Sunday, December 25, 2005

Merry Christmas


I am in Kuwait now, we are only a couple of days out from our return to the States. Let me just say Merry Christmas to all of you reading this blog. I promise to have some new material soon, but for right now my access to the internet is limited and I don't think many of you are checking this anyway. Anyhow, it has been a great year and I cannot believe it is finally over. Thank you to all my friends and family who have kept me sane and kept me tied back to the world I left. It is because of you that this year was such a sacrifice and actually had meaning. Without people like you to come back to it would have just been another year.

They did a big meal here at Camp Victory in Kuwait, but no dignitaries or anything. Sometimes low key is nice too. Enjoy your holiday, I will be seeing you all soon. Merry Christmas.
-David

"Sailing round the world in a dirty gondola...Oh to be back in the land of Coca-Cola..."

Thursday, December 22, 2005

Big Ten Self Help


First off, let me say that we are due to leave Iraq for Kuwait later on today and I do not know how much access I will have to a computer and the internet for the purposes of updating this blog. I am sure I will be able to check it from time to time over the next week, but no guarantees on articles for a couple of days. Secondly, thanks to Goldtimer for promoting this site again on Wreck Ramblin. I am sure you already check out his site - it is the place to find news about Georgia Tech Athletics from across Georgia and the rest of the country. Goldtimer, thanks for all your help in getting a new thing like this blog rolling. Lastly, and most importantly, congratulations are in order for YBW guest columnist Dr. Z, or CPT Mark Zais. This West Point Engineer has finally seen the light and is coming to Georgia Tech next year as a graduate student in Operations Research. I will make sure he is brought up to speed (songs, traditions, history) so there is no lag time in his becoming a true fan on the Flats. To celebrate this occasion, I thought it only fitting that he be allowed to write the last post on this blog before we leave Iraq. Welcome home, sir. -yb

Big Ten Self Help

I'll start off by acknowledging that I am an SEC fan and consequently biased against the Big Ten (don't you mean Eleven?). Nevertheless, I feel it is my duty as a Yellowblazer columnist to point out all inadequacies in the college football system and address obvious issues of competitive imbalance. The Big Ten's ability to dodge competitive bowl matchups while skating on soft schedules is unprecedented. Despite this edge, they have still managed to be recently overtaken by the ACC as one of the top two football conferences, primarily due to a lack of vision. We felt the pain of losing a powerful enemy and antagonist when the Soviet Union collapsed; let's not let it happen to the Big Ten also. I will use this forum to highlight some of the flaws. I am here to help, so all constructive criticism will be accompanied by viable solutions to make it once again as close to a legitimate conference as possible.

The Big Eleven. The name of the conference itself is embarrassing and a discredit to academic merit of many of the participating institutions. Arguably, The Big Ten has more Engineering programs ranked in the top twenty than any other conference. How do you flaunt a blatant error in arithmetic and deem it acceptable? There are eleven participating schools in your athletic conference! From here on out, I will make the obvious correction and refer to the conference as The Big Eleven.

The Rose Bowl. Can we please stop calling it "the granddaddy of them all"? First of all, the word "granddaddy" signifies weakness. It's like calling your father "pappy". You should be beaten and then forced to chop wood until you start saying "dad" or "old man". I get that the Rose Bowl is the oldest bowl game around, but tradition is regional. Don't try to tell me which bowl game is more important to me. I grew up watching the SEC and my family is from the South. Therefore, when someone talks about the pinnacle of bowl games, I immediately think of the Sugar Bowl. On New Years Day (before all the bowls where spread out over three weeks) my family used to stack three televisions in the living room so that we could view multiple games at once. The Rose Bowl was the one that ended up muted on the small TV. Keith Jackson is also annoying (we'll get back to him though).

Most importantly though, the only good thing that ever came out of the BCS was that it forced the Rose Bowl to divert from its annual Big Eleven - PAC 10 match-up. Until the BCS, the Rose Bowl was just a place for the Big Eleven champion to go hide out and play weak a second-tier PAC 10 team. Many a Big Eleven champ earned recognition or even a national championship by going undefeated and heading out to Pasadena to stamp its place in history by beating a double-digit ranked PAC-10 team with zero defense. Unfortunately, Penn State fans are still whining about the one time that the AP voters actually made a stand and called them out. You might remember in 1994 when #1 ranked Nebraska defaulted to playing #3 Miami in the Orange Bowl. Why not play the #2 team? Well, that's because #2 Penn State was guaranteed a game in the Rose Bowl against the #12 ranked Oregon Ducks (there's big money in that Rose Bowl contract). After both Nebraska and Penn State won, the Nittany Lions fans actually had the nerve to cry foul when the pollsters voted Nebraska outright national champions. What's the lesson in all this? When you prostitute your conference to big money and "tradition" rather than competitive match-ups, you get what you ask for.

Michigan vs. Ohio State. This is another issue where my regional upbringing kicks in. I don't understand this rivalry. I understand Auburn-Alabama, Clemson-USC (the other one), Florida State-Miami, Ole Miss-Mississippi State, and even Oregon-Oregon State. But I don't understand this one, especially when mentioned in the same breath as the words "all-time rivalries". Youth provides the most clarity on many issues, and kids are often the ones who ask the most simple, yet clear, questions. I still remember watching football as a kid and hearing the announcers talk about the big rivalry between Michigan and Ohio State. I turned to my father and asked, "Why isn't Michigan's biggest rival Michigan State?" The question was so simple, but the answer just wasn't there.

The MetroDome. Nothing says college football like a dome, astro-turf, and half-capacity seating. The University of Minnesota's stadium is a disgrace to all that is pure and traditional about collegiate sports. I've never been to a game there, but I wouldn't be surprised if they piped in canned music like "Who Let the Dogs Out" and "We Will Rock You" between plays. This abortion of a stadium makes Boise's blue field feel like a tribute to the days of Doc Blanchard and Glenn Davis. Minnesota, get some grass and play in the snow. You chose to live in that icebox, now deal with it.

Keith Jackson. Keith, when are you going to retire, again? I know the first swan song was a boost to your ego, but you are only supposed to do it once. Your bias towards PAC-10 and Big Eleven football is unmatched, but your ability to act like the SEC and ACC don't even exist is legendary. Every time I hear your bubbling uncontained excitement as Michigan or USC scores a touchdown, I have to suppress an unconscious desire for the Rose Bowl to be interrupted by an earthquake. You make me a worse person for watching you; leave so I can get better.

Pam Ward. Whose idea was it to use a female commentator for college football? Nothing against Pam personally, but Big Ten football at noon on ESPN2 is absolutely unwatchable. There is something about hearing a woman call play-by-play that causes the voice in the back of my head to continuously respond with "How would you know, did you ever play ball?!" There is no credibility to her play-by-play and I don't need someone to tell me that #34 ran for 3 yards up the middle. I can see that, give me some insight! Even if USC and Texas were playing the national championship game on ESPN2, Pam Ward would make it unwatchable.

