Week 3 college football: what I’m watching and what I’ll be watching

Week 3 TV schedule, with predictions.  Thanks, LA programming options.

9:00 AM – Cal at Maryland.  Cal is a little worse than they’ve looked, Maryland a little better.  Maybe.  Cal 34, MD 17.

9:30 AM – Washington State at Baylor.  Neither team has much, but Baylor is definitely more competent than Wazzu.  Baylor 26, WSU 17.

12:30 PM – Michigan at Notre Dame.  Michigan has a future, Notre Dame does not (at least without major changes).  Wolverines 23, Irish 9.

4:00 PM – Auburn at Mississippi State.  I am not sold on Auburn’s offense, but I don’t see MSU doing anything against that D.  Auburn 24, MSU 6.

4:45 PM – Oklahoma at Washington.  The Sooner Schooner will ride in Seattle, but I think Jake Locker will get his.  Still, way too much Oklahoma offense and not enough Huskies to keep Ty Willingham’s job.  Oklahoma 45, Washington 16.

5:07 PM – Ohio State at Southern California.  I just do not see any way OSU wins this game.  I also don’t see a blowout here, because I think OSU’s D will bring it and there’s a possibility that Mark Sanchez will have trouble taking care of the ball.  I think OSU’s best and perhaps only chance is a 200 yard performance from Beanie and some timely work from Boeckman.  Trojans 27, Buckeyes 13.

7:30 PM – Wisconsin at Fresno State.  I don’t know how much of an upset this is, but Wisconsin will not bully FSU the way they bullied Marshall.  Wisco has always had a tendency to take a few games off on offense, and I have a sneaking suspicion that this is the week.  Bulldogs 27, Badgers 24.

Why I will not be voting in November

OK, I know: virtually anyone who knows me knows that I prefer Senator Obama’s policy platform to that of Senator McCain. In a walk, really. I’d give Obama maybe a 5 or a 6, while McCain gets a 2 on a ten point scale. If we’re comparing your average Democratic Representative to your average Republican Representative, the breakdown looks basically the same way for me. So why am I abstaining?

I’m not voting because we live in Idiocracy. Democracy has failed, and will never again work properly (assuming we don’t do what’s required and restrict breeding and socialization). Our political discourse is corrupted, and it’s been corrupted by the need to talk to honest, everyday people. People are not good enough for democracy to be worth having. This terrible violence that has been done to the discourse and to our society has manifested itself in at least three ways.

First, honestly considering a proposition is now prima facie evidence of a lack of patriotism or, more likely, “fagginess”. We saw this throughout the primary season. I mean, whatever you think of Hillary Clinton, or Barack Obama, or Mike Huckabee, or John McCain, they’re obviously significantly smarter than average. Clinton and Obama are graduates of legitimate, honest to goodness universities. I’m not familiar with the pedigree of Huckabee or McCain, but wouldn’t the most ardent liberal agree that they’re brighter than ninety eight in a hundred? I know I can. So why do their discussions happen at a fourth grade level? Why is “patriotism” an actual issue in this election? In at least one debate, we will hear someone ask “so, Senator, where do you stand on America?” And, I guaran-damn-tee you, the answers will be parsed for meaning. Lapel pins are a real issue in this election. And you people are the reason why. You don’t want more research on global warming: you want someone to tell you that this position or that is the most “American” thing to believe, or maybe even that God loves you and that makes your thoughts all better. Maybe He does love you, but he doesn’t want you to be stupid, and he certainly doesn’t actively bless your desire to avoid knowledge wherever possible.

