Annual Rant...

 

I'm a Rambling Wreck

This happens to me every year.  Without fail.  You would think I would get used to it, but somehow I don’t.  It generally ruins my (new year’s) day.  I have lost track of how many teams there are now in the “Big Ten”, but 7 (seven) of them played in bowls.  Their record?  A combined 2 and 5.  Pitiful performances.  The two wins were somewhat heartening, they being my Spartans who pulled it out with a last second/minute field goal from a respectable distance, and poor Northwestern finally won a bowl game for the first time in modern history.  But the “big boys” failed again.  Michigan had three defensive backs standing around watching a wide open Spurrier receiver catch a game winning pass to beat them.  Wisconsin threw one interception, but it was a game killer.   Powerhouse Nebraska?  and I won’t honor Purdue with any ink.  The conference just folds every year.

Part of it is, I suppose, “the system”.  Any team with 6 wins is “bowl eligible” so there were plenty of "500" 6 and 6 teams in bowls.  And there is no scarcity of bowls either.   From December 15^th to the 7^th of January, there are no less than 35 of them with catchy names like “Heart of Dallas” bowl, the “fight hunger” one (rah team, kick hunger!) and the Belk Bowl..  Meaning that teams that have no business playing post season show up.

Another irritating feature is that since there are so many bowls they have to dig deep to find announcing crews and people you never heard of wind up the booth.  And of course there is apparently some unwritten law that you have to have (usually for some reason) a female on the field barring coaches from half time locker rooms with penetrating questions such as:  “Coach, you’re down by forty.. how will you come back in the second half?”  or “take us through….” And my all time favorite “what was going through your mind when…”.  I believe I will have another beer.

And now we have to endure four more days hyping the ND/Alabama game.  Just get it over for heavens sake..  Let’s get on to hockey…. Oh, wait.

I do have some more STL holiday journey things to share, but it just doesn’t seem right at this point.. I’m still depressed.   In fact I may not be able to

DFD

 

Oh, Happy New Year's to all... yahoo