A Dude Proposes a Playoff

This is no different from any other argument going on all over the country.  It's an annual rite when college football fans trash the BCS and propose how things REALLY should work.

The fact is, you can't get a consensus.  Even two people who agree on a correct number (3 teams, 4 teams, etc) will disagree on some point.  And the conferences are changing so rapidly, it is hard to come up with a qualifying criteria.  Nevertheless, it is always an interesting exercise to simply take a look at the way things ended and what games you could arrange, were you the czar of college football.

I should also mention, I don't really have a dog in the fight this year.  I do think it will be a shame if Alabama wins because it would seem to me like the issue was unsettled.  I am also of the opinion that LSU would SMOKE OSU and I'd really like to see that happen.  Without further adieu, here is what we COULD have if we had a playoff system.

FOUR TEAMS
Every year is different but this year, the way things have worked out, a four team playoff would be a nice fit, leaving the #5 team, Oregon, without much of an argument.  One of the things I like to consider is whether the last team allowed in a scenario has a comparable year to the top two teams.  Does Stanford (4) have comparable merit to Alabama (2)?  Since they both have one loss and both play in major conferences, I think so.  Stanford v LSU and OSU v Alabama would be very compelling matchups.  I doubt either game would be close, but at least we'd answer the questions everybody is asking.

SIX TEAMS
Four may be ideal this year but if you think back to some other seasons, you generally have 2-3 undefeateds.  Or none.  And a number of teams, seemingly deserving of a chance, who only have ONE loss.  A six team playoff rewards the top two teams by giving them a bye.  This year, it would have given us HALF the SEC West!  Ark vs. OSU in a game that might have been 60 - 59.  Stanford v Oregon.  Uh-oh.  Now we have an issue.  To avoid rematches, you might have to put a caveat in there.  OSU to play Oregon and Stanford to play Arkansas.  (see, these are the things that come up).  Assuming higher seeds win, you would have the same Final 4 as above.

EIGHT TEAMS
This is my personal favorite.  Not because I think the #8 team is usually deserving of a shot but because the WORST part about the system is leaving a team out that has a comparable year to the top 2 teams.  I would rather allow a team or two (in this case, admittedly, four) a shot that may not meet the comparable eye test than deny a deserving team an opportunity.  Plus, LSU v Kansas State means LSU rolls and probably gets to rest their starters :)  Bama v Boise also very compelling although a blowout for sure.  OSU v Arkansas and Stanford / Oregon.  There's that problem again.  Oh well, no system is perfect!

You Can't Make This Up

To summarize, she is against equality and change.  She's also upset that everywhere she goes, she sees Homeland Security and this is affecting everyone's ability to concentrate on getting a job and on their schoolwork.

Homeless Man Wants "Bad Element" to Leave Woodruff Park

Downtown Atlanta - Area homeless man Eddie "Eazy E" Morris wants you to know that these days, he's siding with City Hall.  "I don't know what these people want and I don't know where they come from," said Morris, expressing frustration with his new neighbors at Woodruff Park.  "I just want the mayor to do something about it so decent folks can get some peace and quiet around here."

'These people' are the Occupy Atlanta protesters fighting against what supporters call corporate greed and a lack of job creation.  “We are here until the civic problems that brought us here are changed,” group spokesman Tim Franzen vowed Saturday.

Mr. Morris has other thoughts.  "This Mr. Tranzin (sic) needs to find somewhere else for all his foolishness.  I haven't had a good night's sleep in I don't know how long.  They stay up all night, singing, dancing.  We tryin' to just ignore it but they's too many of them and they get pretty loud."  After thinking about that, he added, "And the smell!  You know it's bad if a homeless man complains.  These people make us poor folk smell like a bed of roses.  Mayor Reid needs to do something about this mess fo some people start throwin up from the stench."  Morris then compared the group's odor to that of the city zoo.  "If I wanted to smell something this awful, I'd be over at Grant Park." he alleged, then added, "This here Woodruff."

Morris' comments didn't stop there.  "I would like to know exactly how come the mayor sends the po-lice by every couple of hours and makes us change benches but these 'hoodlums' are allowed to stay here and stink up the whole neighborhood and they without a permit?"

Morris said the longtime 'residents' of Woodruff at first tried to encourage the protesters to leave but were unsuccessful.  "I even showed one of those boys my knife, although I hated to resort to that.  He weren't scared at all.  This boy went to college!  I don't know what they teaching in college but they ain't teaching these people to stay away from the homeless.  Asked me if he could hold hold my knife.  Acted like we on the same team or some such craziness."  Continued Morris, "There was a time back when I first moved down here, young people would be scared of the homeless," said Morris.  "In the 90s, all you'd have to do is ask them if they had something to smoke and they'd take off runnin,"  Morris said, with a toothy grin that recalled better days.  "Now, they gots weed alright and they ain't afraid of sellin' it either.  And you wouldn't believe how prices have gone up, just in the past month."  Morris added:  "I don't know what this world's coming to."