Second, the act of justifying policies to the masses alters the content of those policies. Because of the need for the public to understand policies, we’re prevented from doing anything that might actually work. Let’s take one of the few problems that I know something about: nuclear proliferation. The international nuclear nonproliferation regime has been spectacularly effective: it has outperformed expectations for sixty years, despite the bumbling efforts of many. The performance of the regime has been the equivalent of the Baylor Bears winning ten games every year, or maybe Trinidad and Tobago winning the World Cup. Despite every insanely strong incentive to proliferate, many have not done so, and the international regime is the reason why. But now, the public needs to know what to do so that they can, bless their hearts, CHOOSE. Our VPILF-in-waiting has straight up lied about Senator Obama’s efforts on nonproliferation issues, but we don’t live in a world where it’s possible to bludgeon her to death with facts. “Talking tough” and “standing up to [country/religion]” are all that matter now, and this is clearly evidenced by Senator Obama’s failure to slap her hot little face with a copy of the most significant nonproliferation legislation in fifteen years. He KNOWS that she’s lying, and he’s either too cowardly to do it or smart enough to know that it wouldn’t matter. And, our reward is that whomever wins this election will be obligated to talk tough and stand up……just like this administration has done. Nuclear nonproliferation policy is not about talking tough and standing up: it’s about competent management and relentless, universal, and equitable interpretation and implementation of the standards to which everyone has agreed. But not anymore. And it will never be about any of those things again, at least not in America.

What would we expect to see if we relied on one’s ability to please morons as a relevant measure of who should hold power? Wouldn’t we see irresponsible, unbalanced budgets? Wouldn’t we see legislation with the sole virtue of an alluring name? Wouldn’t we see foreign policy that consists entirely of buzzwords? Most of all, wouldn’t we see a failure to congratulate ourselves as a moral failing and, amazingly enough, a relevant policy concern? I mean, damn, you don’t have to believe what I do to see that there’s a problem, do you? Let’s suppose you pray to your 401(k) and wouldn’t help a dying child swallow the food that would sustain life. This nonsense doesn’t even serve your interests.

Third, the march of Idiocracy has made all policies not directed toward fixing our genetic and intellectual maladies irrelevant. Let’s suppose that our political process continues as it does, except that perfect policy falls like manna from heaven. We’re becoming too stupid to implement it. Women who grow to grad school have 1.6 children apiece, and let me be the first to testify that going to grad school is not exactly a reliable indicator of a decent level of intelligence. On the other hand, neither graduating high school nor getting a GED is generally a great indicator of not being intelligent, and these ladies are popping out nearly three kids each. Our women in grad school are having fewer kids than necessary to replace themselves, and our less than special ladies are having far more. Yet grad school enrollment goes up. What, precisely, do you expect is now happening to our grad schools? A person with an IQ of 85 today will likely be at the median in a few decades. Can you even contemplate what that’s going to mean?

What’s the alternative? Thanks to my genetic and cultural poverty, I don’t really know. I’ve only got two suggestions. First, we’ve just got to do something about reproduction. You can’t drive a car without a license. You, in many states, can’t buy a gun without jumping through a couple of hoops. One guy needs to jump through one hoop to create a kid, and this decision has far more potential to harm society than a monster truck rally full of drunk drivers. Second, we need to be far stricter in schools, and students need to be kept there longer. America’s parents are failing – the least we can do for our children is give them half a chance, and our parents can no longer do that. Our worst people are producing the bulk of our society, and that matters. It matters a lot. And that’s why an incremental improvement, corrupted by the need to explain it to the dogs and befouled by society, isn’t even worth the ten minutes it takes to vote.

College football – Week 2 grades

The Week 2 report card is based on the performance of a team compared to the context of their performance, their league, and their ambitious, but reasonable goals. So, when we grade a team like USC, we compare them to a hypothetical Pac-10 title contender. When we grade a team like Syracuse, we compare them to a hypothetical middle of the road Big East team striving for respectability. We never assume a team should be striving for last – in order to get better than a C, you need to be taking actual steps toward improvement. So, with that in mind, I will grade all of the teams that I saw this Saturday.

Ohio – B. They certainly looked like a team that can contend in the MAC, but I honestly didn’t think they were all that outstanding. They usually looked lost on offense and relied on a backup quarterback’s scrambling to make plays. Of course, they were facing one of the better defenses in the country, and the Ohio defense looked game. Definitely a MAC contender, but not a national Cinderella, and I doubt they could compete on the home field of any other top ten team without major improvements.

Ohio St. – D+. Look, they obviously didn’t look like a team that can win the national title, or even the Big Ten. But, honestly, how far off were they? If this Ohio State team plays exactly this way through the Big Ten, aren’t they going to win at least six or seven games? Maybe more? Only Illinois, Penn State, and Wisconsin would even have a shout at the OSU team we saw on Saturday, and I think we can reasonably assume that they’ll be better than this. Right? The biggest problem this team has is that they can score ten points on any given day, and I don’t think it’s going to take a top ten defense to make it happen every time.

