimmick, high-school offense has done all it can do for you. For your team to rise to the next level, they need a balanced offense. Without one, you’ll never win the Southern Conference a I-AA national title in Division I-A the WAC the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy bowl games a BCS conference a national championship. Sure, you think you’ve seen some success with this cute little scheme, winning 4 I-AA titles winning Hawaii’s first-ever conference championship taking Hawaii to the first two bowl games in the school’s history taking a winless service academy to 10-2 and #24 in both polls in 3 years ending a 4-decade losing streak to Notre Dame winning the ACC last year. And sure, you guys beat Furman Youngstown St. Montana BYU Illinois Cal Rutgers Pitt Wake Forest Notre Dame again Georgia with it. But this is different. The spread option isn’t a real offense, and once it sees the speed of a Big 10 ACC Big East SEC Big 12 Pac 10 BCS defense, it’ll be shut down. To win a national championship, you’d probably have to beat a more talented BCS team that will have a month to prepare; and we all know that is never going to happen.

THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY – 6/2

On By MikeIn Garbage9 Comments

I’ve screwed this blog up something awful. It’s become less of a blog and more of a place for me to drop whatever 2000-word colossus I can churn out every 3-4 weeks. Not that there’s anything wrong with some substance once in a while, but a proper blog has its share of fluff and filler to let people know that you’re still converting oxygen into carbon dioxide. Wednesdays used to be open thread days, but since we started the message board those became obsolete. I need a new Wednesday thing, so I hereby resolve to post more meaningless crap!

The Good: Former All-America defensive back Chet Moeller was selected for induction into the College Football Hall of Fame. The honor is long overdue, especially if you look at the resumes of Moeller’s inducted contemporaries at his position; many of them are in almost as much for their kick returns as they are for what they did on defense. Rest assured that Moeller isn’t being recognized for that kind of namby-pamby, glory-hog nonsense. No, he was inducted because he broke people. On occasion, he broke whole teams, like Penn State in 1974. I have a copy of that game on tape… Kind of grainy coaches’ film. My first time watching it, I asked, “Which one is Moeller?” *CRUNCH* *IMPACT* *DIVIDE BY ZERO* “Never mind.”

The Bad: This:

The Ugly: Ken Griffey Jr. retired today. In other news, I now know what it feels like to be old.

The Meh: Apparently the worst-kept secret in college football is that the Mountain West is about to extend an invitation to Boise State, perhaps as soon as Monday’s meeting of the conference’s board of directors. Kind of cool for both parties on the surface, but if Utah gets invited to the Pac-10 it’ll be a net loss. There’s more to consider than just winning games, and although they’re media darlings, Boise State doesn’t carry the same heft in terms of a dedicated following. If your conference has its own television network, that’s pretty much all that matters. I’ll post more on the conference expansion flap some other time.

The Blogs: One Foot Down talks scheduling and Notre Dame independence— a topic we should all be interested in. Pitt Blather rounds up the latest conference expansion news. And by news, we mean speculation, “sources,” and no news at all. Paul Myerberg of the NY Times has Ricky Dobbs at #10 on his list of Heisman contenders.

The iPod: The Decembrists – July, July!

The Padres: Are still in first place, thanks to a game-winning grand slam by Adrian Gonzalez in extra innings tonight.

I’M NOT AN ENGLISH PROFESSOR, BUT…

On By MikeIn e-beef, navy football, navy sports71 Comments

Man, just when I think I’m going to get caught up on all the stuff I’ve been meaning to write, I get an avalanche of garbage to respond to that takes up all my time.

I have only myself to blame for this. Bruce Fleming, USNA’s outspoken English professor and self-appointed military expert, trots out more or less the same op-ed every year or two questioning the nature, and occasionally the existence, of the Naval Academy. A refined opportunist, he tweaks it slightly each time to maximize its effect, relating to whatever recent events he can use to suit his purpose before shopping it around to various publications. This time he exploits the Marcus Curry situation in the New York Times, telling readers that the service academies have “lost their way” and should either be “fixed or abolished.” If I was a smarter and more productive person, I would have had a canned response ready for his canned commentary. Unfortunately, my lack of foresight means that I have to start from scratch. So be it. Fleming’s argument that the service academies are on a bullet train to mediocrity is specious, relying on extrapolations based on anecdotal evidence and unfairly blaming athletes. His conclusions illustrate a fundamental lack of appreciation for what service academies are supposed to be. Continue reading “I’M NOT AN ENGLISH PROFESSOR, BUT…” →

SLOTBACK, INTERRUPTED

On By MikeIn navy football69 Comments

It’s been over a week since the news broke, so I’m sure you’ve all heard by now that Marcus Curry has been dismissed from the football team for a violation of team rules and is likely to transfer.

