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Here is my newest The Washington Post piece ---
Our long national hypemare is over.
The game of several centuries — the last one; this one and, no doubt, the next one, was finally played on Saturday night.
Perhaps if LSU and Alabama had played into the next century, one of them would have scored a touchdown.
Here’s what we know after the Tigers’ 9-6 overtime victory in Bryant-Denny Stadium: LSU has a better kicking game than Alabama. Both teams have fabulous defenses. Neither team has a quarterback who is going to bring back memories of Joe Namath or Bert Jones or, for that matter, John Huarte. That’s a trivia note: Huarte won the Heisman Trophy in 1964; Namath did not, but that was back when Notre Dame still played big-time football.
There will be much debate about this game. The apologists, who were already lining up Sunday morning, are going to insist it was a great game because there were two great defenses on the field and there’s nothing wrong with that. Others will go the other way: The game was awful. The punters were on the field more than the quarterbacks.
Click here for the rest of the column: Tide should be one and doneThe game of several centuries — the last one; this one and, no doubt, the next one, was finally played on Saturday night.
Perhaps if LSU and Alabama had played into the next century, one of them would have scored a touchdown.
Here’s what we know after the Tigers’ 9-6 overtime victory in Bryant-Denny Stadium: LSU has a better kicking game than Alabama. Both teams have fabulous defenses. Neither team has a quarterback who is going to bring back memories of Joe Namath or Bert Jones or, for that matter, John Huarte. That’s a trivia note: Huarte won the Heisman Trophy in 1964; Namath did not, but that was back when Notre Dame still played big-time football.
There will be much debate about this game. The apologists, who were already lining up Sunday morning, are going to insist it was a great game because there were two great defenses on the field and there’s nothing wrong with that. Others will go the other way: The game was awful. The punters were on the field more than the quarterbacks.
Newest book now available for pre-order: One on One-- Behind the Scenes with the Greats in the Game
7 comments:
It was a great game between to very good teams. There should be no rematch. I want a play-off system too, but I also do not want to see Boise State. Their schedule is a joke and they like it that way.
John, I hope we eventually get your thoughts on the Penn State scandal. Joe Posnanski just authored a thoroughly unsatisfying piece at si.com, basically clamming up until more details come through. Perhaps you have some insight on the conflicts facing an embedded writer like Posnanski, whose past few months writing an authorized Paterno book are now taking an unexpected turn.
I'm pretty sure Bobby Knight wouldn't have stopped at forwarding the report to his superiors.
OK, let's not give too much credit to Ara and the Eye Rash. Up until the time the good Fathers decided the Bowl experience would not do permanent damage to the academic careers of their young lads, Notre Dame played a three game season. If they managed to get past the Boilermakers, Spartans, and Trojans, the National Championship was all but assured. The service academies were in the doldrums, and the cast of sacrificial lambs included such luminaries as Tulane, Duke, and hapless Iowa, Pitt, and Northwestern teams, much prior to their renaissances of later years. Thus, by foregoing the Bowl experience, the Irish could expect to compete for the National Championship. Ara was a great guy and an icon, but the deck was decidedly stacked in his favor, which all went away about the time Dan Devine showed up in South Bend.
Yes, John. Here's an opportunity to be a national voice on an important matter. You might come to the conclusion that thousands already have: Joe Paterno should resign and submit to a legal examination of his actions. (He's already failed the moral exam.)
So, please find it in your work schedule to set aside your thoughts on Navy, MD, the basketball tournament...as we await your thoughtful opinion.
Also, references to coaches whose egos outstrip all other issues are welcome: Knight, Hays, etc.
John: I agree with anonymous (but am ok with leaving my name) I really hope you will give us something on the Penn State Scandal. So far, Wetzel at Yahoo! seems to be the only one who is on top of this. The scandals involving OSU and Miami are trivial compared to this. I also wonder if all the accustions turn out to be true whether the victims would successfully sue the University for financial compensation.
Could we also get an update on why Andy Polley can't help himself from stealing Mr. Tony's free food?
I agree with criticism about the bowl nightmare. I have a solution that would provide a playoff and involve the bowls with competitive games.
Their are give or take 160 football teams in Division I.
Divide those teams into 16 ten team conferences. They would start play the end of August and play until mid-November. The conference championship games would be played Thanksgiving weekend. The 16 conferences would begin playoffs mid December after final exams.
Conferences would be free to set up their own Media deals. Cities can bid on the Play off games, Intergrating the bowls. The championship game will be played in a rotating fashion, between the Rose, Sugar, Orange, and Fiesta.
A percentage of revenue generated from this play off system will go into a fund to pay a 3,000.00 year stipend to each Division I scholarship athlete.
I think this concept with some additional ideas would work.
Wait I must be dreaming also.
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