Notre Dame – D-. There has not been substantive improvement in South Bend. The offense looked terrible, the defense looked uninspired, and the opposition looked like a team that lost to Cal Poly. Seriously, this is a game where you must throw down the hammer and look like a real, honest-to-goodness football team. Clausen didn’t look terrible, but he also did not look good. If you can’t run on SDSU……well……

San Diego St. – D. Playing Notre Dame close used to be evidence that you can compete. Now, it’s evidence that you can’t.

Oklahoma – B. The offense is there. I would bet on the Sooners to score five touchdowns against any school in America, plus the Rams. They’ll be able to score against anybody, and only top defenses will be able to impose significant barriers. And even then, expect OU to score a lot of points. Obviously, the special teams looked poor, and this must be corrected. If that happens in a tougher matchup, well, you’ll need to cover that somewhere. I like OU to beat Texas, but I don’t want to spot the Longhorns fourteen points. The defense was shaky at times, but put pressure on the passer and blew people up. Just need to tighten up the secondary and kick coverage.

Cincinnati – I. Kind of a cop-out, but it’s tough to grade Cincy here. Their defense wasn’t as good as advertised, but the OU offense is so good that it’s really hard to grade them down for this. Their offense looked good at times, but the QB injury and the gifts on special teams really make it hard to evaluate. All we can say for sure is that they’re not a terrible team, and I see no reason that they can’t finish in the top half of the Big East.

West Virginia – D. They got straight up bullied. They lost the fight. They were physically whipped at every position and this game was never really competitive. Legitimate title contenders never get physically whipped (or at least very rarely). Maybe this sort of thing can happen to a very good team in a conference championship game, or a January bowl. Not on the road at a mid-major opponent, no matter how good they are. That can’t happen. They can still win the Big East because there are no good opponents to stop them. They’ll win the Big East, but they won’t be proud of it. And they shouldn’t be.

East Carolina – A. They’re now a sexy pick, and they should be. They’ve been able to physically compete with two good teams. They don’t play Tulsa in the regular season and will be a ten point favorite every week. I want to see these guys replicate this performance for awhile, but I think they would win the Big East, and would probably win the ACC. If they do what’s expected and play at a level near where they were, then they’ll probably go to a BCS bowl. Good for them.

Miami – B+. Yes, the offense isn’t there, but this is one of the better defenses in the country, and the pieces are there on offense. They will look much, much better against a somewhat less talented defense, and they are going to be a lot better. They also didn’t quit, which is a major improvement over last year.

Florida – B. Yes, they got a worse grade than Miami, because they deserve a worse grade. They want to win the SEC and play for a national title. Despite a Miami offense that couldn’t score or even solidly win the field position battle, Florida was in a dogfight for three plus quarters and really struggled to move the ball. Now, there are only a couple of SEC defenses capable of challenging them like Miami did (LSU, Georgia, and maybe Bama or Auburn are all I can really see), so this isn’t going to be an ongoing theme. But the offense will need to improve. The defense looked better than advertised, but again, Miami’s offense has to be considered.

Texas – A-. Their offense has really been solid, and they’ve easily handled two sneaky teams. Nice work and they’re looking good to challenge OU and Missouri for a Big XII title.

UTEP – B. They did OK against UT. They just didn’t have the horses. They’ll be fine and should go bowling.

Finding time in the oddest places

You know, I didn’t think I’d have time to post all that much anymore, what with the new life and new school and all.  As it turns out, though, you can write a whole post during just the time in which gunners are speaking.  Crazy stuff, huh?

College football post now, baseball post tomorrow when the gunners come through.

8/7/08 – Dodgers 4, Cardinals 1

With any luck, I’ll be able to post a little more now that I’m settled in here in LA.  The Cards dropped this one on getaway day primarily because of their inability to hit Clayton Kershaw.  Not a whole lot else to say, really.  Lohse was unstable early, but settled into the game a little bit.