Before the anti-chauvinists fire back, I am willing to make a compromise. I agree that women are good for sports and there are even places that men should not be. Much like women shouldn't announce football telecasts, men should not coach women's basketball. There is something seedy, perverted and slightly suspicious about a man who is content to settle for women's basketball as the pinnacle of his coaching career (yeah, I'm looking at you Geno Auriemma).

Many Big Eleven fans will undoubtedly respond with the excuse that they didn't pick the announcers on ESPN2. That's true, but I have yet to hear about a single Big Eleven fan that is up in arms about it. Do think that fans of Alabama, Tennessee, Florida, or Ole Miss would settle for it? I think not. In the SEC, we have to much chauvinistic pride to let it happen.

Conference Championship. If the Big Eleven doesn't change anything, it needs to fix this atrocity. The conference needs another team and a championship game like A.J. Hawk needs a haircut, badly. All the other legitimate conferences have expanded to twelve teams and added a championship game. The importance of this game is not just money, it's to ensure that the top two teams in the conference are forced to meet. I'm tired of seeing an SEC, Big 12, or ACC team get punished for going undefeated in the regular season and tripping up in the conference championship game against a team they have already defeated, while the top Big Eleven team play eleven games and doesn't even play the second best team in their conference.

Here's a hypothetical scenario (which has happened before) for you to chew on to show you the inequity. LSU finishes the regular season 11-0 and happens to defeat Georgia during one of its non-divisional games. Georgia goes on to finish the regular season 10-1 and makes it to the SEC championship game. Now, LSU is forced to beat the second best team in their conference twice in order to even be considered, and most likely overlooked, for the BCS championship game. You might say, "why did they set themselves up for failure by using this system?" Because the alternative is worse.

What can happen in the Big Eleven, and happened a few years ago, is this. Iowa and Wisconsin both finish the regular season 10-1, but the two teams never play each other and divert to a tiebreaker system. The best Big Eleven team never even plays the second best Big Eleven team! Both teams advance to the BCS with sparkling 10-1 records and bypass either both SEC teams (if Georgia beat LSU on the second try) or at least one SEC team (should Georgia fall to 10-2 after losing to the same #1 team twice). It is no longer debatable which system is best. The fact is that all the other major conferences (PAC-10's major status being arguable) have moved to twelve teams and included a championship game. It's time for the Big Eleven to turn in the leather helmets and enter the modern football world.

- Dr. Z (soon to be a Ramblin Wreck from Georgia Tech and a hell of an Engineer)

Wednesday, December 21, 2005

Against Jerseys


So the last post started a firestorm over what is acceptable behavior, music, and dress on gameday. Most of it is really up to your preference, but one thing that stuck out to me is this whole jersey debate. In my opinion, unless you are a child or a direct relative of the player on the field, wearing a jersey is a definite no-go.

Please do not misunderstand me, I appreciate everything the boys have done on the Flats and in the AMC. I will be with them through bad times and good. This issue is not about supporting the team - wearing a jersey brings up two huge issues for me. First, jerseys are sportswear, not even casual clothing. From here it is just a very short hop before we start to show up for games like our neighbor to the northeast and you know what that means: sweatpants, body paint, and velcro sneakers.

Secondly, and probably more importantly, wearing a jersey makes a statement about your own feelings of self-worth. It is essentially saying that you would prefer the athlete's life over your own. Just for the record, no matter how much you like to see them play, you are not and never will be Eric Henderson, Calvin Johnson, or P.J. Daniels. If you are going to pull a "Talented Mr. Ripley" with our gridiron heros, why not go all the way? Why shortchange the collapse of your self esteem when you can very easily make a fake ID and start picking up chicks a bars as Chris Reis? Why not go all the way and apply for a few credit cards as Damarius Bilbo? It would at least make your double life as George Godsey more real. I know that whenever I see Reggie Ball in the airport looking closer to 42 than 22, weighing in at about 300 pounds, and scarfing chili dogs like the apocalypse is upon us, I am always confused. He looks much more in shape on the field. Those compression shorts work wonders.

Fans, no matter how much these guys appreciate our support, most of them will never even know who we are. Do you think Tashard Choice would ever show up during your shift at Spencer's Gifts wearing your namebadge just because he likes the store? Even if deep down he wanted you to be employee of the month, the answer is probably no. And that is okay. You have a great job, and a nice life. More than likely, there is someone out there who would trade places with you in a heartbeat. Does that mean they should give up their identity for yours rather than making it work on their own? There are people who do this, and the majority of them are in jail. Why should this behavior be acceptable for athletes? It takes a degree of self esteem to root for Tech, and you should be proud enough of who you are and what you've accomplished not to have to pretend to be someone you are not. So the next time an athlete gives you his autograph, show your self pride and go ahead and hand him yours.

Thanks to Dr. Z for getting me so fired up about this issue and for helping with the post. -yb

Tuesday, December 20, 2005

Tailgating 101


I know it is a bit early to start talking about next year's football season, but some of my friends and I thought it would be important to offer instructional help on one of the most important aspects of football season, tailgating. I spoke earlier about stealing tailgate spots, but my friend whiskeyjacket has comprised a set of guidelines to which all Jacket fans should take heed when planning next year's pregame parties. Next year we have some big games at home and away games at some of the best locations (i.e. Clemson), so we as a fan base really need to make sure we do it up right. Enjoy, but take notes if you need to. -yb

Tailgating 101

The following is in my opinion how to perform a proper southern tailgate. Let me first say that a tailgate is a living thing, it is constantly changing and adapting to what you have seen and what has been done before and worked for you. In any case, there are several important things that must be included in any good tailgate:

1. Necessities: In my opinion, there are things which must be included in every tailgate. They include but are not limited to: a grill, a tent, coolers, tables, chairs, a stereo, and a flagpole.

2. People: Your personal preference will entirely dictate the number of people you wish to include. A more organized tailgate normally has fewer people. I have struggled finding the right number of people to make the tailgate organized and efficient. It seems our tailgates always attract more people than we expect (I suppose this has something to do with having been in a fraternity). Some people will say the more people the merry, but you can still have a great time and experience with a smaller number of friends. In either case, bring as many folding chairs as you can, you should always be able to fill them. Tailgating is a great way to mingle with old friends and to make new ones. Our group sets up shop next to another group of friends and it is always good to talk to people you don't see often.

3. Location: Location is key to any good tailgate. You must choose a spot where you can see and be seen. The more people that walk by, the better. The more people that look in awe at your tailgate, the better. It is also important to tailgate close to other fellow fans, especially at road games. I personally do not enjoy the anxiety of tailgating solely amongst rival fans, as the tension in the air supersedes my ability to have a great experience, which is what it is all about. You should include a tent in your tailgating if you have the room. It gives your tailgate a focal point, and a place for people to gather out of the elements.

