Took a few days for me to gather my thoughts on the Big Game. I went into the game with, in my head, thoughts that the Ducks could win, but in my heart, I couldn't believe that they would. We're talking about my school here, where I spent four of the most formative years of my life, where I started becoming who I am today. I watched the football team go from the depths of mediocrity to a chance to win a capital NC National Championship. And as the game started, I didn't really want it to. I was nervous as hell, but again, my head had convinced me that they could win, but in my heart...no. I just wanted them to play well. The last thing I wanted was to come to work the next day and listen to everyone tell me how badly the Ducks sucked and how they didn't belong there and that they were a fraud.
Naturally, I felt just about every emotion you could feel while watching a four hour football game: frustration, elation, disappointment, grumpiness, a little bit surly, perhaps a few minutes of terror (not sure why on that one). And at the end, my heart won out. They didn't win, because cool things like that don't happen to me, but they were in it the whole game, and that took some of the sting out. I REALLY wanted them to win, but just as much, I wanted them to show everyone that they were legit. And they did that. Which made it easier to take.
Next year, though, they need to win a BCS Bowl game. Just sayin'.
As for the game itself, I think it's time for the BCS to eat the plate of shit it deserves and go away. Five weeks between the last game and the bowl game meant that both teams sucked it, hard. Neither offense was sharp, even though we were promised a shootout, points scored at a furious clip, blah blah blah (in case you're curious, no, none of the "experts" on television know shit).
I would have liked to have seen a game between the two football teams that finished the season, not whatever those two teams were.
So yeah, the quality of play sucked it; I still found it compelling, because I had a rooting interest in one of the teams. And yeah, the broadcast was brutal...too many damn breaks; the whole game was played out in fits and starts.
So other than the fact that they lost, that the game play wasn't sharp and the broadcast went on and on, it was great!
But honestly, an unbelievable ride, all season long. I'm glad I get to rest my heart now, though. I could use a little less stress.
No more football for awhile. I'll try to come up with more stuff, and I will post some old recaps over the next few months. So you all come back now, you hear?
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Reader's Corner
For those that don't know me, I'm a huge reader (not a great big fat person that likes to read, but a person that likes to read a lot). Most years, I read about 40 or so books, which isn't gonna get me any rewards (do they give rewards for being a big ol' nerd?), but it's kind of a lot, if I do say so myself, especially with twin 6 year olds, a full time job, a wife, a puppy, and and and....
Anyway, I thought I'd take some time and talk about some book I recently read that I want to recommend. Why would I do such a thing? Because it's my blog, and that's what bloggers do...act like narcissists.
First up is "The Unnamed," by Joshua Ferris. This is a GREAT book. I read his first one, "Then We Came to the End" which was quite good, but "The Unnamed" is SO good. In a nutshell, it's about a guy, married, one kid, lawyer, who suddenly, without explanation, begins to walk. Middle of the night, middle of a meeting, whatever he's doing, his body takes over and he up and starts a walk. Often he'll walk for miles and miles until his body stops working and he collapses and sleeps, where ever he might be.
The novel is about this guy, with this affliction, and what it does to his life and his family and it is so profound, so good, that really nothing I can write here will do it justice. It's funny, touching, frustrating, strongly-written. It made me appreciate my life and want to work harder at being a better person, because whether it's some fantastical, unnamed affliction, a real-life tragedy, or just the march of time, so much of what is good in life can slide by or disappear completely, without being fully enjoyed. It's that good and there isn't anyone I wouldn't recommend this book to. A slam dunk, four star book and one of the very best I've read in a long while.
I'm also a big history fan, most specifically around the Civil War (my son's middle name is Lincoln), and I just finished "Manhunt: The 12 Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer" by James L. Swanson. I actually read another book about the same subject a few years ago, but this book was really great. It read so quickly, despite being close to 400 pages, and the small details that were added made this a very engaging read (for example, one of the actresses in Ford's Theater at the time, rushed to the box seats where Lincoln had been shot and asked if she could cradle the president's head, just so she could get some of the president's blood on her dress...then spent the rest of her life being tormented by people that wanted to see the dress). That's good stuff, and the book is full of those kind of details. Also highly recommended.