A huge series coming up in Chicago.  If the Cards are to retain any hope of winning the division, and I firmly believe that this ship has sailed, they’ll need to win this series.  This is the beginning of a ten game road trip that could be a make or break proposition.  If the Cards can win at least five, they’ll avoid the knockout punch.  The four games that follow in Florida are important for a number of reasons, but one of the more interesting is the possibility to knock Florida out of the wild card race.  A four game sweep in Florida would probably finish the Marlin hopes of winning the wild card.  If the Cards don’t win at least three of the first seven on the trip, they’ll not only be in huge trouble in the division and lose ground to Milwaukee, but they’ll bring another team closer into the race.  This is August, friends, and every one matters.

I am now part of a grand tradition

Sorry I haven’t posted much lately.  I am now a part of the grand tradition of Oklahomans migrating to California in search of opportunity.  I am glad to be going, but it is definitely kind of strange, as I have never lived outside of Oklahoma before (with the exception of a brief stint in KS/NE before I was two).  So it will be a major improvement in my life, but it will also be a lot to do and accomplish.  Then I have to, for the first time in my life, attend a real honest to goodness university with real honest to goodness smart people.  Good times.

In the baseball world, I’ve calmed down somewhat.  The Cards are now five games out of first in the Central, but are tied with Milwaukee for the wild card.  Carp is back, Ankiel should be back in the lineup tomorrow, and summer will begin to turn to fall, as August is upon us.  I arrive in Los Angeles at 3:30 PDT, and the Cardinal game starts at 5:15 PDT.  So, I have an hour and forty five minutes to catch a shuttle, get to Westwood, check into my apartment, get what little of my stuff I have into the apartment, get set up on the internet connection, and listen in.  I haven’t missed a game in a few months, so let’s hope this doesn’t break that streak.  I can’t imagine how awful it would be – but it’s all a day in the life of a loyal member of Cardinal Nation.  I may be moving to heaven, but Baseball Heaven will always be the Red Sea on the Mississippi.  Go get ‘em, Kyle.

7/21/08-7/26/08 – One Shitty Week

Sometimes you lose.  Sometimes you lose.  It never rains.  And sometimes you lose.

Four consecutive soul crushing losses have placed the Cardinals in serious jeopardy heading into the final two months of the season.  Tonight, a similarly gut-wrenching loss nearly occurred, but the Cards were able to fight off the Visigoths and win in fourteen innings.  It took five hours and nine minutes, but the lads were able to defeat the Mets and end a five game losing streak.  The game left me emotionally unstable, which is kind of a rarity.  Usually, I get angry, frustrated, sad, whatever, but never just prone to wild mood swings and staring at the door all at once.  I felt that way for about an hour after this one, which should tell you all you really need to know.

The good news?  Chris Carpenter returns to the big leagues on Wednesday in Atlanta.  Not a moment too soon.  Even shortened starts and tight pitch counts will be a major improvement on what we’ve been seeing.  The bullpen had to go ten innings tonight after Joel Piniero’s abortion of a start, his fourth time to allow 10 or more hits in his last five starts.  The guy is getting pummelled.  Adam Wainwright threw curves today, and should be beginning rehab starts soon.  Come back, Adam, and come quickly, Carp. 

12:05 tomorrow, Lohse and Santana.  Get three runs and hope for the best.

6/20/08 – Cardinals 9, Padres 5

Walkoff grand slams……bases loaded escapes…..blown saves that don’t matter…..if I didn’t know better, I’d say this is a pennant contender.  I’d rather be lucky than good.

Jaime Garcia made his first start in the Show today, and he looked very strong.  He’s got a plus curve, which showed on 4 Ks in 5 IP today.  I believe that Garcia is the second best starter on the team right now, and he must stay in the rotation upon the return of Carp and Wainwright.  He can offer a legitimate pitching option for a postseason series, and he’s the real deal.  Please, stick with it, hang in there, leave him alone.  He can pitch for this team for fifteen years. 

The Cardinal offense was pretty lackluster, then Pujols came off the bench and all hell broke loose.  It actually didn’t have a lot to do with him initially, but he did single, and he then drew the walk that eventually led to the bases loaded situation that Miles converted.  It’s a strange situation, really: most of the time, a walkoff slam would be tremendously dramatic.  In this case, once you saw it was going to be a long fly ball, the game was over, so I was rejoicing well before the ball actually cleared the fence.  In any case, great stuff, and the Cards sweep a four game series.