4. Food: There are many choices when it comes to food at a tailgate. You don't want to get stuck doing the same thing for every tailgate, and you want something that is both appropriate and enjoyable. For instance, chili is a great tailgate choice, it can be made the night before and heated easily, but it should not be brought to your tailgate in August or September. It will be enjoyed much more when the weather is cold. Look for other things besides hamburgers and hot dogs. Although this is a good choice occasionally, it is pretty standard and your "ideal" tailgate is better than standard. There are plenty of options out there, including beer-can chicken, brats, shrimp, and ribs. If anyone you know has a turkey fryer and knows how to use it, this is an excellent choice for tailgating. you can prepare a myriad of foods quickly and easily. There are plenty of books and websites devoted to recipes. If you don't feel like preparing food at every tailgate you've still got some good options. A tray from subway or blimpie will do fine, as will fried chicken. [Note from Yellowblazer's fiancee Elizabeth: unless a hurricane destroys your house the night before the game, buying the main course for a tailgate from a fast-food restaurant should be seen as a last resort. Good tailgates require prior planning and nothing says "thrown together" like a sandwich tray or a chicken tenders platter. If this does become your main course, it then becomes necessary to bring dishes from home and take the food out of the store provided container to at least make it look presentable. It also helps if you triple the amount of homemade side dishes and desserts. If you and your tailgating friends cannot plan a tailgate far enough in advance to allow time to make homecooked food, your tailgate will probably be lacking in other areas besides the meal.] Another important part of the food for a Saturday soiree is the side dishes. You don't want to be stuck offering only meats and their accompanying buns to your participants. Any number of sides will work for a tailgate, you should just be creative. One thing that I have found goes over well is having a theme to your tailgate's food offerings. for instance, when playing Virginia Tech, why not fry a turkey (hokie = castrated turkey). Some themes are easier to come up with (Hurricane Party) than others (what do you do for Wake Forest?) but if the core group of your tailgate participants will sit down and brainstorm, it is not normally hard (especially if you also invite at least one woman) to come up with a main course, a featured beverage, and a few key side dishes. Be creative with your side dishes, as they can make or break the meal. Anything you prepare the night before can be re-heated on a grill. I think it is very important not to try something for the first time at a tailgate. Chances are you will be feeding too many people for there to be any room for error. It is also important to bring more food than you think you will use. Leftovers always find their way to unanticipated tailgate friends and family. Don't forget to bring the tables, plates, napkins, condiments, and utensils. [Note from Elizabeth: Try and make this stuff conform to the white and yellow color scheme if possible.] If people at your tailgate start eating potato salad with their hands, things will get messy.

5. Drinks: Your tailgating drinks can be included in your theme (i.e. hurricanes when we play Miami or devil's punch when Duke rolls in to town). This, along with changing the food will keep up the excitement week in and week out for those members of your group that may enjoy feeding people more than seeing them play football (women). Other than that, the standard drink offerings at my tailgates are bourbon and beer.

6. Attire: this is often overlooked by most tailgating groups, but it is a good way to distinguish yourself as a superior clan. Everyone must wear their team's colors, not the accent colors like navy that might be easier to wear. There not much difference between "old gold" and yellow, and most true fans will appreciate it if you go the extra mile and sport the "old gold" instead of "citron". That being said, all yellows are better than no yellow at a GT game. Jerseys are never acceptable to wear to a tailgate and football game. You are not in elementary school and you do not go to Miami or Southern Cal. Those are not southern schools, so act like a gentleman and dress accordingly. The ideal outfit includes khakis and team-colored polo style shirt for men. Women can get away with most anything and most women will conform their level of dressiness to that of their male counterpart, so guys, the onus is on you. [YB's note: The one thing we see over and over again is women trying to pass off colors other than gold and yellow as team colors. Ladies, beige is not a team color. Sandstone is not acceptable on the Flats. Blue might bring out your eyes but we are not from North Carolina. Fellas, let your lady friend go out and splurge on a few crucial yellow or gold pieces for the game. It will be well worth it in the long run.] The older you are, the more important this rule becomes. There is nothing worse than a 60 year old, well respected alumnus who shows up wearing a fanny pack and tevas. If you have children, dress them in the team's colors. If you have a dog, do not put a shirt on him, never do that. Ever.

7. Other Things: A flagpole is a great way to demand respect from all who pass by. A telescoping flagpole can hold several flags, and can easily pack in the trunk of a car. Upon this flagpole you must fly your teams flags, that is not an option. A stereo is important to listen to pre-game analysis, other games that may be going on, or music. The music should be proper southern tailgating music including The Allman Brothers, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Alabama, and any other southern rock or manly country (that means no Keith Urban or Rascal Flatts) bands of which you are aware. Jerry Reed's "Amos Moses" is a classic and all who are not aware of this fine song should immediately purchase "The Essential Jerry Reed", a great album. Your discussion at your tailgate is entirely up to you, but should always include your own analysis of the teams playing and your team's chances. You may and should revert to discussing the old glory days often. Again, it is important to change your tailgate from week to week. If you tried a new food that didn't work out, learn from your mistake. It is also important to include as many people as will commit in the planning of a tailgate so that they can help cover some of the costs and provide ideas. This will also keep you from forgetting anything important. If you want to have a proper southern tailgate, follow some of my advice. If you want to have a proper miami hurricane tailgate do the following: wear a jersey, jean shorts, and sketchers with your black socks pulled up as high as they'll go, listen to marc anthony, gel your hair, drink your coronas (they are for the beach, not tailgating), eat your fish tacos, grow out a nasty moustache, and talk down to women.
-whiskeyjacket

Monday, December 19, 2005

Reggie Bush to Go Pro?


I don't think this should really surprise anyone, but according to this ESPN article, Reggie Bush will more than likely enter into the draft this year. While this doesn't particularly affect me, I am happy because hopefully USC will be able to play like a normal team next year and maybe, dare I say it, lose a few games. I know people, it happens. This will finally knock the PAC-10 off of their high horse for a couple of years. Does anyone care about west coast football anyway? It is like watching an NBA game, no team defense, just a bunch of one on one matchups. With USC back to winning, say only 9 or 10 games a year, maybe the rest of the PAC 10 will have a little less room on those coattails to ride and maybe they might even fall off and come to grips with reality. The PAC 10 is just not that good. USC might have been keeping them respectable these last few years, and they do have a bunch of exciting players to watch, but in regards to the teams, there is just something missing.

When your best team can't even sell out their stadium week in and week out and your next best two teams wear powder blue and yellow and green in the worst combination humans could have possibly come up with, you have a problem. Did anyone else watch that College Gameday from the USC-UCLA game? Did anyone else get the feeling that those fans had probably just come straight from a rave and figured, "hey what the heck, we're number one, might as well try and get on tv." Could the PAC 10 even fill an 11 man defensive all star team? There are definite issues with PAC 10 football and this string of Southern Cal dominance has covered them up from the light of public exposure for too long. Congratulations to Reggie Bush, and here's hoping that USC comes down to earth just long enough for the PAC 10 and the rest of the interested world to see west coast football in its true light. -yb

ACC Bowl-a-rama Continues


First of all, let me say congratulations to the winner of the Caption Contest, Jeff Foxworthy. On a personal note, let me also say that I loved you in Blue Collar Comedy Tour. You rule.

The bowl season is upon us, but there are still ramifications from this year's bowls that should have effects into next year. First, the ACC further clarified how the selection of this year's bowl participants happened. If you have not read the article on the AJC by Tony Barnhart, here it is. Most of my rancor in my last couple of pieces about this bowl situation has been directed against the Music City Bowl, but now, as my friend Jack has said from the beginning, I am convinced that the Charlotte Oil Change Bowl is at fault. Last year they had to be forced to take Boston College and this year they blatantly went after a team other than the two that deserved it just so their pathetic little regional bowl will not fall away from the earth.