For fans of mystery novels, I read a few recently that couldn't be more different. John D. MacDonald, considered one of the grandmasters of the genre, wrote a long series about Travis McGee and I re-read the first one, "The Deep Blue Good-By." It's pretty dang good, and has a looseness about it, much like the main character, who lives on a big house boat in Florida. A good book, that makes me want to read more, with a powerful ending. If you like mystery novels of this ilk and haven't read any Travis McGee books, get on it.
Also read Philip Kerr's "Berlin Noir," which contains the first three Bernie Gunther novels. These aren't great mysteries (the actual crimes aren't that important, and while I never guessed what was going on, that's only because I didn't try to), but the setting is REALLY interesting. The first two books take place in pre-WWII Germany, as the Nazis are building up their power, and Gunther's two cases brings him into contact with them. It's a fascinating look at that era, something that could be learned from non-fiction books, but not nearly as interestingly. The third book picks up about two years or so after the war ended, as Germany is slowly pulled apart by all the countries that helped push out the Nazis. And of course, those countries aren't any better than the Nazis were. All three books are very good, if a little bleak. I'm not a historical fiction kind of guy, but the setting of this one really sets it apart from other, similar books.
I guess that's enough for you folks now. I will say that reading is one of those things that everyone should do more of...I've been reading constantly since at least sixth grade, and it's one of those things I couldn't imagine not doing. Hopefully you feel the same.
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Return of the Recapper: Bowl Edition (better late than never)
This isn't exactly timely, but figured I'd throw out a few comments on the bowl games involving Pac 10 teams that happened recently.
After the abysmal showing by Arizona, I didn't have high hopes for Washington vs. Nebraska in the Holiday Bowl. Instead, Washington showed surprising grit, gristle and gumption. The took it hard to the Huskers, winning a tough contest, 19-7. And despite all the excitement all year long for Jake "The Snake" (it's contractual that all Jakes must be nicknamed The Snake...I believe it's in the Constitution) Locker, he finished off the year pretty much like he played it...amazingly mediocre. 56 yards passing on five completions, but he did have 83 yards rushing and a touchdown. So that was cute. But a really surprising game, when you consider that earlier this year, Nebraska beat the Huskies 56-21. I would say yeah Pac 10, but that's kind of dumb. And also, not that excited that Washington might be good again.
As an aside, the Holiday Bowl was presented by Bridgepoint Education, which according to their website specializes in something called postsecondary education. They have "regionally accredited" universities in beautiful Clinton, Iowa and Colorado Springs, Colorado. Despite the fact that I did go to an actual college, I'm not sure I know what "regional accreditation" means. I'm assuming that it means your degree would only be good in Clinton, Iowa...or maybe, if you're lucky, all of Iowa. However, they appear to be doing quite well, since they get to sponsor a big ol' Bowl Game. One more quick thing and I'll move on: according to the website, the two colleges, Ashford University and University of the Rockies, has a total of 77,000 plus students, ground and online. However, at both colleges, ground-only students number 640...so yeah, fake colleges.
In the Orange Bowl, Stanford (speaking of, you hear the head coach, Jim Harbaugh, might take another job?) got to play ACC champ Virginia Tech. And they beat the snot out of them, 40-12. Hard to believe that when I started these recaps, Stanford was unbelievably horrible and the butt of many a joke by yours truly. Now, cowabunga...damn good. Of course, if Harbaugh leaves as expected, forcing Luck to the NFL, and graduating a bunch of seniors, it's likely their run won't last. But still, crikey. Good.
Might as well go with a shout out, to our old pals the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame. Playing in the Sun Bowl, of all games, they renewed a rivalry with another formerly great team that is also delusional about their status in the game, Miami (Catholics versus Convicts...woo!). And Notre Dame looked pretty damn good, stomping the Hurricanes 33-17. The program seems to be on the upswing, winning their last five games and ensuring that their fans will be utterly ridiculous about their future. Yay!
