It's championship Saturday, Ohio State is struggling on offense, somehow the Minnesota defense has found the formula to shut down one of the best offenses in the country. On the other side of the ball Chase Young has been out since the 2nd drive with an apparent hamstring injury and the Gophers offense has used that to their advantage. Minnesota is holding a 13 point lead with 5 minutes left in the 4th quarter. Suddenly Ohio State has life, Fields starts finding his receivers and the Buckeyes march down the field and get the game with 6 at the 3 minute mark. Ohio State elects to kick it deep with 3 time outs remaining. Minnesota obliges and Ohio State gets the ball back with 2:35 left on the clock. Fields again gets it going as the Buckeyes drive the 68 yards and score a TD as time expires, it's pandemonium, the roof is ready to blow off Lucas Oil Stadium, the Buckeyes need an extra point to win the Big Ten Title and finish the season 13-0. They snap it back and a Minnesota LB Carter Coughlin blocks the kick, defensive back Antoine Winfield Jr. scoops it up and runs the ball 90 yards the other way and converts giving Minnesota a 29-27 win and they win the Big Ten Championship. PJ Fleck is rowing his way to the Rose Bowl, somewhere the Gophers haven't been to since 1962. What an amazing moment, you can't believe it happened, you look on social media and what is everyone talking about? Fox throws it to the studio show what are they talking about? You watch Sportscenter, what are they talking about? WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR THE PLAYOFF. An incredible turn of events ruined by one talking point, "does Minnesota belong in the playoff?" And that my friends is why the playoff sucks.
The college football playoff is a cool idea in theory, we take 4 teams let them settle it on the field. My problem with playoff though is it takes moments like the one above, possibly the most unlikely scenario in the history of football, (aside from the kick 6 and Michigan vs Michigan State 2015), and makes it the second part of the story because of the all important playoff. The playoff hangs over college football like a cloud all year long. Lose a game in September, what does this mean for their playoff chances. A "surprise" team is 8-0 entering November, "why doesn't the playoff committee respect us." Alabama, "how is the playoff committee going to make sure they make it." The playoff which let's be honest really only affects about 8 teams in college football, is the driving force behind every conversation about the game. No other sport has these discussions because the margin for error is much broader in every other sport. It riles up fan bases and makes their expectations super high.
To me college football is special and unique, it has it's flaws. Mainly the CTE without getting paid, but that's slowly changing. I prefer the college game to the NFL, not because I think it's a better game but because I like seeing guys with flaws make plays. There is an excitement to a college game that you just don't get in the pro's, that's my opinion it's probably wrong just me though. Part of the specialness of the college game is playing your neighbors, and all of your neighbors have a team. College is built on rivalries, whether it's OSU-Michigan, Texas-Oklahoma, Army-Navy, even Colorado State-Wyoming, which I didn't know was a rivalry until Josh Allen called Colorado State the sheep last week. Being regional is what drives the game. What the playoff does, is it takes some of the edge out of that rivalry. 2 weeks ago a small but vocal group of Iowa fans called the Minnesota game "meaningless" after Iowa's loss to Wisconsin thus leaving Iowa out of the B1G Championship Game. When you play Minnesota for Floyd of Rosedale it isn't meaningless, it's a big ass game and I don't care if Minnesota is 9-0 or 0-9, it means more. But the playoff has changed the narrative, as soon and someone not in the chosen ones loses a game their season is "over" and the bowl game is "meaningless" and winning 9 games is "mediocre" and so on and so on. Basically the playoff has given fans another thing to bitch about and they don't need more to bitch about.