"To me, that was the biggest fallacy of the whole process," Georgia Tech athletics director Dave Braine said. "That bowl is run by Raycom, and Raycom is a partner with the ACC. But as a partner, they pass over two 5-3 teams to take a 3-5 team. That is not what a good partner does."
The Meineke Bowl defended its decision on economics, and executive director Will Webb told reporters the game would always prefer an ACC team from Virginia or the Carolinas.
The ACC has expressed concerns that the Meineke Bowl is becoming a regional bowl and not one that serves the entire conference.
"That is a conversation we will have to have," Swofford said.


Conversation you will have to have, Mr. Swofford? It sounds like this bowl was created specifically with the ACC in mind, wouldn't they be bending over backwards to make sure we don't pull out of this bowl? We have these guys at our mercy! These are the bad guys who screwed this whole thing up and we need to stick it to them in the renegotation. That is, of course, unless they think that a matchup between the Big East #2 and say, Conference USA would be more appealing to them.

One other thing I loved about this article was how stupid the Music City Bowl looked for picking UVA over GT. UVA promised to blanket Nashville in Orange and Blue and now it looks like Georgia Tech will probably donate more tickets to Bay Area charities than the Wahoos will bring to the Music City. MCB Director Scott Ramsey said, "when you have a team on the other side who is only going to bring 3,000 people [Minnesota], you have to do something." Talk about all time backfires. Right now it looks like UVA will bring just over 5,000 people to your game, Scott, bringing the grand total to right around 8,000. Bet that should be a rip-roaring time. It must have made so much since at the time to pass over a team four hours away with a much more fired up fanbase in favor of a team almost 10 hours over the Blue Ridge who just squeaked into the ranks of the bowl eligible. Chump.

Thanks to Jack for sending me another article about UVA and the stench surrounding the MCB snub. It is also a good insight into the mindsight of these boys from the Land of Jefferson. I have already ranted at length about this topic and I am about out of venom, but it does feel good to see this decision bite these guys so severly in the backside. Definitely recommended reading. -yb

Sunday, December 18, 2005

SEC Basketball - Can We Get Some Respect?


I just got back today (early Sunday morning for you folks on the East Coast) from my last mission in Mosul. I am almost out of here and I cannot wait to get back. I will have something more for tomorrow, but hopefully the following article will satisfy your Sunday college sports fix. This article is by YBW guest contributor and resident Auburn/SEC fan, Dr. Z. You may remember him from that article on Hating Notre Dame. Enjoy. -yb

PS - Thanks to Dan, Nathan, and Goldtimer at
What's the Good Word?, Golden Tornado, and Wreck Ramblin for the promos for this site on their blogs. There are not too many of us GT sports bloggers and I am glad they saw fit to welcome one more into their ranks. If you haven't checked out their sites, I highly recommend you do. Thanks again guys.

SEC Basketball - Can We Get Some Respect?
College football season is almost over and basketball is now upon us. It’s early, but I have already found myself on the defensive pertaining to an issue that confuses me on a yearly basis. Why doesn’t the SEC get any basketball respect?

The ACC is the king of college basketball. Statistically, the Big Ten is a close second (although recently fading). Take out the John Wooden UCLA years which were an anomaly (no single school should represent and entire conference) and the PAC-10 isn’t even a factor. So which conference is number three? Talk to anyone in a bar or on the streets, and the knee jerk reaction is to say the Big East. Somehow they have accumulated a metric ass-load of street credit without producing corresponding results.

This gross error in the loose conference ranking system can only be corrected with cold hard facts. Just as the ACC has started to separate themselves from the competition over the last several years, the SEC has closed the gap. One thing that isn’t debatable is the fact that the SEC has solidified its place as one of the top three basketball conferences in the NCAA, consistent wit their place in all-time history. The separation between third and fourth place in this topic of water-cooler conversation is so vast that it would take years of Big East dominance and SEC ineptitude to change the rankings. In fact, the odds are greater that the SEC would improve its position before it ever declines. Note to the Big Ten….watch your back.





Conference NCAA Tournament StatsACCBig TenSECBig East

Champions (Last 20 Years)

7

3

3

3

Champions (All-Time)

10

10

8

5

Final Four Appearances (Last 20 Years)

19

15

13

7

Final Four Appearances (All-Time)

41

40

26

21




-Dr. Z
(Guest YBW Contributor and Token Non-GT Fan brought in to keep YBW from turning into a GT love-fest blog)




Friday, December 16, 2005

Caption Contest


This was taken by D.C. Bureau Chief Jack Cutts. Click on picture for larger view. Let the captions flow like a mountain stream. Winner will be decided Sunday. -yb

Georgia Tech to SEC?


As some of you may or may not know, I am eight hours ahead of the East Coast so it is time for me to go to bed. This whole war thing will have me out of the loop tomorrow, so I wanted to put up some topics that should inspire audience participation.

Should Georgia Tech join the SEC? The debate has heated up again ever since we got the royal screw from the bowls this year. Some say yes, we were a founding member, our traditional rivalries are with SEC schools, the UGA game would mean more, etc. Some say no, our values are not consistent with the SEC anymore, they don't have the same emphasis on actually educating players, etc. What do you think? Audience participation encouraged...
-yb

This is Not a Fix


So maybe I am not getting this, but I don't see how this helps us. The ACC has just announced that the selection for bowls next year is "new and improved". After reading his own description on the AJC, I don't see how ACC Commissioner John Swofford has helped anything. The Music City (Nashville), Emerald (San Francisco), and Car Care (Charlotte) will pick fifth, sixth, and seventh on a rotating basis. Seems like the only difference is the rotating basis part.

Maybe I am missing it, but I still don't see anything about teams finishing at a certain position being tied into certain bowls. I don't see anything here that prevents the Tangerine (Champs Sports) Bowl from picking a team ranked behind us that might bring more fans, like say FSU, and relegating us to San Francisco again. If Car Care or Music City picked ahead of Emerald, as evidenced by this year, there is no guarantee they would pick us. If Emerald picked ahead of the other two, they would more than likely jump at the chance to get a nationally recognized school like ours to increase the national awareness of their bowl.

What I do see is a system where "the Charlotte, Nashville and San Francisco bowls will tell the ACC which teams they want, the schools will tell the ACC which bowls they want, and ACC commissioner John Swofford and assistant commissioner Mike Finn will "go in a smoke-filled room" and make the final decisions." Correct me if I am wrong, but wasn't it these sort of smoke-filled room sort of decisions that got GT sent out west in the first place?

This is not a fix to the bowl woes of the ACC. I realize that we are new to big time football, but this seems like painting over a rusty car. Until we get a system in place with some transperancy and the bowl bids go to the teams that earned it on the field, we will always have controversy. This year it was Boston College and Georgia Tech. Who is going to get the shaft by this system next year?

