It's 5 O'Clock Somewhere - College Football Remembrance Edition

Since it's Friday, and the end of the workweek for most people, we think that you should be provided with a post that takes the edge off so to speak. Because it's going to be random and hopefully humorous, that means that it won't always be sports related. It will also pop up at any time on Friday.

No, the season isn't totally over, but time is running out. In order to help ease the pain just a bit I present you with a video of some of the great plays from the '07-'08 season. Cherish them like you would anything that provides unconditional love.



Happy Friday!

It's Time To Mad Maximize The Dakar Rally

It truly is a sad day when people can no longer race through the desert for fear that they might be targeted by terrorists.

Al-Qaida threats against the Dakar Rally and an attack in Mauritania forced organizers to cancel the annual race on Friday, the eve of the 5,760-mile trek across North African desert scrubland and savannah.

It was the first time the automobile, motorbike and truck rally has been called off in its 30-year history. In a statement, organizers blamed "threats launched directly against the race by terrorist organizations." the Dec. 24 killings of a French family and international tensions.

While I wouldn't consider myself a huge follower of the Dakar event, I do watch some of the coverage every year when it's on. And I have to say that if anyone could battle those terrorists it would be the people crazy enough to drive over 5,000 miles through the desert.

They're like Evel Knievel in a huge sandbox, but with a bit more ingenuity to match the craziness. Perfect to defeat any evil-doers they encounter along the way. We should let them run the race, and outfit them with body armor and weapons. It would be a like an '08 version of Mad Max, and would accomplish two things. Provide great entertainment, and make the world a safer place.

The Orlando Magic Need A Pyramid Scheme To Play Better At Home

In sports, you usually think that the home team has somewhat of an advantage over their opponent. However, this season the Orlando Magic's opponents probably can't wait to face them in the Amway Arena. The reason? The Magic are 15-5 on the road, and just 7-7 at home.

And how has this happened? Well, when they hit the road the Magic average 104 points per game, and shoot an average of 73% from the charity stripe. At home, they average 102 points, and make an average of 68% of their free throws. For the most part, their other statistics are pretty close no matter where they're playing.

In examining the four home losses that were in the double digits we can see that the Magic didn't shoot particularly well from either the floor or the free throw line. Their field goal averages in those four losses were 40%, 47%, 39% and 45%. The corresponding free throw averages were 66%, 42%, 60% and 62%. You can see that even in the one loss where they shot ok from the floor their poor free throw shooting doomed them.

I know that a number of people have raised questions about the Magic's struggles at home, but after looking at the statistics it appears that they should be able to achieve more success at the Amway Arena in the future. The first step is to raise their free throw percentage to what it is when they play on the road. Doing that will instantly better their odds of winning more home games. The Magic have the pieces in place to win a considerable amount of games, as their away record shows. They just have to put it together more consistently when they play at home so they can match the intensity and success that they've had on the road.

Nike Plus

While switching over to my new layout I decided to add a Nike+ widget to the sidebar under the subscription options. At some point I would like to try and organize some type of challenge for those that participate in the blogosphere.

If you're unfamiliar with the Nike+ system you can check it out here. Basically it's a way for you to track your distance, pace and calories burned through your iPod. It's sort of an online version of a running log. I like it because I don't have to map out courses anymore, and I can just get out and run.

Let me know if any of you out there also have the system, and if you want to set up a challenge through the Nike+ site.

Please Excuse The Dust And Debris And Flaming Pieces Of Duralumin

In an effort to provide you, the reader, with the best experience possible I'm doing some upgrades around here. I've switched over to a new layout, and will be tweaking it here and there over the next few days. Please feel free to e-mail me with any suggestions, or donations for beer money to help ease the transition.

Thank you, and make sure to have a fire extinguisher nearby when stopping in.

The Aussies Have The Daredevil Market Cornered

First, we had Australian skateboarder Jake Brown surviving a scary 45 foot fall onto a skate ramp after completing a 720.

Now, Australian motorcyclist Robbie Maddison has secured the world motorcycle jumping record. The jump actually occured on December 31, the 40th anniversary of Evel Knievel's legendary Caesars stunt, and covered just over 322 feet.



Yes, while you were watching games being played on football fields, Robbie Maddison was jumping one.

The Mountaineers Found Their Coach

And he was on their sideline the whole time. Yes, West Virginia erased the "interim" tag from Bill Stewart's title on Thursday morning as they made him their new head coach. With last night's destruction of the Sooners on a big time national stage we all got to see what Stewart is capable of. A number of fans/analysts/"experts" believed that the turmoil surrounding the program would prove to be too much, but it was obvious from the opening kickoff that the Mountaineers were ready to whoop some ass. Stewart knew what to do to win, and it paid off in a huge way. Check out this quick comparison.