And that's the next point, the playoff just turns into a big bitchfest. Why does the SEC and ACC only play 8 conference games while the other 3 conferences play 9, THAT'S NOT FAIR. Your cupcakes were softer than our cupcakes. We play our cupcakes September not November. They haven't played anyone, And on and on it goes. College Football lives for debate, but the playoff hasn't squashed any of the debate, in fact it's enhanced it. Instead of arguing over 2 teams claiming a National Title, we're arguing over why Penn State was ranked ahead of someone they lost too when Penn State had a huge game in 4 days and when the new rankings were coming out they would either have earned that spot by winning their huge game or fallen back behind by losing that game. Look I did this dance in 2015, I yelled at the TV, demanding respect for Iowa, but I also said if they go 13-0 they will get in. The debates are so over the top they are basically political all the time, there is so much "what about isms" it's a joke. People brag about who they lost too, well our loss is better than your loss so we should be higher. That's so stupid, winning doesn't matter anymore it's all about who you lose too.
Another thing about the playoff is 2 of the last 3 years it was unnecessary, Alabama and Clemson destroyed their opponents both years as #1 and #2, now it doesn't always happen that way but we everyone knew they were the best 2 teams them seasons, the semifinals were formalities. It's just and unneeded extra game that gets played on weird nights because of when New Year's Day is and the Rose Bowls refusal to not be New Years Day in the late afternoon. In the BCS, or even the prehistoric preBCS days the champ game could be played without the crappy 31-0 drubbing in the semifinal. Those games aren't entertaining and that's what the playoff is, a television show for entertainment.
That brings me to my final point, what is the goal of college football every season? Crowning a National Champion is cool and all, but to me it isn't the most important part of the season. If winning a National Championship was the goal for everyone then after week 3 80% of teams would be done. To me college football is about everything I've written about, it's about your rivals first, then your conference, and if you're good enough then we can talk National Titles, but with the playoff those first 2 things become mute because winning a conference title isn't a prerequisite for the playoff. The playoff is fine if it's put in proper perspective, but it isn't. The playoff drives the narrative of college football year round and drives fan bases crazy for no reason. Let's go back to the BCS and with just 1 game, let's get the magic back in college football, and let's have fun arguments instead of these silly playoff discussions 1 minute after every game.
That's all I got for this one, I know my opinion is unpopular but I'm ok with that. This was kind of a jumbled mess but I think I got my points across. Hit me up on twitter @derekbredeson. Come back next week for more, maybe.......
Tuesday, November 26, 2019
Tuesday, November 19, 2019
Them Cheating Cheaters
It's been over a week since Ken Rosenthal and Evan Drellich blew the lid off Major League Baseball by publishing a report about the Houston Astros using a sophisticated system to steal signs from the catcher and a not so sophisticated way or relaying the signs to the hitter during the 2017 regular season. If you haven't yet go to the Athletic and read their reporting, they have a follow up story about telling their scouts to film signs when they are in opposing stadiums. After reading the article for on twitter and find @jomboy as he breaks down the at bat in 2017 that Rosenthal and Drellich use as a testimony from former White Sox pitcher Danny Farquhar. The video is very damning. Since then there have been a few questions about the practice and I figured why not give my view on a couple parts of this. I haven't done much research aside from reading the original article and watching a couple ABs from Astros hitters from 2017 where you can hear the banging before a home run.
First question: Is it cheating? Yes, in my opinion it's cheating. You got a runner on 2nd, he picks up the signs and relays them to the hitter, that's gamesmenship, you put a camera in CF and have a guy bang a garbage can with no runners on base that's cheating. Sign stealing by humans is as old as baseball and part of the game. What the Astros did is over the line, you can't have that kind of system in place. An employee sitting there banging a garbage can watching a monitor in real time is cheating beyond cheating. The signs from a catcher to a pitcher are important for many reasons and one of the biggest is player and umpire safety, if a catcher isn't sure what pitch is coming he's in danger. Every watched a video of a catcher crossed up, it usually doesn't end well. Anyway so signs are a necessity and aren't going away. They must be protected, especially in this era where MLB limits how many times a catcher can talk to a pitcher in the middle of an inning.
