All of you Gators and Sooners should count your blessings. The East Coast media bias prevails again, virtually guaranteeing the winner of the SEC a birth in the title game, while falling in love with a pass happy Big 12. I'm aware the Pac-10 sucks, but a loss to Ole Miss AT HOME is worse than a loss to Oregon State ON THE ROAD, and Texas beat Oklahoma in a head to head. Unfortunately, the media loves Tim Tebow and the aerial attacks of Bradford, McCoy, Harrell, and Daniel.
ESPN/ABC have been rescheduling games all year to play opposite USC's games, robbing them of precious media coverage. People outside the West Coast don't get USC's games, instead being force fed Big 12 matchups. USC's game against a ranked Cal team was only seen in 15% of households nationwide, instead being overrun by the Oklahoma game. This BCS scenario was a planned outcome. Ask yourself the question: Will voters ever push a one loss Pac-10 school that is NOT USC into to the BCS Championship game? The answer is no. ESPN made an insane deal to buy the rights to the BCS Championship game over Fox, and they signed a massive deal to broadcast 5 SEC games a week for the foreseeable future. If you can't see the writing on the wall, I'm not sure you're looking.
You can cite the schedule all you want, but we all know you can only change your out of conference games. I'd say Ohio State, ND, and Virginia stacks up a lot better than anything including The Citadel. The Pac-10 clearly sucks this year, but don't tell me the SEC is it's usual self. All the so called "perennial powers" of Georgia, Tennessee, LSU, and Auburn are all complete slouches. Vandy hasn't had a winning season in over 20 years. Ole Miss is on the way up, but Miss St still blows. Save me the "we're the toughest conference" crap. Tennessee lost to UCLA of all teams, and the conference is 6-10 against the Pac-10 over the last decade. It's not as big a difference in quality as you think.
That said, I expect a Gators championship. Oklahoma has no defense to speak of, and Tebow in a five wide set in the redzone is virtually unstoppable. They're only favored by 3 right now, and that is money in your pocket if you put some moolah down. Consider it my Christmas present to you. USC's defense is the only one that has a chance at slowing that Gators team, and we won't get to see it because the powers that be refuse to create a playoff system. I don't know about you, but I'm guessing AT LEAST Texas fans will agree we need to do something about this "who is the most popular right now" BS that has been going on for far too long. College Football is the only collegiate sport whose championship is not determined by a playoff. If only we all had enough will power to refuse attending any of the bowl games this year, we might have a chance at making a big enough statement to send those money hungry idiots a financial slap in the face.
USC is admittedly flawed, especially on the offensive side of the ball at times, but I guarantee you no one wants to play them. That defense has NFL starting caliber talent all around, including several first day picks in Maualuga, Mays, Cushing, Cary Harris, Fili Moala, and Kevin Ellison.
Last year I went to John Mayer's First Annual Holiday Charity Revue at the Nokia Theatre in LA. The theatre hadn't even been open for a month following the Eagles and Dixie Chicks show to open the venue. Not only was the venue one of the nicest around, but the show was the best I've ever seen. Mayer had three sets, one acoustic, one with the John Mayer Trio, and a final set with his full Continuum band. It was 2.5 hours of pure Mayer, and it was amazing. He recorded the concert in HD, and it's now sold as a Blu-ray/DVD for anyone to see, which as the best concert I've been to, is a ridiculously cool thing to have.
It was just announced last night via a post on his blog that he would be holding a Second Annual Charity Revue in a return visit to the Nokia Theatre. The kicker? IT'S ALL FREAKIN' ACOUSTIC! No cameras to fluster anyone this time, just Mayer on the stage, ready to get intimate with what should be a star studded crowd. I started listening to Mayer acoustic before I heard all his poppy mainstream versions of the same songs. Acoustic Mayer is where it started for me, and I can't even begin to explain how jazzed I am for this show. I will be there, no matter what. Hey John, if you somehow see this, make sure you play "Love Song For No One" and "My Stupid Mouth" or I'm gonna stab you. Just sayin'.