After the abysmal showing by Arizona, I didn't have high hopes for Washington vs. Nebraska in the Holiday Bowl. Instead, Washington showed surprising grit, gristle and gumption. The took it hard to the Huskers, winning a tough contest, 19-7. And despite all the excitement all year long for Jake "The Snake" (it's contractual that all Jakes must be nicknamed The Snake...I believe it's in the Constitution) Locker, he finished off the year pretty much like he played it...amazingly mediocre. 56 yards passing on five completions, but he did have 83 yards rushing and a touchdown. So that was cute. But a really surprising game, when you consider that earlier this year, Nebraska beat the Huskies 56-21. I would say yeah Pac 10, but that's kind of dumb. And also, not that excited that Washington might be good again.
As an aside, the Holiday Bowl was presented by Bridgepoint Education, which according to their website specializes in something called postsecondary education. They have "regionally accredited" universities in beautiful Clinton, Iowa and Colorado Springs, Colorado. Despite the fact that I did go to an actual college, I'm not sure I know what "regional accreditation" means. I'm assuming that it means your degree would only be good in Clinton, Iowa...or maybe, if you're lucky, all of Iowa. However, they appear to be doing quite well, since they get to sponsor a big ol' Bowl Game. One more quick thing and I'll move on: according to the website, the two colleges, Ashford University and University of the Rockies, has a total of 77,000 plus students, ground and online. However, at both colleges, ground-only students number 640...so yeah, fake colleges.
In the Orange Bowl, Stanford (speaking of, you hear the head coach, Jim Harbaugh, might take another job?) got to play ACC champ Virginia Tech. And they beat the snot out of them, 40-12. Hard to believe that when I started these recaps, Stanford was unbelievably horrible and the butt of many a joke by yours truly. Now, cowabunga...damn good. Of course, if Harbaugh leaves as expected, forcing Luck to the NFL, and graduating a bunch of seniors, it's likely their run won't last. But still, crikey. Good.
Might as well go with a shout out, to our old pals the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame. Playing in the Sun Bowl, of all games, they renewed a rivalry with another formerly great team that is also delusional about their status in the game, Miami (Catholics versus Convicts...woo!). And Notre Dame looked pretty damn good, stomping the Hurricanes 33-17. The program seems to be on the upswing, winning their last five games and ensuring that their fans will be utterly ridiculous about their future. Yay!
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Return of the Recapper: Alamo Bowl Edition
The Pac 10 Bowl Season started last night, and by started I mean the game began, they ran plays, then the game ended. As far as how Arizona did in the Alamo Bowl , the best thing you could say about them is that they did not kill anyone (as far as I know...there were parts of the game I missed).
The Alamo Bowl is the newest bowl in the Pac 10's crown (and yes, I realize that metaphor is very strained). After the Rose Bowl, the Alamo Bowl is the next big one, supplanting the Holiday as the number two bowl. But since a certain team from Oregon is going to the National Championship (altogether now: Woooooooooooooo!), and Stanford is going to the Rose Bowl, third place Arizona got to go to San Antonio.
However, losers of four straight games, and coached by Mike "I'm not high strung, who called me high strung, god dammit, who would SAY THAT?!?!" Stoops, there was little chance 7-5 Arizona would play well against Oklahoma State (10-2 and almost winners of the Big 12).
And...they didn't. It was kind of a rout, even though the ESPN announcers kept talking about how great Arizona was playing and how they didn't roll over. Hard-fighters or not, the Wildcats still got smoked 36-10. It was an inauspicious beginning to a relatively small bowl season for the Pac 10, and things won't get any better tonight with the Holiday Bowl, a rematch of the ass-whupping that Nebraska put on Washington.