Second question: Are the Astros the lone offenders? I doubt they are, but the Astros are maybe the most hated franchise in baseball at the moment and other clubs are willing to line up and speak out against their actions. The Astros from office isn't well liked for some of their practices (see ex: Osuna, Roberto) and I think other clubs were willing to let their players put their names on this report with repercussion just to make the Astros look bad. I'm not sure who else could have been doing it and I doubt we'll ever find out, the Red Sox were fined after 2017 for using Apple Watches to communicate during the game. One of my favorite games is wondering who is the worst team from 2017 to use this cheating method, like if the Giants or Tigers cheated their way to 64-98 records how funny would that be? Anyway I'm sure this story is far from over so in due time another team or 3 will be named.
Third question: What should be done? This is wear this get tough, what can MLB do to the Astros or any other club found to be cheating to this magnitude. The Red Sox were fined in 2017. Early word is the Astros could be fined 2 million dollars and draft picks, honestly drop in the bucket. 2 million is nothing to these teams, so I think MLB has to come down hard. They can't take the World Series title away, they aren't the NCAA. I think they have to come down on the faces of the franchise and I propose, 200 game suspension for AJ Hinch (the manager) and 3 year ban for Jeffrey Luhnow (the general manager). MLB has to show they take this seriously much like the NFL came down on the Saints after bounty gate. Hinch was feet away from the garbage can so you know he was aware of the system, and Luhnow is in charge of everything so he had to approve the scheme. I don't think you can go after the players but you can make an example of the team, and hopefully put an end to this.
That's it for this one, I'm looking forward to seeing what MLB does and if they find out more than the initial report. Either way it's a bad look for baseball and not what you want in the off season news cycle. Let me know your thoughts on twitter @derekbredeson or drop a comment. Hoping to keep doing a couple of these a month.
First question: Is it cheating? Yes, in my opinion it's cheating. You got a runner on 2nd, he picks up the signs and relays them to the hitter, that's gamesmenship, you put a camera in CF and have a guy bang a garbage can with no runners on base that's cheating. Sign stealing by humans is as old as baseball and part of the game. What the Astros did is over the line, you can't have that kind of system in place. An employee sitting there banging a garbage can watching a monitor in real time is cheating beyond cheating. The signs from a catcher to a pitcher are important for many reasons and one of the biggest is player and umpire safety, if a catcher isn't sure what pitch is coming he's in danger. Every watched a video of a catcher crossed up, it usually doesn't end well. Anyway so signs are a necessity and aren't going away. They must be protected, especially in this era where MLB limits how many times a catcher can talk to a pitcher in the middle of an inning.
Second question: Are the Astros the lone offenders? I doubt they are, but the Astros are maybe the most hated franchise in baseball at the moment and other clubs are willing to line up and speak out against their actions. The Astros from office isn't well liked for some of their practices (see ex: Osuna, Roberto) and I think other clubs were willing to let their players put their names on this report with repercussion just to make the Astros look bad. I'm not sure who else could have been doing it and I doubt we'll ever find out, the Red Sox were fined after 2017 for using Apple Watches to communicate during the game. One of my favorite games is wondering who is the worst team from 2017 to use this cheating method, like if the Giants or Tigers cheated their way to 64-98 records how funny would that be? Anyway I'm sure this story is far from over so in due time another team or 3 will be named.
Third question: What should be done? This is wear this get tough, what can MLB do to the Astros or any other club found to be cheating to this magnitude. The Red Sox were fined in 2017. Early word is the Astros could be fined 2 million dollars and draft picks, honestly drop in the bucket. 2 million is nothing to these teams, so I think MLB has to come down hard. They can't take the World Series title away, they aren't the NCAA. I think they have to come down on the faces of the franchise and I propose, 200 game suspension for AJ Hinch (the manager) and 3 year ban for Jeffrey Luhnow (the general manager). MLB has to show they take this seriously much like the NFL came down on the Saints after bounty gate. Hinch was feet away from the garbage can so you know he was aware of the system, and Luhnow is in charge of everything so he had to approve the scheme. I don't think you can go after the players but you can make an example of the team, and hopefully put an end to this.