1. Wale - The Manipulation The music director of the company I used to work for tuned me into Wale nearly a year ago, and he's just starting to pick up some momentum. This is one of my favorite songs of his because it's hilarious. He does alternating verses of "Good Wale" and "Bad Wale," explaining how women have a choice between good and bad guys. It's a bit extreme on either end, deliberately for the purposes of the song, but it's really pretty darn true. The question is, which do you prefer?
2. Kings of Leon - Use Somebody KOL are definitely one of my favorite bands, and this latest album (Only By The Night) is as good as their last album (Because of the Times), which I thought was brilliant. This has to be my favorite song, as a Coldplay fan (cue the "You know how I know you're gay" jokes...), because it reminds me so much of "Fix You." It has that epic, stadium anthem quality to it. I'm seeing them in concert on Wednesday for the third time, but for the first time since releasing this album. It should be pretty great, though not nearly as much fun as the Girl Talk concert rapidly approaching...
3. Girl Talk - Play Your Part (Part 2) ...which will be one of the better shows in recent memory. The first Girl Talk show I took the guys to was insane. It was 400 carefree college kids going nuts over some really great music, wearing American Apparel clothes, dancing up a ruckus, and sweating all over each other just because. It didn't matter who you were or where you were from, you just meshed into a crazy fun grindfest for over an hour. The funny thing was, when the music stopped, everyone finally stopped, girls turned around with a look on their face like, "Really? I was just grinding with THIS DUDE for the last hour, and getting sweat on by this other dude for the last 30 minutes? Man, that is NOT happening again!" Well, at least until the next show!
4. We Are Scientists - After Hours This band is opening for KOL, and this is their big song. In the words of Adam Sandler, it's, "not too shabby!" The video is actually pretty funny. The girl is super hot, and the well manicured turd in the country club attire gets showed up by the geek in glasses. That's how you know it's fictional. Stuff like that doesn't happen in real life to normal people because the girl will remember the guy in the country club attire can buy her the shoes she wants to walk around in the house she wants where she arrived by way of the car she wants, and where she plans on raising the kids she wants, lol
5. Ra Ra Riot - Can You Tell My brother put it right when he described this band as sounding like the soundtrack to an 80's movie. It would be cool if they actually dressed the part though. You know, they could all do something funky. One could wear baggy Hammer pants. Another could get a fresh flattop with lines in the side of his hair. The girl could get some massive curls and toss on a neon colored jacket with pointy shoulder pads and tassles. Tell me you wouldn't go see them! Yeah, that's what I figured...you watched Saved By The Bell just like I did preppy!
In an attempt to keep this going, here are my thoughts on this weekend's sports action...
It's Going To Be Tough For USC To Make It Back - While I think there are certainly more crazy happenings that await us in this already insane college football season, I think USC suffers as a result of the pride that runs rampant in their conference. I say this because if you look at the two most highly ranked conferences (SEC, Big 12), they found their way up the rankings using the most dependable method around: Schedule cupcakes and rely on your reputation with the voters.
The Pac-10 as a conference scheduled only 3 games against non Division 1A teams compared to 2 or more for nearly every team in the SEC and Big 12. People assume particular teams will be good from year to year based on historical reputation. Take Auburn for instance. They beat up a couple cupcakes and rose all the way into the top 10 by watching teams ahead of them lose to tougher opponents. They have since lost 3 games, including to their conference whipping boy, Arkansas, finally dropping them out of the top 25. A legit team like Cal loses 1 game to Maryland and they drop out of the top 25 automatically. Why? Idiotic perspective. Suddenly the SEC and Big 12 MUST be good conferences because they have the most wins, and the Pac-10 has been losing early on! Nevermind that the Pac-10 has a winning record against the SEC over the last decade. Nevermind that USC mopped up the best the Big 12 had to offer a few seasons back. Florida beat an insanely overrated LSU team that was ranked #3, and they jump from #12 to #5 in the polls? Wow. Just...wow. USC is #6, behind Florida as a result of that gaffe. Just think. USC lost to Oregon State, on the road, to a team that has won 19 games the last 2 seasons and was picked as a sleeper team by Stewart Mandel, Sports Illustrated's main college football writer. Florida lost at home to Mississppi State, a team that has not been bowl eligible (6 wins) in quite some time. Voters are absolute idiots. I hate them, and I hate that USC has such a low margin for error when these other jokes get the benefit of the doubt. Injustice. Lord knows if you put USC on a neutral field against any team in the nation, including Alabama, Texas, Oklahoma, or Florida, they would be favored. It's a shame stupid voters can't see why that is. The Dodgers Have To Hold Serve - My streaking Dodgers came to a screeching halt in the first two games of the NLCS. They almost broke Hamels in game 1, and Bills got blown up in game 2, but I still see a light at the end of the tunnel. You know why? Because the Phillies live and die by the home run. They are a streaky team that needs the long ball. Something tells me Lowe wins to draw us to 2-2, and Billingsley avoids a second bad start. Our bullpen has proven to be dominant, Torre is the better manager, The Dodgers are the better squad from top to bottom, and we're in LA. Let's go Doyers!