Like many Navy fans, I hold my breath from January until August; news that breaks during the offseason is almost exclusively bad. You won’t read fun things like “Associated Press Retroactively Awards 1957 National Championship To Navy,” or “Yellowstone Caldera Erupts– Air Force Academy Swallowed Whole.” No, instead it’s always about somebody leaving the team, somebody getting hurt, someone looking to hire away a Navy coach, etc. It sucks, and this offseason has been no exception thanks to the drama surrounding Marcus Curry. Curry’s troubles came to the public’s attention back in January when it was reported that he had failed a drug test, yet was retained. Now the news of his dismissal from the team is picking at that scab, leading to a re-hashing of conversations that had mercifully ended despite the best efforts of random Facebook moms to stir up enough populist outrage to get a congressional inquiry or something. This latest episode of wailing and gnashing of teeth hasn’t really led to any new or insightful commentary other than serving as a vehicle for some people to take their indignant side out for a spin.

I think a lot of us figured that Marcus would transfer anyway, for his own sanity’s sake. Who would want to put up with the kind of mocking and public scrutiny that he’s seen for the last 4 months? Apparently he was, but couldn’t walk the straight and narrow line that was undoubtedly placed before him as a condition of his second chance. Oh well. We all know that Naval Academy life isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. Marcus gave it a shot, and it didn’t work out; just like countless others who, whether voluntarily or involuntarily, have left or will leave the Naval Academy. Attrition is inevitable in every class, and Curry is hardly the first person to be kicked off of the football team. Knowing this, I am absolutely dumbfounded as to why some people insist on making his impending transfer personal. Insulting him? Saying things like, “good riddance?” Really? Have we completely lost perspective? The Naval Academy needs young men and women who are willing to give it a shot, even if some of them come up short. Curry, for all his alleged faults, was still willing to attempt something that most people his age will not. There is value in the attempt, even if it was ultimately misguided. As a graduate I am far less ashamed of anything Marcus Curry has ever done than I am of those who would spit on him as he walks out the door. Tell some people that they’re the “best and brightest” enough, and you’ll create the kind of arrogance that gives Academy graduates a bad name. It’s the stereotype that well-adjusted alums have been fighting for generations, and until this episode I thought it might have been somewhat unfounded. Holy crap was I wrong.

None of this is to say that Marcus Curry is without blame for his own situation. He made his mistakes just like we all have in life. The difference is that the court of public opinion doesn’t rule on our worth as a person based on our mistakes. It is unfortunate, and more than a little disturbing, the way Curry has been dissected in the media. Admittedly, the nature of the Naval Academy makes headline news out of things that might be footnotes at other schools; if a player has a positive drug test, it’s a big deal. That comes with the territory. On the other hand, that isn’t an excuse to broadcast Curry’s entire conduct record to a predominantly clueless audience that has no idea what something like “demerits” at USNA entail. The Naval Academy is not a reality show where we all get to vote undeserving mids off the island. Those of us who are married probably don’t want all our arguments to become episodes of The Marriage Ref.  I’m quite thankful that my conduct record wasn’t public; I inherited my father’s “you rate what you skate” approach to Academy conduct matters. Marcus deserved the same privacy that any other mid expects in Academy matters.

But again, that’s just a repeat of things we’ve already said. Meanwhile, the team has to find a way to replace their top slotback. Conventional wisdom regurgitators that populate internet message boards will say something like “that just means someone else will step up” or some other manner of rah-rah, although that undervalues the contributions each individual player makes to the team. Starters are starters for a reason, and losing Marcus Curry shouldn’t be so easily dismissed.

Curry was a big part of the 2009 offense. Among other things, he was the team’s leading reciever, averaging nearly 30 yards per catch. The bulk of his numbers came in Navy’s biggest games; he had 101 yards and 2 spectacular touchdowns against Ohio State, 5 catches for 97 yards against Missouri, and a 25-yard TD reception against Army. With Bobby Doyle graduating, the Mids now lose their top two receivers going into 2010. Losing receivers probably isn’t the worst thing that could happen to this offense, but it certainly isn’t good. These were some clutch catches, especially in Ohio State and Mizzou games. I don’t think you could say that any random schmo could step in and make those plays.

Of course, the Mids won’t be asking any random schmo to step in and make those plays, since slotback is widely considered the deepest position on the team. In fact, there are probably 5-6 guys who are ready to step in as the #2 guy right now. The question now is whether any of them are ready to be the featured slotback. Curry shouldered a hefty load; despite missing three games due to injury, he still had 46% of all slotback carries last year. That’s the third-highest percentage since 2004:

2008 Shun White 73.7%
2006 Reggie Campbell 53.2%
2009 Marcus Curry 46.2%
2004 Eric Roberts 37.7%
2007 Shun White 35.4%
2004 Frank Divis 32.8%
2007 Reggie Campbell 32.2%
2005 Marco Nelson 30.9%
2007 Zerbin Singleton 30.4%
2005 Reggie Campbell 29.3%

Are any of the remaining slotbacks ready to assume that kind of responsibility? Gee Gee Greene is the leading candidate athletically, but the transition from freshman to #1 guy is a lot to ask. Curry did it, so it’s certainly possible; but it isn’t something that should be taken for granted. The other possibility is that there won’t be a clear-cut #1 A-back, and that carries will be distributed a little more randomly. Either way, Curry’s absence means a change of plans for what was one of the most stable positions going into 2010.