What I still don't understand is why we even have a tie-in with Boise anyway! It seems that if the ACC cannot guarantee that schools with better records will not get snubbed in favor of schools with larger regional fan bases, the only fix would be to move all of our bowl games to this region! How about even this side of the country! I am all about having a matchup with the PAC-10, but where is our matchup with the Big-10? Why is there no bowl game in the D.C. area? Or New York City? Why do we only have one non-BCS bowl after New Year's Day? Why are the majority of our bowls paying the bare minimum to their participants? Why do we have a matchup with the WAC? Even Conference-USA would be better, at least they are on our side of the world. These are the sorts of issues that need to be resolved if we are ever going to fix the ACC's bowl situation, not more wish lists and smoke-filled rooms.
-yb

Rest in Peace, Peach Bowl


So this trend wherein bowl games drop their traditional titles like Peach or Tangerine or whatever and call themselves solely by the name of their sponsor is the biggest issue I have with college football. Forget the BCS or a playoff or even how Greg Blue gets away with murder on the field. I am old for my 24 years and it is one of my biggest pet peaves when tradition is trampled in favor of commerce.

For those who are unaware, in return for more money, the Peach Bowl, held in Atlanta every year, will drop Peach from its title in favor of the Chic-Fil-A Bowl. In return for throwing a good bowl name to the wayside, the bowl formerly known as Peach will now be the second highest paying non-BCS bowl. This seems like a battle with the Capital One Bowl to see who will be the next BCS bowl if the BCS ever goes to a plus one system to decide the national champion.

I am no socialist and appreciate a market economy as much as the next man, but what was it about the word "Peach" that was holding this bowl back? Do you think anyone but sportswriters are going to call this bowl the Chic-Fil-A Bowl? It is too hard to say! As an Atlanta company, I have always respected Chic-Fil-A, but this move is ridiculous. If bowls like Rose, Fiesta, Orange, and Sugar can have the traditional name coexist with the sponsors name, why not Peach?! It makes the bowl seem chumpish and I don't care how much the payout is, noone is going to get fired up about a bowl with a chumpish name. It just makes the bowl seem like it is on a lower class than those bowls with traditional names like Liberty, Independence, Gator, etc. I cannot believe some compromise could not be worked out. Atlanta is the capitol of the South and had a bowl with a cool name, are we supposed to forget all that and move forward in the name of capitalism!?

If there was any change I wanted to see made to the Peach Bowl, it was to move it to after the New Year. If after ruining the name of this once proud bowl, the powers that be do not change the date and up the prestige of the teams playing in it, I think the college football world would view recent events as a needless grab for more money that backfired horribly.
-yb

SI.com Gives GT Praise for 2005 Football Schedule


In his column, college football analyst discussed the weakness of certain BCS conference teams' schedules. He also put together a scheduling honor roll for teams that scheduled no D1-AA teams and multiple BCS teams. He further praised Tech with the following statement: "Only 11 of the 66 schools made the honor roll (zero I-AA non-conference foes, at least two BCS opponents). Granted -- and this is not a minor point -- some conferences (ACC) have tougher intraconference games than others (Big East). Nobody's asking you to be Georgia Tech (nonconference games with Auburn and Georgia). Just don't be Texas Tech (non-conference games with Sam Houston State and Indiana State)." Nice pat on the back from the national media. Great season this year, guys. Here is the link if you are interested in the whole story. The part I am referring to is on page two.
-yb

Thursday, December 15, 2005

To those Ping Pongs who took our spot, you know who you are...



Look, I think we all understand your desire to have a keg while pregaming, but your presence in my tailgating area screwed the whole thing up. For the first half of the season, you were content to pregame in your fraternity house and the tailgating world near the Rusty "C" was in balance. There was room for everyone who wanted to tailgate along 5th Street. But then, halfway through last season, you decided all of a sudden that you wanted to take up space along my street. You live on campus so you get out there the night before and screw up the whole order of things. You brought like two people to your tailgate, most of the people there were just filling up their beer glass and walking back over to your house. What a waste.

As a former fraternity member, I appreciate the fact that at a certain point, pregaming in the house gets a bit old. Also, I further understand that the law against public alcohol containers in student housing also puts a damper on things. But you need to understand how important tailgating is to those of us who are not currently in school. We have no home on campus anymore, that piece of grass we occupy 6 Saturdays a year is the closest thing. Most tailgaters go to the same spot every week and generally these spots are allocated during the tailgate for the first home game. As you can imagine, some of us are very territorial when it comes to our spot. You already have a home on campus. Please leave us with ours.

Please don't misunderstand me, I am not mad that you got out there earlier and ruined everyones tailgate. That shows an initiative for which you should be commended. But likewise you cannot expect us who have worked so hard to finally get a spot we can call our own to sit idly by while you trample on everything we hold dear, take up valuable real estate, and ruin the natural order of things just so you and your three friends Lewis, Lamar, and Booger can circumvent the campus alcohol policy!

Luckily for you, I was deployed to Iraq all year and could only listen in horror as my friends recounted tales of your egregious violations of tailgate etiquette. But next season I will be there, my friends, fresh from a year of bringing democracy to the Middle East. I will be ready to defend my tailgating spot as ably as I defended your freedom all this past year. You are Georgia Tech students, so you are undoubtably smart. Unless you enjoy fighting battles you cannot possibly win, stay on your side of the street. Stay in your house, the grass along 5th Street by the Rusty C is our house. You have been warned.
-yb

Portrait of a Superfan, Part 3


We have been examining some of the characteristics of the Georgia Tech Superfan, and have looked at dress and habits. Today we will look at the habitat and other distinctive features of the Superfan.

Habitat


  • There are two primary locations where superfans generally live: in the Atlanta area and not in the Atlanta area. Superfans live in the Atlanta area for obvious reasons. Georgia Tech fans live all over the world, but those living outside of the Atlanta area generally have left the majority of their fan friends in Atlanta and are generally alone in their celebration of Georgia Tech athletics. This works together with the nostalgia that all fans feel to create the superfan.
  • In any environment, especially environments where the population has been put together with people from across the country and from different backgrounds, especially collegiate background, there is a need to be overly supportive of the college you attended. Superfans will generally have some piece of GT paraphanelia somewhere in their office space displayed as one would a picture of a spouse or children.

Distinctive Features

  • Whenever GT plays the team of a coworker, the superfan begins the trash talk at least one week before the game takes place, longer in the case of a rival or nearby school such as Clemson, Auburn, or Georgia. In the case of a victory over a coworker's school, trashtalking will continue for at least a week. In the case of a loss, complaining about referee bias or ineptitude will be heard for up to a week. Commenting on the lack of moral fiber, dedication to academics, or general thuggishness of an opponents players is also fairly common. Trashtalking to Georgia fans in the workplace is acceptable and commonplace for 11 months of the year, 12 in the case of a victory over leghumpers. In the case of a victory for Hooch Nation, however unlikely, the month of December is reserved for unbridled anger, inward reflection, and the development of new material for the next 11 months. This is the hibernation period for the superfan.
  • During sports seasons, especially in the fall, the best place to spot a Superfan is on the campus of Ma Tech. Superfans come out early, usually 8-12 hours before game time to begin tailgating. The only exception is if a Superfan has a mate. This will delay the arrival of the superfan to approximately 15 seconds before the game begins. The superfan will make all sorts of excuses for their tardiness to their fellow fans, always maintaining tactful regard for the mate in tow.
  • At some point during the game, usually the middle of the third quarter, the superfan will make some sort of careless remark to which his mate will take offense. At this point our specimen will have a choice to make: does he console his mate and apologize for stating what he has been thinking ever since 7 in the morning when he wanted to be at the tailgate but couldn't because his mate had to take an hour and forty five minutes to get ready and "didn't see why we had to be there so early.", or does he run with his statement and put off apologizing until the next day?