One more quick aside. I saw a fan in the stands holding up a sign that referenced "Pokes Nation." Pokes, I believe, would be a nickname for the Oklahoma State Cowboys (cow poke being a reference to cowboys that branded cattle and not a reference to what happened to the cows when the cowboys got lonely on the trail). Anyway, I digress. My real point here is that this whole "Nation" thing MUST stop. First, fans of a team are NOT a nation. In no way are fans of, say, Nebraska's football team, holders of the sovereignty which shapes the fundamental norms governing the functioning of the state. And Pokes Nation does not have anything meaningful to say about the suffrage of its people (unless you consider "Yee Haw!" meaningful (note: no one outside of Oklahoma considers "Yee Haw!" meaningful.)). And Beaver Nation does not include members of a cultural nation who are aware of constituting an ethical-political body together, which is differentiated from others by the members sharing a number of defining cultural features (features which include language, religion, tradition, or shared history). So, stop it. Just stop. The first person to say that Oregon is Ducks Nation will be hit in the head with a blunt object by me. And the rest of the teams out there that think it's fun to call yourselves a Nation: no, it's not fun. It's stupid. Stop it.
Friday, December 24, 2010
Barfy Holidays to All
So my mom lives in Salem and a few days ago, we loaded up the family truckster with the dog, two kids, pillows, clothes, a few presents, etc. and made the traffic-laden trip south down I-5 (as an aside, why do people suck at driving? And why are they always in front of me, driving exactly the speed limit in the fast lane? And why don't they respond to my wailing on my horn and flashing my lights at them? You'd think they'd take the hint...jerks.).
Things at Nana's were going swimmingly. Hanging with the family, the kids barely able to keep their hands off the presents under the small fake Christmas tree, even finding a tall boy Bud Light in the back of the fridge. The family decided to go to a nice little Italian eatery (whose name, based on what is to come, I will not mention here, for fear of ruining their business. Let's just say it rhymes with Bolive Farden.). Both of my kids had the delightful Italian delicacy macaroni noodles with a light cheese-based sauce (new household rule: my kids can NEVER order the same thing for dinner again).
The twins rolled out of bed at 6:00 am the next morning (which was awesome, by the way, because I was not at all tired) excited to open presents. And then...well, then it was a Barfocalypse. Apparently the cheese-based sauce from the night before may not have been the freshest.
Full disclosure: I'm not fond of vomit...coming from me, from others, laying about, plastic versions, vomit coming from humans, from animals, heck, once I found out that flies vomit on food to digest it, I developed a nearly pathological fear of flies landing on me (microscopic vomit! ack!).
So thumbs down on vomit. But boy howdy, did my kids yak...a LOT. Often. Sometimes at the same time. And I'm not all the great with multi-tasking, so having one kid barfing in a toilet and another kid barfing in a bucket really stretched my abilities. And THEN, I started getting calls from work (on my vacation day! The nerve of other people doing work while I'm on vacation). So barfing kids, a puppy opening everyone's presents with his teeth, my phone ringing, and a partridge in a pear tree....
Ugh.
We limped home, my boy throwing up in a bucket in the backseat (and then telling us that he was in the lead because he had thrown up more times than his sister) and spent the rest of the evening trying to keep things from flying out of my kids' mouths.
Which proves two things: kids are gross. And try not to get too hung up in your plans, since a little bit of barf can derail the whole thing (and a lot of barf can, well, be disgusting).
Happy Holidays everyone. Please keep the traditional Holiday Barf Buckets close by.
Things at Nana's were going swimmingly. Hanging with the family, the kids barely able to keep their hands off the presents under the small fake Christmas tree, even finding a tall boy Bud Light in the back of the fridge. The family decided to go to a nice little Italian eatery (whose name, based on what is to come, I will not mention here, for fear of ruining their business. Let's just say it rhymes with Bolive Farden.). Both of my kids had the delightful Italian delicacy macaroni noodles with a light cheese-based sauce (new household rule: my kids can NEVER order the same thing for dinner again).
The twins rolled out of bed at 6:00 am the next morning (which was awesome, by the way, because I was not at all tired) excited to open presents. And then...well, then it was a Barfocalypse. Apparently the cheese-based sauce from the night before may not have been the freshest.
