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At the Intersection of Sports and Culture

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The “Tis the Season for Bowling” Part II

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Independence Bowl: Air Force(-3) vs. Georgia Tech
December 27, 5 pm ET (TBD)
“Analysis”: I’m genuinely surprised that The Falcons are favored here. I thought Georgia Tech was supposed to be pretty good. The ACC must stink even worse than I thought. Anyway, I haven’t seen Air Force play, but I imagine they still run some kind of crazy Wing-T offense up there in Colorado Springs. Tech’s athletic QB Josh Nesbitt will likely be inactive (ahhh, hence the point spread!).
VMS Pick: Air Force

Champs Sports Bowl: West Virginia(-3) vs. NC State
December 28, 6:30 pm ET (ESPN)
“Analysis”: Champs is an awesome store. Whenever I visit a new city, I always try to get to a Champs so I can buy the t-shirt of a local athlete. Nice little tradition. Anyway, this game is being played in Orlando, where the only pro team is the Magic. I would not want any of their t-shirts. None. If someone gave me a shirt that said Reddick on the back of it, I wouldn’t even use it to wipe sweat off of my mortal enemy’s pet bulldog. This game features two up-and-comers at QB: Geno Smith for the Mountaineers and Russell Wilson for The ‘Pack. But the x-factor will be the too quick for his shoes Noel Devine. If he gets loose, this one won’t be close.
VMS Pick: West Virginia

Insight Bowl: Missouri (-2.5) vs. Iowa
December 28, 10 pm ET (ESPN)
“Analysis”: Oh, man. Iowa’s best player, WR Derrell Johnson-Koulianos just got arrested for running something called a ‘drug house’. A drug house?! In Iowa! Anyway, the U. of Iowa was really embarrassed, because DJK also had a bunch of bad stuff in his system at the time of the arrest. Reminder: this all happened in Iowa! Needless to say Derrell will not be gracing the Insight Bowl, nor will a bunch of his teammates, who have all been summarily dismissed from the team. Even without the “Brad’s” (Pitt and Smith), Lesley Stahl, and Jon Hamm, this one should be a laugher for The Zoo..
VMS Pick: Missouri [Read more…]

The End of an Era on the Smurf Turf

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I didn’t watch much of the Maaco Bowl from Las Vegas last night, but from what I could tell, one of the biggest stories in Boise State’s 26-3 butt whipping of Utah was that we could all be witnessing the end of an era in Idaho. With 18 seniors graduating, the Broncos may be staring down the end of decade long era of BCS busting football. I hope I’m wrong about this because I have thoroughly enjoyed watching Boise St. play these past few years. (I heard somewhere that Boise has a patent on the blue turf.  Anyone know if this is true or not?)

So what does everyone else think?  Was last night the last time that Brent Musburger and Kirk Herbstreit will ever call a Boise State game on national TV? Share your views.

View courtesy of @pkillip

The “Tis the Season For Bowling” Preview: Part I

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Bowl Season kicked off today with the New Mexico Bowl. Here is Part I of our VMS bowl preview with picks. Enjoy!

New Mexico Bowl: BYU(-10.5) vs. UTEP
December 18, 2pm ET (ESPN)
“Analysis”: A long line of 24 year old Mormon quarterbacks beats a school famous for coach Don Haskins and Tim Hardaway.
Pick: BYU

uDrove Humanitarian Bowl: Northern Illinois(-1.5) vs. Fresno St.
December 18, 5:30pm ET (ESPN)
“Analysis”: uDrove sounds like “UNorth”, the fictional agricultural conglomerate in one of my favorite movies, Michael Clayton. Fresno St. comes close to beating Boise State every year. Northern Illinois’s mascot is a docile, skinny-looking hound dog.
Pick: Fresno St.

New Orleans Bowl: Ohio vs. Troy(-2)
December 18, 9pm ET (ESPN)
“Analysis”: Do you remember Gary Trent? He was dubbed “The Shaq of the MAC” for dominating the glass in the mid-90s. I actually didn’t even realize the Bobcats even had a football team. Demarcus Ware went to Troy, which was the site of a major mythological Peloponnesian battle. Don’t expect Homer to write about this one, though.
Pick: Troy

Beef ‘O’ Bradys’ St. Petersburg Bowl: Southern Mississippi vs. Louisville(-3)
December 21, 8pm ET (ESPN)
“Analysis”: “Beef ‘o’ Bradys’”? Really? Apparently, this is some sort of franchised Sports Bar & Grill(e). Southern Miss gave us one Brett [email protected]%^e, who may or may not be retiring at the end of the season. Louisville is the coaching home of Rick Pitino, who leads the Cardinals basketball team which is one of the preeminent programs in the Big East.  Not sure how this helps their football team.
Pick: Tie

Las Vegas Bowl: Utah vs. Boise St.(-17)
December 22, 8pm ET (ESPN)
“Analysis”: The Utes had a pretty solid undefeated run going at the beginning of the season. Then, they lost a bunch of games in a row by Tabernacle-sized margins. Boise was very much in the national title discussion, until Nevada knocked them out in a Saturday night thriller. The Vegas Bowl is a far cry from a BCS game, so look for the Broncos to project some of that anger on an over-matched Utes squad. Field goals will NOT be a factor in this one.
Pick: Boise St.

