I hadn’t done one of these in a while, but this was one of those weekends that just had lots going on, so I thought it would be a good time to rekindle the “tradition”. And then I wanted to do it last night, but Tumblr decided there would be no blogging yesterday or today… So Mark, time to get to the water-cooler for a Tuesday morning edition of chatter…
“Unfortunately, the BCS wasn’t as busted as it could’ve been…”
Top-ranked Auburn and Oregon both won their games this weekend, completing their seasons undefeated and setting up a pretty clear #1 vs #2 game in the Championship Game in January. If Oregon would’ve lost, the real excitement would’ve begun, as the battle to take an undefeated TCU team or a one-loss “big conference team” like Stanford or Wisconsin would’ve begun.
“Nothing like seeing a 4-loss team in a BCS bowl. Especially one who lost to Temple.”
The worst part about the BCS this year is that UConn will be in the Orange Bowl, while teams like Boise State and Michigan State are shut out. This UConn team lost to Michigan and Rutgers and was SHUT OUT by the juggernaut that is Louisville football. It’s really a travesty. Look, I’m all in favor of the big conferences getting automatic bids due to their tougher schedules, but there MUST be a caveat. If the conference champion has more than 2 losses, the bowls should get the option to choose someone else. They can still choose that team if they want, but they shouldn’t have to. It’s just embarrassing.
“Kinda nice to see a little bit of the old Tiger huh?”
Tiger Woods found himself in contention for the first time all year. He had the best round (or within one shot) for the first 3 rounds and led by 4 going into the final round. Sadly, he ran out of steam on Sunday and was caught from behind by Graeme McDowell (the guy who won the US Open, in case you forgot). In my opinion, it was a shame to see him lose, but if nothing else, it was certainly entertaining seeing him in contention on the weekend. Even on a weekend overshadowed by football.
“Maybe those Cowboys should’ve fired cheerleader Wade a little earlier, huh?”
So the Cowboys won for the 3rdtime in 4 weeks under new head coach Jason Garrett. And when you consider that they had the Thanksgiving game against the Saints won before blowing it, they’ve been a totally team since the firing. Granted, Peyton Manning did NOT have his best game on Sunday, throwing 4 picks, of which 2 were returned for TDs, but the Cowboys still managed to get it done. Something they had NOT done for the first 8 weeks of the season. It’s just a shame they had to fall out of the playoff picture before getting it together.
“About time the Yankees ponied up for Derek Jeter.”
Derek Jeter finally signed a new contract with the Yankees, a 3 or 4 year deal (depending on a buyout) that can be worth up to $65M. Yes, Jeter probably wanted more money than he was worth statistically, but there are not many Derek Jeter’s out there, and this Yankees team needed to sign him. And when you consider how much money this team spends on BAD contracts, nickel and diming the face of their team for the last decade was just embarrassing and unnecessary.
“Think the Heat turned around? That’s what 4 bad teams will do for you…”
There’s nothing like getting to play the Wizards, Cavs, Pistons, and Hawks to turn around a struggling team. And the Heat, and the Three AmEGOs, got it just in time. Just as the world was starting to discuss if the Heat really could even make the playoffs, they got their bad teams and put together 4 wins. While I’m not going to root for this team, I really see no way that they don’t finish this season well. All new teams take time to gel, and with this many headcases on one team, it’s no surprise this may take a little while.
“Who knew UVA Basketball would be competitive?!?”
Ok, so maybe no one at your water cooler will care about this one, but I sure cared about it… After a stunning victory against Minnesota on the road in the Big 10 / ACC Challenge, the Wahoos followed it up on Sunday with ANOTHER road victory against in-state rival Virginia Tech. Now Tech is certainly not as good as the Gophers are, but beating a conference foe on the road is always a shock. I continue to be pleasantly surprised by this team. And with the Cowboys winning today also, it was quite a day for my teams… Maybe I should’ve played the lottery tonight!
Have a great week!