What would you do? Are you a Superfan?

-yb

Wednesday, December 14, 2005

Tickets to the Emerald Bowl


The program to donate GT Emerald Bowl tickets to the military and sponsored charities has really taken off. Georgia Tech has already sold out of its allotment of 40 dollar tickets and is working on its 50 dollar ones. This is a great program and is awesome publicity for GT. This will make every bowl that passed us over wish they had thought twice. If you wish to participate, here is the link.
-yb

Wahoo Wha?!?!


So the ACC.com is reporting that since it looks like UVA will not be able to sell its allotment for the Music City Bowl in Nashville, Wahoo fans can buy tickets and donate them to the military. As a member of the Army who lives in the Nashville area, let me express my personal disgust with this information. First, UVA weasels its way into a bowl that should have been the greatest coming home from Iraq present a Jacket fan could dream of and now you are telling me that since they cannot sell out the tickets they promised to sell, you want to give me a ticket for free?! Georgia Tech is donating tons of tickets to service members in the San Francisco area. UVA got into this bowl because they promised to bring more fans from the Piedmont than we could bring from Atlanta. If the Music City Bowl had not been so stupid as to believe this garbage, I could be celebrating my return from a war zone in style. Even if GT had not been able to sell out its allotment, (highly doubtful given the pre-MCB hype) a program like the one now in effect for the soldiers of the Bay Area in the Nashville Area would have at least given me a free ticket! Now they kick my team out of a bowl they deserved more, fail to live up to their promises, steal an idea for donating tickets from my Jackets, and then expect me to gratefully accept their charity and wear Wahoo orange while I'm at it? Give me a break. If UVA was going to welch on its promise to a bowl they might as well have done it in San Francisco.
-yb

Georgia Tech on SI.com



Link

Note the guy wiith the laptop in the foreground. I know its not the best thing for our national image, but publicity is publicity. Whats funnier is that when I saved it off of the webpage, the default file name was "nerd". Nice to know how the rest of the world sees us. Thanks to CPT Zais for the link. -yb

Portrait of a Superfan, Part 2


Today we will look at another aspect of the Georgia Tech Superfan. Yesterday we discussed the plumage and markings of Superfans that help us identify them. Today we will discuss another important factor for identifying Superfans, their habits.

Habits
  • The habits of these special creatures are the sum of their background up to the point of becoming a superfan. Most superfans are out of college, normally in their late twenties and early thirties. Since most Georgia Tech fans are either graduates, relatives of graduates, or unlike our neighbor to the northeast, literate, this focuses the population of Superfans in the aforementioned age range. That is not to say there are not older superfans, but being a true superfan also normally requires a lack of any true responsibility in the non-Georgia Tech sports related world.
  • Most superfans were not the coolest kids in high school so their time at Georgia Tech, while difficult, was undoubtedbly the most fun they have had in their lives up to this point. This experience created a strong link between that leads to severe nostalgia once the euphoria of graduating/dropping out has worn off. This nostalgia, coupled with a job in middle management that allows for lots of free time with internet access at the office, fosters an insatiable appetite for anything related to Georgia Tech on the internet. They know every high school player we are recruiting, every possible coaching change. During the seasons of major Tech sports they are feasting off every word of every article about GT. But then there are the hungry times, most notably most of the month of December, when there is very little happening in college sports and they must rely on the stored fat from the previous season. Superfans are especially drawn to stories of Georgia Tech's glory days. One mention of Georgia Tech during the Heisman Trophy presentation can normally feed a Superfan for a week.
  • Most groups of GT alumni friends only have one or maybe two superfans. This is because there is normally only one or two guys in a group of friends that got that ridiculous, "Office Space"ish job where nothing actually takes place. Normally the role of the superfan in this group is to attempt to fire his group or tribe up about the most miniscule piece of Georgia Tech sports information that is probably just a rumor anyway. When the response to his calls for enthusiasm is not deemed sufficient, the superfan will send out a group email, normally after reading some feel-good piece about GT football under Dodd, and scold his flock about their lack of dedication and demand that they commit their lives to the Golden Tornado. While this is normally met with only transitory acclamation from the rest of the tribe, even this flash of enthusiasm by the rest of his clan will help make the Superfan feel more at ease and assuage those feelings that "maybe he is taking this stuff a little to seriously."

There are of course other habits, but most of them revolve around other attributes and will be discussed in later editions. Please join us tomorrow when we will talk about the habitats of these prized creatures.

-yb

Tuesday, December 13, 2005

Portrait of a Superfan


There has been much made on Georgia Tech websites such as The Hive about the nature and quality of our fans. Some people say our fans are too whiny, they aren't loud enough, they don't wear enough gold, or they just don't plain show up. Well my friends, I have in my Georgia Tech experience come across several people who have devoted their lives to Georgia Tech athletics. They are called Superfans.

Some of you may be asking yourself, "what is a superfan?" Well, for the next couple of days, this column will point out several of the key characteristics of the superfan so that you may recognize them when you cross paths and furthermore thank/congratulate them for their loyalty and spirit.

Portrait of a Superfan, Part 1
  • Dress: This is normally the easiest way to spot a Superfan. Superfans always stress the importance of gold or yellow in one's gameday attire, even though it is the hardest color to match with anything. White is too neutral and too many teams use it. Navy blue is a good accent color but it tends to take over an outfit. "It is not one of our colors", they will say. This brings up a good point and another good technique for spotting superfans, their habit of critiquing the way people dressed for the game. Their comments normally revolve around the wear of jeans or jean shorts and/or the absence of yellow from another fan's gameday getup. They are normally dressed in business casual for games, however, certain games might warrant the addition of needless accessories, such as a bow tie, suspenders, or seersucker pants. Superfans will always stick with an outfit regardless of the environmental conditions of the game: wearing a three piece yellow suit in 90 degree weather, no problem. Since he already bleeds gold, the superfan assumes that he also sweats white and/or gold as well. Also note that in the world of the superfan, traditional rules of when it is acceptable to wear different types of clothing do not apply. Yellow seersucker suit to a game in early November? No faux pas there for the superfan. One final and crucial piece of the superfan's attire is that his outfit must have the stains or still be wet from spilling some type of beer or whiskey on himself while tailgating. Pouring alcohol on himself to demand respect from fans of the opposing team is also fairly commonplace.

I hope this was fairly helpful. Some of you may already know several Georgia Tech Superfans based on this description. Please join us tomorrow when we will look at a new and exciting characteristic of the Superfan.

-yb

Monday, December 12, 2005

I wish I was a baller...