Before
Steve Slaton: 9 carries, 11 yards, 0TD's
Noel Devine: 7 carries, 11 yards, 0TD's

After
Steve Slaton: 1 carry, 0 yards, 0TD's
Noel Devine: 13 carries, 108 yards, 2TD's

Yes, Slaton did get hurt against Oklahoma, and that's why he ended the game basically statless. However, in the Pittsburgh game Pat Whiet got hurt, and the whole offense fell apart. Yes, losing your starting quarterback is a huge blow, but Stewart knew what type of weapons he had and did his best to keep them involved. Rich Rodriguez saw his quarterback go down, and acted like he noone else to get the ball to. And that's why West Virginia lost their shot at playing for a BCS title, but dismantled OU in the Fiesta Bowl.

So Long Cam Cameron

First year Miami Dolphins head coach Cam Cameron was fired this morning, and for the first time in a long time it doesn't feel so bleak to be a Dolphins' fan.

After enduring the Dick Satan debacle, and an extremely questionable draft, the Dolphins brought in someone who can be tough and make sound football decisions in the form of Bill Parcells. In less than a week's time, both Cameron and GM Randy Mueller have been fired, and it appears that Parcells is aware of the level of mediocrity that Miami has slipped to over the past few seasons. He's brought in Jeff Ireland to be the new GM, and hopefully his player evaluation skills can help get Miami on the right track in a relatively short amount of time.

The Dolphins are a team in the midst of a great transition, but this one feels like it's heading in the right direction. Though, after a 1-15 season just about anything could produce that feeling.

Bowl-O-Rama: Third Update

Breaking down the right picks so that you can forget them, and the wrong ones so that you can make fun of me. Awesomeness abounds!

Independence Bowl
Prediction: Alabama wins 24-21.
Actual Result: Alabama won 30-24.

John Parker Wilson did play well in this contest. Alabama's rush defense also stepped up in a huge way.

Level of Correctness: They weren't the correct lottery numbers, but college football is every bit as important, damn it!

Armed Forces Bowl
Prediction: Air Force beats Cal, 27-24.
Actual Result: Cal beat Air Force, 42-36.

Cal did a great job at limiting Chad Hall's big plays, and Kevin Riley really stepped up. The Golden Bears also did a fantastic job of running the ball.

Level of Correctness: Wrong winner and wrong score, but it was a close loss.

Humanitarian Bowl
Prediction: Georgia Tech wins 27-21.
Actual Result: Fresno State won 40-28.

Tashard Choice couldn't get anything going for the Yellow Jackets, and they damn sure had a problem stopping the Fresno State rushing attack.

Level of Correctness: Wrong on so many levels.

Sun Bowl
Prediction: USF wins 28-17.
Actual Result: Oregon won 56-21.

Johnathan Stewart shredded the USF defense, and Oregon was anything but a "largely ineffective team".

Level of Correctness: 50 car pile-up on the freeway? That's over in the next lane. This is much, much worse.

Music City Bowl
Prediction: Kentucky wins 35-17.
Actual Result: Kentucky won 35-28.

FSU played well despite missing a lot of players. However, their defense did have trouble stopping Rafael Little and Andre Woodson. Without the Tony Carter INT for a touchdown this one wouldn't have been quite as close.

Level of Correctness: A little closer than anticipated, but still right.

Insight Bowl
Prediction: Oklahoma State wins 34-21.
Actual Result: OSU won 49-33.

Dontrell Savage didn't have that big of a game, but the Cowboys offense was still too much for the Hoosiers. They added some points late to make it respectable but the 25 point lead at halftime was just too much to overcome.

Level of Correctness: You probably won't remember the right ones, but this was pretty close.

Chick fil-A Bowl
Prediction: Auburn wins 27-24.
Actual Result: Auburn won 23-20.

Auburn did it mostly with a rushing by committee attack, and their defense was able to shut down Cullen Harper.

Level of Correctness: Perfect on the winner, and the margin of victory.

Outback Bowl
Prediction: Wisconsin win 31-20.
Actual Result: Tennessee won 21-17.

P.J. Hill racked up yardage, but couldn't get into the end zone. Eric Ainge was forced to do it all, as the Tennessee rushing attack sputtered, and he responded very well.

Level of Correctness: Definitely the wrong choice, but it doesn't sting as much when an SEC team wins.

Cotton Bowl
Prediction: Arkansas wins 38-35.
Actual Result: Missouri won 38-7.