Full disclosure: I'm not fond of vomit...coming from me, from others, laying about, plastic versions, vomit coming from humans, from animals, heck, once I found out that flies vomit on food to digest it, I developed a nearly pathological fear of flies landing on me (microscopic vomit! ack!).
So thumbs down on vomit. But boy howdy, did my kids yak...a LOT. Often. Sometimes at the same time. And I'm not all the great with multi-tasking, so having one kid barfing in a toilet and another kid barfing in a bucket really stretched my abilities. And THEN, I started getting calls from work (on my vacation day! The nerve of other people doing work while I'm on vacation). So barfing kids, a puppy opening everyone's presents with his teeth, my phone ringing, and a partridge in a pear tree....
Ugh.
We limped home, my boy throwing up in a bucket in the backseat (and then telling us that he was in the lead because he had thrown up more times than his sister) and spent the rest of the evening trying to keep things from flying out of my kids' mouths.
Which proves two things: kids are gross. And try not to get too hung up in your plans, since a little bit of barf can derail the whole thing (and a lot of barf can, well, be disgusting).
Happy Holidays everyone. Please keep the traditional Holiday Barf Buckets close by.
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Happy Holidays
I love the holidays (aside from standing in line for Santa...that sucks it hard. Everyone wants to get a picture with the mall Santa, propping up their squalling little life form on his lap, making faces and squeaking toys all in the hopes that the kid will stop screaming for a second and a half so they can get the perfect Christmas present, and guess what...doesn't work. Welcome to Baby's First Screamin' Christmas. Me, I just want my kids to jump up on Santa's lap, tell him what they want, hop down, say thank you and get their candy canes. 45 minutes in line for three minutes...that does NOT fill me with Christmas spirit).
Anyway, I really do love the holidays. I'm unabashedly fond of every bit about it: hunting for parking spaces, 103.3 playing 24 hours of Christmas music from Thanksgiving through Christmas, pushing over old people to get to the last awesomest gift in the perfect color, my kids overwhelming excitement growing more and more overwhelming every day, nasty weather, 17 straight days off from work, decorations on the houses, watching meaningless bowl games on tv (and seeing snow on HD...LOVE that). That's just the start of the list.
I love buying presents and giving presents. I love being with my family. I love my friends; for those that don't know me, I'm not especially close with my sister, and both my parents live far enough away that they don't make it out to my house very much, but I have a group of friends that I've known for almost 30 years, and every one of them is like family. So this holiday season I get to spend time with them, celebrating at our annual Christmas party, hang out on New Year's, and that is easily one of the best parts of the holidays.
Not exactly hilarious, I know, but Christmas makes me happy and a little overly sentimental. So to all of you that stop by and read, and the 12 kick ass fans I have, I wish you and your family the very best Holiday season.
Anyway, I really do love the holidays. I'm unabashedly fond of every bit about it: hunting for parking spaces, 103.3 playing 24 hours of Christmas music from Thanksgiving through Christmas, pushing over old people to get to the last awesomest gift in the perfect color, my kids overwhelming excitement growing more and more overwhelming every day, nasty weather, 17 straight days off from work, decorations on the houses, watching meaningless bowl games on tv (and seeing snow on HD...LOVE that). That's just the start of the list.
I love buying presents and giving presents. I love being with my family. I love my friends; for those that don't know me, I'm not especially close with my sister, and both my parents live far enough away that they don't make it out to my house very much, but I have a group of friends that I've known for almost 30 years, and every one of them is like family. So this holiday season I get to spend time with them, celebrating at our annual Christmas party, hang out on New Year's, and that is easily one of the best parts of the holidays.
Not exactly hilarious, I know, but Christmas makes me happy and a little overly sentimental. So to all of you that stop by and read, and the 12 kick ass fans I have, I wish you and your family the very best Holiday season.
Monday, December 6, 2010
Pac 10 Recap, Final Week 2010
Excuse this minor indulgence for me, if you would: Woooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!