Okay, so I am 24 years old and suck at team sports, especially basketball. There it is. There is no way to disguise it, no way to ignore it, and seemingly no way to improve it. I played soccer two seasons a year from about 2nd to 8th grade, but by then I had sufficiently demonstrated my lack of hand-eye-foot coordination and so it became necessary to concentrate on sports that rely more on individual effort, like cross-country. The problem with that whole individual effort thing is that it requires physical ability, and I fall short there, too. So you see the rut I am in.

I am in the Army now and the problem with the army is that everyone in the army assumes you have some background in team sports. Don't get me wrong, I love to play sports, I am just awful. The other night we played basketball and it became clear to me that my deep, dark secret had become known in this new group, too. I touched the ball three times, all by accident, and I did absolutely nothing with it each time. I was an embarassment. And you cannot explain away missing an easy layup all alone in the paint by saying, "but I was on public access tv every monday night for two years for high school brain bowl." No amount of knowledge of the Seminole Indians will make up for the inability to make a free throw when it counts.

I hate the fact that I know every major player in the Civil War and cannot make a layup in traffic. I hate the fact that the only position my college fraternity would let me play in softball was catcher, because this was presumably where I could do the least amount of damage. I cannot change what I am, I can only hope my teammates will forgive my ineptitude in this one, crucial area of my life. Luckily the woman to whom I am getting married has brothers and uncles that are way over six feet tall and seem to be fairly athletic, so there is hope for future generations.

The problem with sucking at sports is that since you suck, you never get the ball because you are a detriment to your team's chances of success and the best thing that you can do is pretend you are part of the court. But since you never get the chance to do anything, when those rare opportunities occur that fate decides to put you in the spotlight, you always blow it because you didn't even get to shoot around when everyone else was warming up before the game. It is a vicious cycle. I guess the only way to break a 24 year slump is to shoot through it. So pass me the rock, I got the hot hand.
-yb


Ten Reasons to Hate Notre Dame


This is by Mark Zais, a guest YBW contributor, enjoy.
-yb

Notre Dame is the devil. I know that it sounds harsh, but there are some of us who believe that Notre Dame signifies everything that is wrong about college football…big money, media bias, and the BCS system.

For years, football fans have been forced to hear about the rich tradition of Notre Dame and made to feel guilty for finding reasons not to like the Fighting Irish. From the constant barrage of praise and adoration given by the media and their fans, one almost feels blasphemous or sacrilegious in rooting against them. Listed below are some of the top reasons why I believe that Notre Dame football is undeserving of its sanctimonious status and should be exposed as what they really are….nothing more than an elitist football factory that is far from the image of football purity and righteousness they try to project. (These ten are in no particular order…bad is bad)

1. NBC. I am tired of hearing about the “obstacles” Notre Dame has with recruiting due to their high admissions and academic standards (I will specifically address those standards later as they are an issue unto themselves). If they hadn’t already, Notre Dame established itself as a full-fledged football factory when they signed the contract to air all their home games on NBC despite the opponent. By prostituting themselves to football and subjecting the public to perennial matchups against the likes of Navy and Stanford, Notre Dame secured its elitist image and largest recruiting base of any school. It’s not out of jealously that I find this disturbing but more because when hard times hit Notre Dame, they immediately point to their insurmountable recruiting obstacles. Give me a break. I don’t blame other schools for being jealous ,though; there is a distinct disadvantage when one school rakes in millions and millions of guaranteed dollars each year no matter how good or bad they are. For everyone else, gaining more money is performance based and means making it to a good bowl game. Plus, Notre Dame rakes in bowl money and doesn’t have to share it with other conference members…but that will be discussed later also. Probably the most glaring and insulting display of arrogance between NBC and Notre Dame is presented in the telecasts themselves. Should you by chance be forced to watch NBC because your favorite team is playing Notre Dame or you simply hate them enough to watch and hope for their defeat, NBC goes ahead and makes the assumption that we aren’t interested in any other games across the country. While every other telecast has frequent updates or a scoreboard streamer at the bottom of the screen, NBC entices viewers with one or two random score updates in a 3 hour period. Why would you care about what any other teams are doing when you are watching Notre Dame?

2. Lou Holtz. I have nothing against the man personally. In fact, I think he would be an interesting guy to sit and talk to at a bar. I also like his quotes, motivation techniques, and ability to always paint a dire scenario of impending defeat whether he is playing USC or Toledo. That doesn’t mean I would invite him to be a guest speaker at an ethics conference. The reason Lou Holtz is on my list is because his tenure at Notre Dame symbolizes the nationwide bias towards the success and sanctimony of Notre Dame. History shows us that throughout Lou Holtz’s career he has left a wake of scandal and probation, always managing to get out of dodge one step ahead of sanctions hitting his school. Every school that has had Lou Holtz as a head coach (NC State, Minnesota, Arkansas, Notre Dame, and South Carolina) has been hit with probation in sequence with his departure. A common theme in the probation verbage has been that his programs have a “lack of institutional control”. The poignant issue that I have with all these sanctions is that of all the Lou Holtz schools found to have violated NCAA rules only one was subsequently given an “informal probation”, hence giving them the right to address the issues internally. Which school was that?...that’s right, Notre Dame! How convenient. If anyone believes that Lou Holtz sandwiched a spell of integrity at Notre Dame with a career of cheating, they are either ignorant or a Notre Dame fan. A book, “Under the Tarnished Dome”, has even been written about this period of Notre Dame tradition, which includes one National Championship. In this book, the authors and ex-players make allegations of prevalent steroid use and illegal loans to players. Oh, how pure Notre dame is. There is no difference between Notre Dame and any other football factory, to include Florida State, Oklahoma, USC, or Texas. The only difference is that fraudulent Notre Dame portrays itself as being above the fray. Thank you Lou Holtz for showing us the light.

3. Touchdown Jesus. Nothing highlights the arrogance of Notre Dame football more than Touchdown Jesus. Relishing an image of Jesus overlooking the football stadium is synonymous to the whole football team kneeling in prayer in the end zone and thanking God for allowing them to score a touchdown. Only Notre Dame fans could think that with all the suffering and atrocities in the world, Jesus cares whether or not Notre Dame wins. It is because of this type of blasphemous arrogance that more Notre Dame fans pray for victory than any one else.

4. Academic Standards. I am tired of having Notre Dame’s academic standards shoved down my throat. Notre Dame’s academic standards are used as excuses for their poor performance and as an example of their “purity” in relation to other programs. I don’t buy it for one second. Notre Dame is like any other school….if you’re good enough to help the team, you’re good enough for Notre Dame. Let me rewind back to the days of my man Lou Holtz who said his biggest recruiting regret was not being able to land Randy Moss who chose Florida State instead of Notre Dame. Lou said Moss was the best high school player he has ever seen. Randy Moss was accepted to Notre Dame and it wasn’t due to his sparkling academic record or his admirable high school arrest record. I have no doubt that had he been hurdling defensive backs while wearing the gold helmet, he would have managed to pass his classes. Just as recently as three years ago, the battle for arguably the best high school player in the country, Lorenzo Booker, once again came down to Notre Dame and Florida State. (He chose Florida State). My point is that the Notre Dames and Florida States of the football world are fishing from the same pond and keeping any big fish they catch. As an exclamation point, the list of academic heavyweights that played for Notre Dame include the likes of Tony Rice, Chris Zorich, Ron Powlus, Demetrious DuBose, Ricky Waters, and Jerome Bettis. I don’t think any of these guys were on their high school brain bowl team.