That's it for this one, I'm looking forward to seeing what MLB does and if they find out more than the initial report. Either way it's a bad look for baseball and not what you want in the off season news cycle. Let me know your thoughts on twitter @derekbredeson or drop a comment. Hoping to keep doing a couple of these a month.
Tuesday, November 12, 2019
Top 10
The beauty of music is that whatever music hits you and makes you groove makes that music good to you. I have been guilty of telling people their music sucks but I've tried to change that mentality in recent years. You can't help what a song makes someone feel, whether it's a memory, an important point in their life, or even the video being so good they learned to love the song. So in my return to blogging I'm going to publish my top 10 songs ever. This list could change in a week, it could be the same in a year, you never know, hell I might find a song I love tomorrow (not likely I've hit the point where new music isn't for me and I've accepted that, I'm 37 nobody writes good music after they turn 35). So here we go, my favorite songs ever, ever ever.
#1 Metallia "Nothing Else Matter" I used to listen to the Black Album every night when going to bed. I had a portable CD player and little speakers plugged into the head phone jack. I listened to that CD every night for 3 years. Nothing Else Matter was and still is my favorite song from that album, you don't hear it often but the song just speaks to me in a lot of ways.
#2 Notorious B.I.G. ft/ Bone Thugs and Harmony "Notorious Thugs" Another song from my high school years. I got Life After Death and would listen to it on the way to basketball and baseball games. Notorious Thugs was a great start to the double album and I usually played it right before getting off the bus, I'll still play the CD every once in a while.
#3 Billy Joel "Piano Man" In my college years my brothers and I would lock arms and sing this song at every party and we still do it at weddings. I know all the words and in my drunker years I would sing it at karaoke without looking at the screen.
#4 Gary Allen "Right Where I Need to Be" It's the song I chose for our first dance at our wedding, we went and saw Gary Allen for our 5th anniversary. Was a great show and a fun night, still love the song and reminds me of the days when I first met my wife and I was traveling all over the place for work.
#5 Sevendust "Face to Face" You want to see me make a fool of myself? Play this song and I lose my shit, I have no idea why but it just hits me. The words and the music just fit and it's the best damn Sevendust song there is. I become a 1 man mosh pit whenever it hits.
#6 Carly Rae Jepsen "Call Me Maybe" It's the best damn pop song ever in my opinion. It's catchy as all hell, it's got the perfect verses and the Miami Dolphins Cheerleaders made the best version of the lip synch video. This song is my damn jam, I love it I love it I love it.
#7 Nelly "Batter Up" I like Nelly, I like baseball, Nelly raps a song with baseball as the theme, what else could you want? It's on the Country Grammar CD and I wore this song out with Country Grammar, Ride Wit Me, and St. Louie. Man that album was the album of the summer in 2000, you couldn't get away from it. I remember moving into my dorm that fall and 4 rooms had the album playing and after I got my stereo plugged in it was 5 rooms, so many memories. Plus Nelly and Ali do play by play on the song, so great.
#8 Dispatch "The General" This entire idea started the other day when I heard this song on Pandora and it got me thinking about what my top 10 are. I found this song years after it was made but I still love the hell out of it. It's just a simple song that's totally great and has a great story. It doesn't have some deep meaning to me, I just love it.
#9 Rise Against "From Heads Unworthy" Such a damn good song. Falls into that category of not the most popular song on the album, but the deep cuts are what true fans like, right? I'm kidding but seriously I love this song, it's got 3 different breakdowns in it, lots of great lyrics. One lyric I love, "I'm not after fame and fortune, I'm after you, when I served my time I swear I will come back for you" just that verse makes the whole song for me, so good.
#10 Semisonic "Closing Time" Well much like my wedding I have to end with this one. Not sure why, but it's been my jam forever. I can't remember when the light bulb went off for me but it hasn't gone off yet. The song is about life and it's a great listen, just remember "you don't have to go home but you can't stay here."