(stop to give my right ring finger a rest, and….)
Wooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!
Thank you. I feel much better now.
Onward
There are a few things I never thought I would experience in my lifetime: visiting my grandkids on Moon Base Alpha 1, skydiving off the Eiffel Tower (mostly because I’m afraid of a) skydiving and b) France), and winning a Best Actor Oscar (because I couldn’t act hurt if someone punched me in the face). Also on that list was seeing the Oregon Ducks football team play in the National Championship game. But Saturday, Oregon beat arch-rival Oregon State in the 114th Civil War, 37-20. It was easily the most stressful game I’ve ever sat through, even though I felt confident going in, even after the Ducks started to pull away in the second half. But when it was all over, the Ducks and their fans ran on the field and celebrated their chance to complete for the National Championship (it should be noted that the Beavers actually gave permission to the Ducks, their team and their fans to celebrate on the field, an incredibly classy move). I celebrated at home by jumping up and down, saying woo, getting bit by my dog for jumping up and down, high fiving my kids and a few close friends, and then taking a nap (I'm old!). A few days later and it still hasn’t really sunk in: seeing the bottom line scroll by on ESPN with the words Auburn v. Oregon, Jan. 10 National Championship is as mind-blowing as the Pink Floyd laser light show, without the accompanying distinctive smell. I could go on and on about this, but I'll stop now because there's a line of OSU fans at my cubicle that want to punch me in the face for being overly gloaty.
Also, there were other games. For example, Washington State, looking to build on the momentum of their 1 Pac 10 win, hoped to beat rival Washington in the Apple Cup. And they didn’t. The Huskies got bowl eligible by beating the Cougs, 35-28. Washington running back Chris Polk ran for 284 (!) yards in an up and down, back and forth game. And unlike the classy ending to the Civil War, the Apple Cup ended up with the Huskies jumping up and down on the WSU logo and the Coug fans throwing water bottles and snow balls. So like most everything else, the state of Oregon is better than the state of Washington at finishing rivalry games. In your face, state of Washington.
Also there was the continuation of the oldest continuous rivalry, the Territorial Cup played by ASU and Arizona. Arizona, which at one point was looking like a legitimate contender for Pac 10 supremacy, talking about how they could win the title if this happened and that happened, entered this game on a three game losing streak. Their coach, Mike "Mad Man" Stoops probably spent all day every day yelling at stuff: cars in front of him for going slow, his cats for walking too loudly while he was trying to nap, the wind for blowing his hair around, air for being so necessary to breathe. He's a little tightly wound. And like their coach, the team tightened up as the season went along, culminating in the Wildcats' double overtime loss to ASU 30-29 (Territorial Cup Fever...catch it!). Two, that's right, two blocked extra points was the difference. After the second one, Mad Man Stoops ran on to the field, went into convulsions, frothed at the mouth, both eyes popped out, his hair exploded and then he ate the kicker. Not a pretty sight.
Big cheaters USC wound down their Season of Irrelevance (probably won't be the title of the season's video montage, but if it is, I want money for that, dammit). USC beat cross-town rival UCLA in the We're too Cool to Name Our Rivalry Cup (WTCTNORC, for short (suddenly I'm a marketing genius!)) 28-14. Afterward, Coach Lane Kiffin, always the optimist, said "We would have gone to the Holiday Bowl. That would have been pretty neat." Yes, it would have been neat. Maybe they can play a pretend Holiday Bowl (oh, sorry, a pretend Bridgeport Education Holiday Bowl) and the Trojans can win that and have a pretend trophy. That would also be neat. Not neat was UCLA's season. May I be so bold as to say, ugh. What the hell happened to UCLA? Once a tradition rich program, they're left with this scintillating quote from their coach, talking about bringing back the glory years: "I've got to look hard at how we're going to turn the corner. Those are hard decisions, and that's hard analysis, but it's absolutely mandatory that we come up with positive conclusions that will make those great Bruin fans keep coming back excited." I don't know about you, but I'm already pumped up for UCLA football next year.