It looked as if the Arkansas rushing defense wasn't packed for this bowl trip. Tony Temple destroyed the Razorbacks, and helped Chase Daniel win this battle of Heisman finalists.

Level of Correctness: Pretty much the Hindenburg of my bowl picks.

Capital One Bowl
Prediction: Florida wins 42-24.
Actual Result: Michigan won 41-35.

Florida's "collection of playmakers" ended up being just two, Tebow and Harvin. Chad Henne passed at will on the Gators' secondary, and Mike Hart finished well despite two fumbles. Florida's defense couldn't stop the Wolverines, and their offensive line couldn't protect Tebow.

Level of Correctness: Getting the pick wrong when it involves your favorite team is the ultimate heartbreaker. Congrats to Coach Carr, though.

Gator Bowl
Prediction: Texas Tech wins 41-24.
Actual Result: Texas Tech won 31-28.

Virginia's rushing attack helped put them up early, but the Texas Tech offense got on track late and got the win.

Level of Correctness: Closer than I would have liked, but still got the win.

Rose Bowl
Prediction: USC wins 31-17.
Actual Result: USC won 49-17.

I thought that the Illinois pass defense would be the bigger culprit here, but their rush defense surrendered 344 yards. USC tallied over 600 net yards, and their defense was able to keep Juice Williams from running downfield much.

Level of Correctness: I got the losing score right, but was just a little low on the winner's.

Sugar Bowl
Prediction: Georgia wins 27-24.
Actual Result: Georgia won 41-10.

I thought that Georgia would limit Hawaii's offensive output, but not to this degree. Colt Brennan was harrassed all night, and was eventually knocked out of the game. Georgia played well in all just about every area.

Level of Correctness: Yep, the winner was correct. Just pay no attention to the score behind the curtain.

Fiesta Bowl
Prediction: Oklahoma wins 35-31.
Actual Result: West Virginia won 48-28.

Yeah, that OU rush defense? Pretty much non-existant. And the attack lead by Sam Bradford? It couldn't give Bradford enough time to take a snap in the shotgun, let alone try to make plays downfield. West Virginia put all of the recent commotion behind them, and handed out an ass whooping. Unfortunately, it appeared that it came one game too late.

Level of Correctness: Hey, at least my prediction wasn't televised.

Bowl-O-Rama: Second Update

Hey, look, another update of the predictions that I made for you college football addicts. Don't worry, it's a disease we can all share!

Champs Sports Bowl
Prediction: Boston College wins 21-17.
Actual Result: Boston College won 24-21.

Michigan State did the run ball decently against Boston College, but their passing attack wasn't very good. Matt Ryan was able to achieve some success, and led the Golden Eagles to victory.

Level of Correctness: Not too shabby for an amateur handicapper.

Texas Bowl
Prediction: Houston beats TCU, 31-20.
Actual Result: TCU won 20-13.

TCU's defense stepped up huge, and shut down Houston's potent offense. Houston was limited to just three points in the second half.

Level of Correctness: Underestimated TCU's defense badly, and paid the price in points and winning team prediction.

Emerald Bowl
Prediction: Oregon State wins 20-10.
Actual Result: Oregon State won 21-14.

Oregon State's rushing attack was just too much for Maryland. Yvenson Bernard led the way for the Beavers on their way to racking up 275 yards rushing. Oregon State's defense held Maryland to just 224 net yards.

Level of Correctness: Got the winner right, and was surprisingly close on the points.

Meineke Bowl
Prediction: UConn beats Wake Forest, 27-21.
Actual Result: Wake Forest won 24-10.

Riley Skinner didn't play great, but the Wake Forest defense shut down UConn so he didn't really have to. Dixon and Brown were limited to 91 rushing yards total for UConn, and the Huskies only tallied 213 total net yards.

Level of Correctness: Badly off on winner and points.

Liberty Bowl
Prediction: UCF is going to run over Mississippi State, 35-21.
Actual Result: Mississippi State won 10-3.

UCF did have some success running the ball, but their pass attack was atrocious. 88 yards passing, and three interceptions make it very hard to win a game. Mississippi State's defense was able to make UCF one dimensional, and won the game despite having less total yards.

Level of Correctness: I got Croomed!

Alamo Bowl
Prediction: Nittany Lions should pull out the win here, 31-20.
Actual Result: Penn State won 24-17.

The Nittany Lions were able to slow down the Aggies' rushing attack, and forced McGee to throw the ball 31 times. Penn State on the other hand, was able to run the ball quite well.

Level of Correctness: A little high on the score, but the winner was right on.