5a. Media Bias. The outright media bias due to an NBC contract has already been described and isn't even needed to substantiate this issue. Luckily there are standards barring pornographic material on TV or we would be subjected to more than the metaphoric blow jobs by network hosts and commentators. This gross bias extends all the way to the BCS selection committee...but we'll address that later. All the TV networks, most notably ESPN (and excluding NBC), seem to have a reel of Notre Dame montages and cover stories within a button push away. Once they string together three wins in a row, we are forced to watch piece after piece describing the resurgence of this "rich and proud program". The media trips all over other programs that do well while rushing to praise Notre Dame. One example is Alabama which had the same record as Notre Dame this year despite being 5-6 last year and having one of the hardest strengths of schedule in the nation (Notre Dame only beat 3 teams with winning records). How come Mike Shula didn't get any of the praise that Charlie Weis received? I wonder. This is a good segway to my next reason.

5b. Charlie Weiss. Charlie Weis...you are fat. Actually you are morbidly obese. I liked Tyrone Willingham, but for anti-domers like myself, the silver lining in his firing is that we no longer have to caveat our Notre Dame hate rhetoric with the phrase "but I wish Tyrone Willingham well because he seems like a good guy." I guess Notre Dame found the white man for the job….oops, I meant right man.

6. 1947: Army vs. Notre Dame. These two undefeated teams met head to head and ended their game in a 0-0 tie. As a result, Notre Dame was declared by the media voters as sole national champions. I present this as evidence of Notre Dame's "rich and proud" tradition of receiving media bias.

7. 1966: Notre Dame 9-0-1. Once again, Notre Dame raises the championship banner with a little help from the media. After tying Michigan State and finishing with a 9-0-1 record, Notre Dame declines all bowl offers, thus ending their season. Undefeated Alabama goes on the paste Nebraska 34-7 in the Sugar Bowl and finishes 11-0. The AP poll subsequently awards the national championship to Notre Dame. The bias and shameless glory continues.

8. Subway Alumni. These are the biggest bandwagon jumpers of all time. It takes courage to pick a perennial powerhouse like Notre Dame as your favorite team. No team has more fans with absolutely no connection to the school other than watching them on TV. Not surprisingly, atleast 75% of the Notre Dame subway alumni are also Yankees fans. The Notre Dame fan is like the guy who pretends to be your best friend until you hit hard times, then he becomes best friends with your buddy who won the lottery. Beware of the Notre Dame subway alumni, they are social leeches. The biggest percentages of subway alumni can be found in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Hey Tony, what about Rutgers? Oh yeah, they suck. I'm sure you'll be wearing scarlet if they ever make it to a BCS bowl.


While I'm at it, let's talk about the fans who like Notre Dame because they are Catholic. They are another species of the subway alumni. Once again, they make the ultimate sacrifice in the name of their religion. If being Catholic is all it takes, how come you guys don't root for Boston College, Providence, or Xavier? Even if religion was an acceptable reason to root for a college football team, do you really think that even a quarter of the Notre Dame football players are Catholic? I'm sure Jerome Bettis envisioned blasting through a line of salivating Protestants as he nestled the cradled hopes of persecuted Catholics in his arm. Thank God (and Touchdown Jesus) for allowing our religion to win the national championship again!

9. Jeff Smardzija. Jeff, you need a haircut. If your hair extends beyond the base of your football helmet, it classifies as a mullet. The only exceptions to this rule are Samoans and dudes with dreadlocks.

10. BCS. I save the biggest injustice in college football for last. The BCS might as well publish a memo that states "We want Notre Dame to play in the BCS and will secure every means possible to make sure it happens." The current BCS contract essentially dictates that Notre Dame can play in a BCS game as long as they win 8 games. I thought the BCS was instituted in order to make a distinct and fair process for selecting the best teams for the best bowl games. This year Ohio State, Oregon, and Notre Dame finished fourth, fifth, and sixth respectively. Naturally, the BCS bypassed the fifth ranked team for the sixth ranked team because Notre Dame was "contractually guaranteed" a spot and would make the bowl more money. Thank goodness for favorable contracts. It doesn't matter though, because even if Notre Dame was ranked seventh or eighth they would have been in. To add insult to prejudice, Notre Dame gets to keep the $14 million BCS money for itself. Ohio State (and Oregon had they not been robbed) has to share the money with all the other teams in their conference. No wonder Charlie Weis doesn't push for a playoff system. Don't worry though, all will be fixed next year with the BCS changes. Next year when Notre Dame is handed an undeserved BCS game, they will only be able to keep $4.5 million for themselves, the same as other BCS participants. Sounds fair right? Oh, I forget to mention that they agreed to this because the new contract also states that if they don't get into a BCS game (most likely because they are ranked 20 or lower) they still get an automatic $1.5 million. Just to appease the masses...and I guess an offering to the Pope. Thank you Lord.

Honorable Mention

Regis Philbin. It's only natural that one of the most annoying men on the planet is a Notre Dame fan. I'm sure he roots for the Yankees too.

I’m Irish. Rooting for Notre Dame because you're Irish is like rooting for USC because you use Trojan brand condoms. It just doesn't make sense. None of the football players are Irish so it's a weak excuse. Just because your name is O'Neal or Sullivan doesn’t mean that you are Irish...have you ever even been to Ireland? I rest my case.

1996 Bowl Declination. Already having enough examples of Notre Dame arrogance, this one didn't make the cut but is still worth mentioning. At the end of a mediocre 8-3 season, this proud program was not eligible for one of the top 4 Alliance Bowls (major bowls prior to the BCS system). Notre Dame was invited to several other bowls but declined, implying that they don't stoop to the level of second-tier bowls. That same year, Wyoming finished with one of the best seasons ever, compiling a record of 10-2 and a national ranking of 22nd. They were not invited to any bowls. I'm sure that players from schools like Wyoming who dream of playing in any bowl game appreciated the conceit and self-importance of the Notre Dame team. Bravo.

MSNBC.COM. This NBC website has a major news section titled "Notre Dame Centra", once again assuming that the world cares.

Welcome to my world




With so many blogs out there, you may be thinking to yourself, "all we need is another sports and life commentary blog". That is probably true, but my voice has been silent for too long and it is time too get out some of the opinions I have been harboring for a quarter of a century. A little background: I am from the panhandle of Florida and graduated from Georgia Tech in 2003. I was commissioned as a Signal Officer in the United States Army and am currently serving with the 101st Airborne Division.

This blog will be first and foremost about Georgia Tech sports, secondly about collegiate athletics in general, and lastly, general thoughts about life that I am just tired of keeping to myself. I will be the primary poster, but like-minded friends of mine will drop by and submit from time to time. I hope it is enjoyable for everyone.

-yb