There you have it, my favorite 10 songs. You may not like it and think I'm crazy but that's the beauty of music, everyone hears it differently. Of course I would be remiss to have an honorable mention. Every song from the first 2 Linkin Park Albums, every song from Eric Church's Chief Album, "Happy" by Mudvayne, "Psychosocial" Slipknot, "South Texas Death Ride" The Union Underground, and "Breathe" Nickleback. That's the list, let me know some of your favs, we can hash it out. Follow me on Twitter @DerekBredeson and who knows I might do a few more of these.
#1 Metallia "Nothing Else Matter" I used to listen to the Black Album every night when going to bed. I had a portable CD player and little speakers plugged into the head phone jack. I listened to that CD every night for 3 years. Nothing Else Matter was and still is my favorite song from that album, you don't hear it often but the song just speaks to me in a lot of ways.
#2 Notorious B.I.G. ft/ Bone Thugs and Harmony "Notorious Thugs" Another song from my high school years. I got Life After Death and would listen to it on the way to basketball and baseball games. Notorious Thugs was a great start to the double album and I usually played it right before getting off the bus, I'll still play the CD every once in a while.
#3 Billy Joel "Piano Man" In my college years my brothers and I would lock arms and sing this song at every party and we still do it at weddings. I know all the words and in my drunker years I would sing it at karaoke without looking at the screen.
#4 Gary Allen "Right Where I Need to Be" It's the song I chose for our first dance at our wedding, we went and saw Gary Allen for our 5th anniversary. Was a great show and a fun night, still love the song and reminds me of the days when I first met my wife and I was traveling all over the place for work.
#5 Sevendust "Face to Face" You want to see me make a fool of myself? Play this song and I lose my shit, I have no idea why but it just hits me. The words and the music just fit and it's the best damn Sevendust song there is. I become a 1 man mosh pit whenever it hits.
#6 Carly Rae Jepsen "Call Me Maybe" It's the best damn pop song ever in my opinion. It's catchy as all hell, it's got the perfect verses and the Miami Dolphins Cheerleaders made the best version of the lip synch video. This song is my damn jam, I love it I love it I love it.
#7 Nelly "Batter Up" I like Nelly, I like baseball, Nelly raps a song with baseball as the theme, what else could you want? It's on the Country Grammar CD and I wore this song out with Country Grammar, Ride Wit Me, and St. Louie. Man that album was the album of the summer in 2000, you couldn't get away from it. I remember moving into my dorm that fall and 4 rooms had the album playing and after I got my stereo plugged in it was 5 rooms, so many memories. Plus Nelly and Ali do play by play on the song, so great.
#8 Dispatch "The General" This entire idea started the other day when I heard this song on Pandora and it got me thinking about what my top 10 are. I found this song years after it was made but I still love the hell out of it. It's just a simple song that's totally great and has a great story. It doesn't have some deep meaning to me, I just love it.
#9 Rise Against "From Heads Unworthy" Such a damn good song. Falls into that category of not the most popular song on the album, but the deep cuts are what true fans like, right? I'm kidding but seriously I love this song, it's got 3 different breakdowns in it, lots of great lyrics. One lyric I love, "I'm not after fame and fortune, I'm after you, when I served my time I swear I will come back for you" just that verse makes the whole song for me, so good.
#10 Semisonic "Closing Time" Well much like my wedding I have to end with this one. Not sure why, but it's been my jam forever. I can't remember when the light bulb went off for me but it hasn't gone off yet. The song is about life and it's a great listen, just remember "you don't have to go home but you can't stay here."
There you have it, my favorite 10 songs. You may not like it and think I'm crazy but that's the beauty of music, everyone hears it differently. Of course I would be remiss to have an honorable mention. Every song from the first 2 Linkin Park Albums, every song from Eric Church's Chief Album, "Happy" by Mudvayne, "Psychosocial" Slipknot, "South Texas Death Ride" The Union Underground, and "Breathe" Nickleback. That's the list, let me know some of your favs, we can hash it out. Follow me on Twitter @DerekBredeson and who knows I might do a few more of these.
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