Anyone who knows me reasonably well knows I'm a sucker for the occasional romantic comedy. RomCom's are undeniably filled with enough cheesy moments to satisfy the mushiest of souls, but it's the simple formula that appeals to me. Boy meets girl (or vice-versa), the chase begins, and happiness is the end result. At the core of damn near every person in the known world, is the need to find "the one." The problem is, even for those aware of this, it's all too easy to become a slave to the idea, compromising the way in which it happens. Sometimes we pour all our mind, body, and soul into the first viable prospect. Sometimes we try to believe someone is something they're not because we don't want to search for another fish in the pond. Sometimes we even try to mold our perfect match. The reason RomCom's will always have a place for me is because they somehow manage to inspire optimism that finding the perfect match can actually happen with no forced efforts or compromises necessary. That is what makes Nick and Norah a solid, if relatively predictable film.
The casting is spot on, with Michael Cera (Juno) and Kat Dennings (The 40 Year Old Virgin) as the leads in an Indie music inspired flick. They both give exactly the type of performance you would expect from them: normal bashful white dude, and normal troubled white girl. The reason it works is much the same reason as it does in other movies with the likes of Hugh Grant, John Cusack, and even Steve Carrell; they are everyday people we can relate to. The music is a strong point, as you might assume from the title. As a fan of the mixtape, I like seeing particular songs really capture a moment of the movie, and it reminds me of the songs I hear that remind me of my own life. Outside of the casting, music, and RomCom likeability, Nick and Norah feels like equal parts Garden State and High Fidelity. I give it an extra half star for being a guy acceptable chick flick (joining Serendipity, Love Actually, and Dan in Real Life), for not starring Matthew McConaughey, Kate Hudson, or J-Lo, and for not being written by Nicolas Sparks. Time to go make my own mixtape...
Today was a great day for REAL Southern California sports...
USC Begins Their March Back To The BCS Title Game - I have to admit, the loss in Corvallis to Oregon State sapped a lot of my astronomically high hopes for USC this season, but I had a feeling in the back of my mind that it was all just an ugly moment in what would otherwise be another memorable season contending for the crystal ball. If the first game back tonight against Oregon was any indication, I might not be wearing the Cardinal and Gold glasses.
What can we take from this game? Several things:
USC can stop the run - Oregon came in as a top 5 rushing team in the nation to the tune of over 300 yards per game. USC held them to 60 yards on the night. Jaquizz Rodgers rushing for 186 yards in the Oregon State was an aberration, not an indication of a lack of ability.
Joe McKnight is a Third Down Back - Joe McKnight is freakishly talented, and has a higher ceiling than Reggie Bush with his naturally bigger and stronger build. His top end speed isn't truly elite, but it's in the upper echelon of college players, making him a dynamic playmaker at this level. The problem is, he doesn't have it upstairs yet. He has fumbled repeatedly in young career, including muffing his last 3 punt returns. He is great in space, but if he grabbed his crotch, he'd be Michael Jackson behind the line of scrimmage with all the dancing he does. He needs to be used like any other dynamic, but immature talent; in a specialized role, not as a featured back. As my season ticket neighbor declared, "Throw to Joe!" I couldn't agree more.