Recapper’s Final Pac 10 Power Rankings
1. Oregon – 12-0. National Championship game. What a season
2. Stanford – 11-1. Orange Bowl bound. A great team this year
3. Arizona – 7-5, lost four straight to finish the season, going to the Valero Alamo Bowl
4. Washington – 6-6, on a bit of a winning streak, going to Bridgeport Education Holiday Bowl (seriously that’s the name)
5. USC – 8-5, going to no bowls, because they’re big cheaters
6. ASU – 6-6, but not going to bowl because two of their wins were against D2 schools
7. OSU – 5-7, no bowl, up and down season
8. Cal – 5-7, see OSU
9. UCLA – 4-8, could easily be dead last in the final standings
10. WSU – 2-10, just didn’t really improve since last year. Coach possibly on the outs
Ass Handers
This week, OSU gets the award, only because they lost by more points than anyone else that played in the Pac 10 this week.
This year's winner of the Ass Handers of the Year Award was a tough call. I looked at the bottom two teams and did some honest to goodness research. For example, WSU's average margin of losing in their 10 losses was 39-18. UCLA's was 37-14. So kind of even. Washington State finished 42nd overall in passing, but 117th (out of 120 teams) in rushing, 106th in points for and 110th in points against. That's not good. UCLA managed 116th in passing, a robust 34th in rushing, 104th in points for and 85th in points against. Also not good. But then, I was thinking, well, WSU was more competitive than they have been in past years. Until I looked at the scores: 65-17 loss to Oklahoma State, 42-0 to ASU, 50-16 to USC. Other than the 60-13 loss to Oregon, UCLA didn't have as many bad losses. So as much as I'd like to give it to someone else, this year's AHotY goes, again, to the WSU Cougars, in a squeaker.
****
Well, that's it for me and the recaps this year. Hope you liked 'em. God willing, I'll be back next year with more fun and pith. Until then, some words to live by: "So often times it happens that we live our lives in chains. And we never even know we have the key." So true, The Eagles. So true.
(stop to give my right ring finger a rest, and….)
Wooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!
Thank you. I feel much better now.
Onward
There are a few things I never thought I would experience in my lifetime: visiting my grandkids on Moon Base Alpha 1, skydiving off the Eiffel Tower (mostly because I’m afraid of a) skydiving and b) France), and winning a Best Actor Oscar (because I couldn’t act hurt if someone punched me in the face). Also on that list was seeing the Oregon Ducks football team play in the National Championship game. But Saturday, Oregon beat arch-rival Oregon State in the 114th Civil War, 37-20. It was easily the most stressful game I’ve ever sat through, even though I felt confident going in, even after the Ducks started to pull away in the second half. But when it was all over, the Ducks and their fans ran on the field and celebrated their chance to complete for the National Championship (it should be noted that the Beavers actually gave permission to the Ducks, their team and their fans to celebrate on the field, an incredibly classy move). I celebrated at home by jumping up and down, saying woo, getting bit by my dog for jumping up and down, high fiving my kids and a few close friends, and then taking a nap (I'm old!). A few days later and it still hasn’t really sunk in: seeing the bottom line scroll by on ESPN with the words Auburn v. Oregon, Jan. 10 National Championship is as mind-blowing as the Pink Floyd laser light show, without the accompanying distinctive smell. I could go on and on about this, but I'll stop now because there's a line of OSU fans at my cubicle that want to punch me in the face for being overly gloaty.
Also, there were other games. For example, Washington State, looking to build on the momentum of their 1 Pac 10 win, hoped to beat rival Washington in the Apple Cup. And they didn’t. The Huskies got bowl eligible by beating the Cougs, 35-28. Washington running back Chris Polk ran for 284 (!) yards in an up and down, back and forth game. And unlike the classy ending to the Civil War, the Apple Cup ended up with the Huskies jumping up and down on the WSU logo and the Coug fans throwing water bottles and snow balls. So like most everything else, the state of Oregon is better than the state of Washington at finishing rivalry games. In your face, state of Washington.