Told that Franzen only wants a fair shake for all the disenfranchised, including Mr. Morris, Morris rejected the connection.  "He needs to speak for himself, that's what he needs to do.  Seems to me all they interested in doing is finding an excuse the keep this party going.  What do they think they can accomplish by playing all that guitar music?  'Oh I'm sorry suh.  I didn't realize you was gonna play the guitar.  Come on in and let me give you all jobs.'  They crazy!"

Still, Morris contends, if the mayor won't step in, there are other peaceful ways to solve the problem.  "We may have to wait until January, I guess.  If they ain't gone by Christmas, January'll freeze 'em out.  It's just a shame - I don't know when we've had such a bad element around here.  Probably not since Georgia State let them Art majors take classes in the business building over there.  That was a freak show, too."

Darth Vader and Redemption

Look, I'm not a sci-fi geek.  But one of the greatest stories in pop culture is the story of redemption in Star Wars.  When I was a kid, there was one solitary figure that embodied evil.  Darth Vader.  (Whoever came up with that name, by the way, nice job.)  No one, and I mean NO ONE could strike as imposing a figure.  And the director did this thing in the original, in Empire, and in the finale, Return of the Jedi, where when he entered the room, it scared the crud out of you.

I'm an adult now and I'm no longer scared of the dark.  I no longer run up the stairs of the basement and I don't worry about what could be lurking in the closets.  But when the good guys leave a room in Star Wars and just seconds later, Darth Vader comes in, right on their heels, it still gives me a bit of a scare.  His entrance onto the Rebel ship in the original was our first glimpse.  Then later in the film, Obi-Wan walks around the corner and runs into him and while Obi-Wan knew exactly what he was doing, no one else is feeling real good about being in the room with the baddest dude on the planet.

Guest Blogger - Tucker Heaton

My Dad

By Tucker Heaton

I love my dad. He gives me so much that I don’t need. He is just one of the important people in my life.

One of the things he gives me is to live in our house. I live with my sister, my mom, myself, and my dad. He pays for the food I eat every day. Now do you see what dads do for everyone? One of my favorite privileges my dad gives me is the ability to play sports. I have now been playing for 7 years! And I’m 10 years old!

I love my dad and I know he loves me and is proud of me every day.

I'm Blogging Because My Readers Demand It

Catalogues - I requested a catalogue yesterday.  I don't know if I've ever done that before.  Nor have I done much typing of the word 'catalogue' because it is a very strange-looking word.  Like conscience.  Or conscious.  Can I just type catalog?  That felt more like a breakfast cereal.  Catalog.  Oh, cause it is similar to Kellogg.  We'll go with catalogue.

I remember how exciting it was to get those huge Sears catalogues in the mail when I was a kid.  We kept a stash under the sofa by the phonebooks.  By the way, did anyone else put the phonebooks under the sofa?  Growing up, I just assumed that was where they went.  I'm over at a friend's house and we're trying to find a number for the movie theater.  Sounds like I'm talking about Amish people, doesn't it?  Nevertheless, I needed a phonebook.

PGA Tournament Picks

With the tournament being less than 5 miles from the house, I thought I might offer my picks for the PGA tournament.  OH - and if you're going out there, look for me on Saturday.  I'll be the white guy wearing sunglasses :)

6.  Luke Donald - the world #1 is always a factor.  He's also one of my favorites because he seems like such a classy guy.  If Phil can't win it, I'm pulling for Luke.

5.  Lee Westwood - he's due.  Plain and simple there's no reason why he hasn't won a major yet.  Still, I'm guessing he comes up just short ... yet again.

4.  Adam Scott - last week's winner at Bridgestone is at the top of his game.  Perhaps a trendy pick because of the caddy situation.

3.  Phil Mickelson - the course seems to suit him.  In fact, it appears that the changes to the course were done to give him a little bit more of an advantage.  The crowd will be decidedly in his favor.  Phil should do what he normally does, which is contend, show flashes of brilliance coupled with moments of disaster.  I will be rooting for Phil ... but betting he comes up just short like he did 10 years ago on this very course.

2.  Rory McIlroy - after a great showing at Augusta (the blowup on Sunday notwithstanding) and a record performance at Congressional, what's not to love?  Perhaps the most talented golfer in the world should be in contention come Sunday in Atlanta.

1.  Dustin Johnson - my choice for golf's next superstar.  I'm going to keep picking him until he wins a big one!  It's bound to happen.