Poinsettia Bowl: Navy vs. San Diego St.(-4.5)
December 23, 8pm ET (ESPN)
“Analysis”: Here’s what I know about SDSU: Tony Gwynn coaches their baseball team, Steve Fisher coaches their basketball team (who are suddenly really, really good!), and their football team is best known for Marshall Faulk’s near-Heisman season in the early 90s. Navy produces young men/women who protect and serve our country around the globe.  As an American, I’m obligated to go with the team from Annapolis.
Pick: Navy

Hawaii Bowl: Hawaii(-10) vs. Tulsa
December 24, 8 pm ET (ESPN)
“Analysis”: All of the Polynesian young men who aren’t big enough, or fast enough, to take their talents to the Mainland and dominate the Pac-10 end up Rainbow Warriors. Tulsa’s nickname is The Golden Hurricane. Seriously, it is. The Golden Hurricane.
Pick: Hawaii

Little Caesar’s Pizza Bowl: Florida International vs. Toledo(-1.5)
December 26, 8:30 pm ET (ESPN)
“Analysis”: Isiah Thomas is employed by FIU. Someone at that institution thought it was a good idea to give Isiah Thomas money to mold young men and put together an actual  basketball strategy. As a fan of the New York Knicks, I don’t know how FIU qualified for a bowl game, but they CAN NOT WIN. Not possible.
Pick: Toledo

Look for Part II coming next week.  Until then, enjoy the views!!!

Just Your Typical Friday Night in Newark Delaware

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By now, most viewers are aware that I grew up in New Hampshire and while I did not attend UNH, I have become somewhat of a Wildcat booster.  Last night, the UNH football team lost by a score of 16-3 in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division I Football Championship to the #5 ranked Delaware Blue Hens.  The game was nationally televised on ESPN2 so for many people around the country this was perhaps their first exposure to either program.

Looking at this view carefully it seems that Delaware Stadium was not quite filled to capacity. If you go the University of Delaware, or just plain live in “The First State”, what could you possibly be doing on a Friday night in December that would have prevented you from going to this game?

Two things I know about Delaware: 1) Dogfish Head beer is brewed in Milton 2) the mud used to “rub up” MLB baseballs come from the Delaware River. So unless you were out having a pint in Rehoboth Beach or trolling a tributary for valuable dirt, you have no excuse and you should have gone to the game. Joe Flacco is very disappointed. Share your views.

The “Didn’t Even Know This Game Was on TV” ACC Championship Game Preview

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I started paying attention to college football in the late 80s.  When the 90’s began, I developed an unnatural infatuation with Florida State. My childhood bedroom was literally a shrine to the garnet and gold. I had pictures of Deion Sanders in various stages of dress and undress. Stealing bases, locking down WRs, wearing huge gold chains, whatever. I used to tape the Noles’ games on Saturday afternoons, so that when they rolled up 80 points on Maryland, I could watch it over and over again throughout the coming week. I was obsessed. I watched every movie Burt Reynolds was ever in.

Those early- to mid-90s FSU teams were insane. Along with Prime Time and Ward (who would recover to win the Heisman Trophy and National Championship that ’93 season), other future NFL all-pros included: Edgar Bennett, both Boulwares, Terrell Buckley, LeRoy Butler, Laveranues Coles, Sam Cowart, Warrick Dunn, William Floyd, Dexter Jackson, Sebastian Janikowski (!), Marvin Jones, Amp Lee, Tommy Polley, Samari Rolle, Tamarick Vannover, Javon Walker, & Peter Warrick. I’ll put those guys up against any team from any decade, ever.

Thinking back to those teams got me thinking about Charlie Ward. How good was he? Barely able to see over his offensive line, he was one of the first QBs to blur the line between Pure Pocket Passer and Running Quarterback, because he could do both. Able to throw from any spot behind the line, shrink the field with speed and quickness, and gifted with the uncanny ability to make plays at the end of games, Ward, who went undrafted by every NFL team because of his diminutive stature and little-boy-hands, went on to have a very serviceable career as a shooting point guard in the NBA.

I love making lists. “Blow” is the 4th best movie of all time. I have a preferred order of sweaters I wear to work in the winter. If you put three potted plants in front of me, I will rank the heck out of them. So, thinking about today’s ACC Championship game– featuring two great Athletic Quarterbacks in Tyrod Taylor of Virginia Tech and Christian Ponder of FSU– I immediately started to rank the best Athletes Under Center of the past two decades.

5. Darian Hagan (Colorado): With his backfield mate Eric (Public) Bienemy, Hagan ran the option to a share of the 1990 National Title, with a little help from a lucrative 5-Down series in Columbia against the Tigers. At least no one in the Ozark Region is bitter about that.

4. Vince Young (Texas): Will never forget when VY slew a Goliath of a USC team in the Rose Bowl, armed only with his jackrabbit legs and a weird short-arm delivery.

3. Brad Smith (Missouri): Speaking of Mizzou, Smith still remains (for now, at least), the only college QB to rush for 4,000 yards and pass for 8,000.

2. Tommy Frazier (Nebraska): All Tommy did was win! 33 and 3 as the Husker starter. Also, in 1995, against Florida in the Fiesta Bowl for the national championship, Frazier sprinted 75 yards down the sideline, broke a bunch of tackles, and eventually carried two Gator defenders on his back into the end zone. Sounds impossible, but it happened.

1. Michael Vick (Virginia Tech): Mike earns the top spot because of his ability to pair blinding, breakaway speed with one of the strongest arms in the history of the sport. There’s room for debate on this, but he once threw the ball 280 yards in the air as part of a Powerade commercial. It’s real because I saw it on the TV.

Honorable Mention: Major Harris (West Virginia)

Sorry Gainesville, no Tim Tebow on my list. Feel free to disagree. Also, what championship game are you most looking forward to this afternoon? Share your views.