Also there was the continuation of the oldest continuous rivalry, the Territorial Cup played by ASU and Arizona. Arizona, which at one point was looking like a legitimate contender for Pac 10 supremacy, talking about how they could win the title if this happened and that happened, entered this game on a three game losing streak. Their coach, Mike "Mad Man" Stoops probably spent all day every day yelling at stuff: cars in front of him for going slow, his cats for walking too loudly while he was trying to nap, the wind for blowing his hair around, air for being so necessary to breathe. He's a little tightly wound. And like their coach, the team tightened up as the season went along, culminating in the Wildcats' double overtime loss to ASU 30-29 (Territorial Cup Fever...catch it!). Two, that's right, two blocked extra points was the difference. After the second one, Mad Man Stoops ran on to the field, went into convulsions, frothed at the mouth, both eyes popped out, his hair exploded and then he ate the kicker. Not a pretty sight.
Big cheaters USC wound down their Season of Irrelevance (probably won't be the title of the season's video montage, but if it is, I want money for that, dammit). USC beat cross-town rival UCLA in the We're too Cool to Name Our Rivalry Cup (WTCTNORC, for short (suddenly I'm a marketing genius!)) 28-14. Afterward, Coach Lane Kiffin, always the optimist, said "We would have gone to the Holiday Bowl. That would have been pretty neat." Yes, it would have been neat. Maybe they can play a pretend Holiday Bowl (oh, sorry, a pretend Bridgeport Education Holiday Bowl) and the Trojans can win that and have a pretend trophy. That would also be neat. Not neat was UCLA's season. May I be so bold as to say, ugh. What the hell happened to UCLA? Once a tradition rich program, they're left with this scintillating quote from their coach, talking about bringing back the glory years: "I've got to look hard at how we're going to turn the corner. Those are hard decisions, and that's hard analysis, but it's absolutely mandatory that we come up with positive conclusions that will make those great Bruin fans keep coming back excited." I don't know about you, but I'm already pumped up for UCLA football next year.
Recapper’s Final Pac 10 Power Rankings
1. Oregon – 12-0. National Championship game. What a season
2. Stanford – 11-1. Orange Bowl bound. A great team this year
3. Arizona – 7-5, lost four straight to finish the season, going to the Valero Alamo Bowl
4. Washington – 6-6, on a bit of a winning streak, going to Bridgeport Education Holiday Bowl (seriously that’s the name)
5. USC – 8-5, going to no bowls, because they’re big cheaters
6. ASU – 6-6, but not going to bowl because two of their wins were against D2 schools
7. OSU – 5-7, no bowl, up and down season
8. Cal – 5-7, see OSU
9. UCLA – 4-8, could easily be dead last in the final standings
10. WSU – 2-10, just didn’t really improve since last year. Coach possibly on the outs
Ass Handers
This week, OSU gets the award, only because they lost by more points than anyone else that played in the Pac 10 this week.
This year's winner of the Ass Handers of the Year Award was a tough call. I looked at the bottom two teams and did some honest to goodness research. For example, WSU's average margin of losing in their 10 losses was 39-18. UCLA's was 37-14. So kind of even. Washington State finished 42nd overall in passing, but 117th (out of 120 teams) in rushing, 106th in points for and 110th in points against. That's not good. UCLA managed 116th in passing, a robust 34th in rushing, 104th in points for and 85th in points against. Also not good. But then, I was thinking, well, WSU was more competitive than they have been in past years. Until I looked at the scores: 65-17 loss to Oklahoma State, 42-0 to ASU, 50-16 to USC. Other than the 60-13 loss to Oregon, UCLA didn't have as many bad losses. So as much as I'd like to give it to someone else, this year's AHotY goes, again, to the WSU Cougars, in a squeaker.
****
Well, that's it for me and the recaps this year. Hope you liked 'em. God willing, I'll be back next year with more fun and pith. Until then, some words to live by: "So often times it happens that we live our lives in chains. And we never even know we have the key." So true, The Eagles. So true.
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