Monday, December 8, 2008

Weekend Ramblings

Just a quick reaction to the weekend for you today, somewhat mimicking Bill Simmons' ramblings…

First off, thanks for everything, Chancellor Hemenway.

Secondly, congrats to OU & Florida for earning the right to play in the MNC, the latter much moreso than the former. Speaking of the former, what was with all of the oranges? You do know the MNC and the Orange Bowl are two separate entities, correct? I suppose I'm expecting too much out of Okies.

Keeping with Florida, Tim Tebow is quite the douche. Which probably explains the similarities in the media's love affair with him and Psycho T. Racism is no laughing matter, but this is getting out of hand. I'd love to address Gary Danielson's feelings for him, but I don't think i have a sensitive enough vernacular.

As for the other "participant" in the Big XII CCG this weekend, it's probably time to quit considering yourselves a football school. In your two best years in the last quarter century, your tops wins are: 1) 12-1 Kansas 2007, 2) 9-4 Illinois 2007, 3) 9-4 Texas Tech 2007, 4) 8-5 & coachless Arkansas 2007, & 5) 8-4 Nebraska long before they were decent. Meanwhile, in your four games against OU & Texas your margin of defeat has gone: 10, 21, 25, 41 and none were that close.

To keep beating a dead tiger here, your pizza guy might want to hold onto the ball every once in a while. In his last 8 games, of which only four had two real teams competing, he had 14 interceptions. And two fumbles come immediately to mind as well. Maybe he should have declared early after all…

Texas, you got screwed. I know it, you know it, everyone with any discernable amount of common sense knows it. But now you need to prove it by obliterating the hapless Buckeyes in Tempe. It won't be enough for a split national title, but it will at least get people talking (and possibly even thinking), give you plenty of momentum heading into next year and reflect very well on our conference and very poorly on the Big 11. All of these outcomes are desirable for both you and I.

Good piece in the NY Times. I, like most, want a playoff. And while it rarely feels like any amount of injustice will get us there, if there's one thing that can do it, it's money.

To the Big XII bowl teams: win. Take a look at these match-ups below. There is a very realistic possibility of going 7-0. And honestly, I'll be disappointed if it doesn't happen.

Kansas v. Minnesota (Insight) – Absolutely no excuses here.

Missouri v. Northwestern (Alamo) – Ditto, though I'd be fine if the conference went 6-1 with a loss in San Antonio – would just be one more reason for me to love that city.

Nebraska v. Clemson (Gator) – They're coached by an adult going by the name, Dabo. I won't put this one in the bag, but it's plenty winnable.

OSU v. Oregon (Holiday) – They're from the PAC-10 and they're not USC. Need I say more?

Texas Tech v. Ole Miss (Cotton) – I don't care that they beat Florida. They also lost to Wake Forest, Vandy & South Carolina, while barely beating Arkansas. They struggled against the pass in the SEC. Anything less than 500 yards and 50 points will be a disappointment.

Texas v. Ohio State (Fiesta) – Addressed above. If you were good enough to win the MNC, this game is well under control by the end of the 3rd quarter.

Oklahoma v. Florida (MNC) – Obviously there's no shame in losing to Florida. But let's just say that you haven't exactly done is proud in the BCS lately. This would be a good time to make up for those embarrassments.

So my Meadow Soprano infatuation has returned. Thank you, Lonely Island Boys.
Amazingly, knowing that she's riding Turtle doesn't make it go away, either - quite an accomplishment on her part.

And to close, a couple quickies on Kansas basketball…

You guys will make it a lot easier on yourselves if you can find a way to make a layup or two.

Tyshawn Taylor: you are so much fun to watch and so much better than I ever could have hoped for, but please, please learn how and when to throw an entry pass.

Morris twins: we never want to see Matt Kleinmann start again, so please start trying every day in practice and every single play during games. Trust me, it's for the better.

Sherron: You're as good a guard as there is in the country and I'll forever love you for obvious reasons. You're also the unquestioned leader of this team and should lead them in shot attempts nightly, but shot selection is still something you may want to consider. Also, this team moves the ball very well – they'll get you shots too, you don't always need to get them on your own.