This winning streak has been absolutely essential.  These wins were needed coming into the four games with Milwaukee, in which the Cards must earn at least a split.  Three wins over Milwaukee would be absolutely enormous.  I have to tell you as a Cardinal fan that the feeling is different, the expectation of victory is here now, so the inevitable heartbreak that is an MLB season is going to hurt more than anything else in the world.

Piniero and McClung on national TV at 6:05.  McClung walks people…..the Cardinals walk…..I feel good about this.  Need to win, as Sabathia and Sheets come in the final two.  I’d love to play those with house money.

6/17/08-6/19/08 – Three stories

Game 1) The Cardinals win behind strong starting pitching and shaky, but ultimately strong enough relief pitching.  Four solo shots were all the offense the lads needed (Glaus, Ankiel, Glaus again, Mather).

Game 2) A slugfest in which Greg Maddux and Braden Looper were utterly ineffective – the Cards rallied from a 6-3 hole to win 11-7.

Game 3) Poor starting pitching and lucky relieving are just good enough to honor a monster day from Albert Pujols, as the Cards win 6-5.

The Cardinals didn’t play particularly well in any of these games, but have been good enough to win three times against the Padres, who are rivaled only by Washington and perhaps the Rockies and Giants as the worst teams in the National League.  Two Chicago losses have brought the Cards within two of the lead as they go for the sweep tomorrow.  More analysis later, but for right now, it’s enough to enjoy some good fortune.  Lohse has been the only dependable starter, and as you might predict, Cardinal fans are counting the days until the return of Wainwright and Carpenter.  St. Louis faces four immense home games against Milwaukee following Sunday’s game before hitting the road for seven in New York and Atlanta.  The next eleven will be difficult, but tomorrow counts just as much.  Gotta win.  Jaime Garcia makes his starting debut – solid fastball, plus curveball, decent approach.  Hoping for six strong innings at 1:15.

Do you know someone struggling with addiction?

If you do, or if you’re that someone, you should certainly check out the excellent Speaking of Faith podcast on the matter.  The program focuses on Twelve Steps-style recovery programs and does a fantastic job of explaining the spiritual side of addiction and recovery.  The program really opened my eyes, as there are those in my life who struggle with some of these issues.

As you may know, it is not easy to discuss religion in an informed way without embracing hostility.  Most people have at least some deeply held convictions, and most people aren’t really capable of talking about these convictions without feeling a need to force others into the same position or die trying.  Speaking of Faith is terrific because it doesn’t do that – Krista Tippett, the host and native Oklahoman, is wonderfully skilled at staying out of the way, asking leading questions yet allowing the stories of her guests to drive the program.  This program is just another example of that, and I believe that any of you who might have addiction in your life or in the life of a family member should spend an hour with this podcast.  No matter what faith you embrace (or even if you reject all faith), this is a worthy approach to addiction and contains universal truths that we can all embrace within our own lives.

I had a grandfather who was able to overcome an alcohol addiction late in his life.  The difference that he felt was enormous – when he drank, his family despised him and he them.  Following the death of one of his daughters and a rather lengthy speech from one of his doctors, he made a commitment to stop drinking and embrace the family that he had.  He spent five years to the day free of alcohol, and those five years were the best of his life.  I regret not talking to him more.  I am grateful for his example, both because it inspired me to avoid alcohol and other harmful drugs and because it helped me to see the power of personal change.  Nobody in my family ever thought he’d stop drinking – we thought he’d die drunk, and likely at the neighborhood tavern.  He exceeded all expectations.  At his funeral, nobody talked about his alcoholism and recovery, but it was on everyone’s mind.  He died a good man, the man his family had always wanted him to be, and there is much to be said for that.

Anyway, at worst, it’s a good program, and you should listen to it.  You’ll learn much about the spiritual elements of addiction and the potential for recovery.  I hope the story of my grandfather illustrates, at minimum, the power of individuals to make lasting changes in their lives.  If you’re addicted to something, I hope you get help.  If you have a family member addicted to something, I hope you get help.  And, if you’re not addicted to anything, try this instead of alcohol.