Stafon Johnson should be the Featured Back - I said it last year, and I'll say it again. He's simply the best pure running back on the roster, and he always has been. Much like McKnight right now, he didn't have it upstairs his Freshman year, but now that he's figured out how to play the right way, his talent has emerged. His vision is great, but it's his footwork in traffic and natural instincts that make him truly great. His legs are thicker than most people's torsos, so he rarely falls anyway but forward. Watch Sportscenter or check ESPN, his 22 yard reverse field TD run was a sign of just how good he is.
Ronald Johnson has Figured It Out - Not once, not twice, but three times RoJo has been able to sell the deep route to the tune of a major play, twice for a momentum changing TD. His speed has always been elite, but until he learned how to run routes, it was wasted with him thinking too much. Now that he's playing at full speed with major confidence, he is an absolute weapon stretching the field, especially for a team like USC that runs the play action better than anyone around.
If USC Executes the Fundamentals, They Will Win Out - USC has hurt themselves early in the year with countless penalties, personal fouls, and a complete lack of discipline. The loss to Oregon State showed terrible pad level on several missed tackles, poor ball security, miserable communication on the offensive and defensive lines, and a lack of discipline on assignments. USC has lost by the slimmest of margins in every game they've dropped over the last 6 seasons, and this year has been no different. It's all about execution. The playcalling can be questionable at times on the offensive end, but USC is without question the most versatile team in the nation. I can't imagine they'll lose any game in which they win the turnover battle. Oregon scored the opening TD in today's game by driving 70 yards down the field, 35 yards of which were due to penalties. That can't happen, and if it doesn't, you're looking at a 44-6 victory.
USC is like that girl you meet who flirts the heck out of you, blowing you away with her great looks and fun personality, then plays hard to get when you decide to go for it. You want to believe in it, but she just keeps giving you as many reasons NOT to believe as you have TO believe. Much like the sucker I am with the opposite sex, I am with USC. USC is going to win out and find their way back in the title game. I'm a believer...or a complete sucker. I guess we'll just have to wait and see how it all plays out.
The Dodgers Are Going To The World Series - Yeah, I know they have another series to win before they get there, but I don't care. They dismantled the Cubs, not with fluke performances, but with the pieces that kept them in the race, and the chemistry that has developed at the right time to get them into the playoffs. People will point to Manny Ramirez being the only reason, but that would be ignoring a lot of talent around him. The Dodgers had the best team ERA in the entire NL, not something that happens by accident. Their starting rotation and bullpen have been excellent all season, despite big injuries to Brad Penny and Takashi Saito. Chad Billingsley has developed into a top 5 starter in the NL. He was a 16 game winner despite an 0-4 start due to injury. If he had won even a couple of those opening games, he'd be right there with Tim Lincecum as a Cy Young candidate. Matt Kemp, James Loney, and Andre Ethier are quickly becoming all-star caliber players at their positions, and Russell Martin (2007 Gold Glove winner) and Rafael Furcal are already all-stars. Manny helped everyone, especially Ethier, fall into their proper place in the lineup. Whoever bats in front of him sees more balls to hit. Whoever bats behind him gets more RBI opportunities. Mark Teixeira has been a great addition to that other club in Southern California (you know, the ones who wear mouse ears and listen to Miley Cyrus in their raised trucks with Skin industries stickers on the back window), but make no mistake; he does not change a lineup like Manny does.
The Phillies will likely win their series, but it'll take another game from Cole Hamels to get there. Burning his next start trying to lock up that series will hurt them against the Dodgers in the next round. Chase Utley has played on an injury for over half the season, Jimmy Rollins hasn't been the MVP player from 2006, and Victorino and Burrell are surely no better than Soriano and Aramis. Outside of Hamels and MAYBE Lidge, the Phillies rotation and bullpen don't scare anyone. They rallied to even make the playoffs in the first place. The team won't have enough in the tank to overcome the challenge of beating the hottest team in baseball. Get ready Doyer fans, we're going back to the World Series in what has quickly become a True Blue October!
http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/Florida-BCS-Title-Game-Favorite/story.aspx?guid={00211D43-404D-4543-88F6-C89237BBFC24}
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