And lastly, just keep getting better. You guys are unbelievably tough to watch at times – mostly because of how spoiled we've been – but you're also well beyond where I thought you'd be and seem to genuinely enjoy playing with one another. Keep working at it and you'll be a tough out in March and that's all I can ask for.

Feel free to add your thoughts, regardless of whether or not they pertain to anything in this post.

Bowl Pick 'Em

The folks over at Mizzourah have started a bowl pick 'em league.

Name: Big 12 Ballers
ID: 21770
Password: big12


And here is the direct link to the page. Please enter and make sure to utilize every piece of advice I offer.

Note: There will also be a link on the side of this page that will direct you to this post if you're needing this information over the next couple of weeks.

Sunday, December 7, 2008

Heading to Tempe

Nothing new obviously, but nice to know we now have an opponent in Tim Brewster's Minnesota Golden Gophers. Are there really golden gophers or did they just not like the thought of just being the gophers so they decided to spruce it up a little with an adjective? Either way, it should make for a fun couple of days taking in Tempe and hopefully a win at picturesque Sun Devil Stadium.

Rock Chalk!

What a great night....



First a great Florida/Alabama game, then Missouri gets humbled yet again and finally, staying to watch SNL pays off....big time

Brent: "Chase Daniel drops back in the pocket, surrounded by Oklahoma defenders...and I think he just jizzed in his pants"

Kirk: "You're right Brent, I believe he started thinking about Sam Bradford and all the time he has had to pick apart the Missouri defense and spontaneously jizzed in his pants. Unfortunate timing there Brent."

Friday, December 5, 2008

A little late....

Photobucket


but very well done. Kudos to Phog.net poster Cactii for this creation

thought you all might enjoy

Repeal Day

Today marks one of the most important dates in American history. On this day in 1933 the clear thinking citizens of Utah (hard to believe) ratified the 21st Amendment to the United States Constitution. This, as you know, repealed the curse of Prohibition. That began the demise of the massive crime wave that had erupted when Prohibition began. Now, U.S. citizens would focus their minds and brighten their conversations by marinating an ice cube or two. Science and literature and culture all benefited greatly. 'Tis a great day that we should all celebrate. Certainly, I intend to.

Oh ya, and a hearty 'Cheers!' to the Kansas Jayhawks, now officially in preparation for the 2008 Insight Bowl. We'll see you in Tempe.

Thursday, December 4, 2008

The MVP Race

Congrats to Todd for taking home KJ-IBT player of the week honors for his performance against the hated Tigers.  It represents the fourth time this year he has taken home the coveted prize.  For his efforts, he was also crowned this week's Big XII player of the week on offense.  The Big XII player of the week on defense, Darrell Stuckey, finished a very close and deserving second here at KJ-IBT.

In light of all this player of the week discussion, this seems an opportune time to fill everyone in one where we stand heading into the bowl game.  As you know, it’s 5 points for first, 4 for second, and so on…

  1. Todd Reesing – 44 points with the aforementioned 4 first place finishes.
  2. Dezmon Briscoe – 24 points with 3 first places finishes.
  3. Kerry Meier – 19 points without a single week in first place – hard to believe, isn’t it? 
  4. Darrell Stuckey – 17 points with a single week in first place.
  5. Jake Sharp – 15 points all coming from his 3 weeks in first place.
  6. James Holt – 14 points with a week in first place.

As you likely noticed throughout the season and was reflected through the votes here, these six pretty much separated from the rest.  And with the exception of Jake ranking above Holt, I think they’re pretty reflective of the season as a whole.  They’ll likely change slightly in response to the bowl game, though I’d say Hot Toddy has a pretty firm grasp on the top spot.  For those curious, Todd is now 19-6 as a starter with an Orange Bowl win.  It's safe to say I'm looking forward to one more year with the gunslinger at the helm.  To take that a step further, I’m looking forward to another year with everyone on this list with the exception of Jimmy Holt.  Will 2010 be the year we finally represent the north?  As of now, I’d say yes.

Your thoughts?