Jack’s Blog

When I decided (hoped) to become a college coach, one of the reasons I did was because I felt a coach could have more of an impact on a player than a teacher can have on a student.  I noticed this was true in the high school in which I was employed (which, coincidentally, happened to be the same high school I attended).  The kid is coming to me, the coach, to do something he wanted to do, as opposed to coming to me, the math teacher, for something he had to do.  Other thrills that inevitably accompany a college coaching career also enter into the decision but those are more an ancillary part of the experience. “Big games,” for one, are included among these thrills.

Putting together a winning streak is quite thrilling but, depending on where you’re working, the definition of a winning streak can vary greatly.  That’s why ending a long winning streak is probably more gratifying.  You have only a limited amount of time to get it accomplished e.g. 40 minutes, and if you succeed, it’s over!  And there’s never a doubt who did it.

Baylor’s Lady Bears had its 42-game winning streak snapped by the Stanford Cardinal (is there such a thing as a Lady Cardinal, especially when it stands for a color - or a tree?) last night in an early season tournament in Hawaii.  Everyone talks about parity in college basketball but that argument falls to pieces when the starting lineups are announced and only one team has Brittany Griner.  I’m not quite old enough to remember George Mikan but I’m just a year younger than Lew Alcindor, the center from Power Memorial HS who set scholastic winning streaks before enrolling at UCLA and refusing to lose there too.

Bill Walton was a dominant UCLA center after the fellow who subsequently became Kareem Abdul Jabbar graduated and UCLA continued to put streaks together.  Most notably, the 88-game winning streak that Notre Dame and its young coach Digger Phelps ended.  While the Bruins didn’t have as powerful force in the middle, they continued to win at a remarkable pace, especially in the friendly confines of their home court, Pauley Pavilion.

They had gone 98 games at home without a loss, a streak that continued after John Wooden had retired as coach.  Gene Bartow was the man who followed the legend and, as he later would admit, he never enjoyed winning at such a great rate less than the two years he spent at Westwood.  It was 1975 and I was a lowly graduate assistant at the University of Oregon.

I arrived on the Ducks’ campus after three other GA years (two at Washington State and one at the University of Vermont).  I made $1550 each year I was at WSU, a raise from the $1000 I got for 1972-73 school year at UVM.  Both schools also paid my tuition for grad school, something I couldn’t have cared less about at the time but appreciated a great deal as I got older (matured).  All three of the seasons before arriving in Eugene had produced losing campaigns.  The Ducks were in the same league as WSU (at that time, the Pac-8) so I understood how good they were going to be during that 1975-76 season.

It seemed as though I brought bad luck with me as we suffered a couple of early upsets (Duquesne was one in particular I can recall), knocking us out of the Top 20.  We opened Pac-8 play (the Arizona schools, nor other imposters weren’t in the league yet) at home against the mighty Bruins.  Everyone in our locker room was absolutely certain we were going to knock off the Bruins.  With just seconds to go, our superstar guard Ronnie Lee poked the ball away from one of their guys to one of ours who laid the ball in the basket, putting us up one.  A late, phantom whistle - foul on Ronnie - not only took away the basket and kept us down one, but put them on the free throw line for a 1-and-1 (no double bonus back then either) and it was Ronnie’s fifth foul. 

Mac Court (our arena back then) was rockin’.  You couldn’t hear yourself think it was so loud.  Naturally, their guy missed the free throw and our back up guard let one go from the side of half court that looked like it was going to bank straight in.  Instead, it banked - and rimmed the hoop - before coming out.  We’d lost our conference opener by one.

A month later we had to make the trip south to play USC on Friday and UCLA on Saturday.  After defeating the Trojans, we read in the paper (there was no Internet then and the information super highway was a simple road under construction.  We did see a press release that the Bruins had a 98-game home winning streak.  The sting of the earlier one-point loss hadn’t gone away yet.  When the word got around about their 98-game winning streak, you’d never seen a bunch of more confident guys - ready to play.

Bottom line: we were up 30-12 at the half.  Only because they hit three deeeeeeep jumpers (no three-point shot then either) did they score double figures in the first half.  They made a brief run, very early in the second half but not nearly enough.  We beat them 65-45.  Maybe the most remarkable thing about the game was with 7 minutes to go and us comfortably ahead, their fans started leaving!  Talk about a spoiled group.  Their fans couldn’t even sit through one game out of 100 (they won the next one after us) they didn’t win?

To this day, whenever any of us get together, the UCLA game at Pauley always comes up.  It must be the old American adage (just kidding for those of you ultra-sensitive schmucks):

“It’s fun to win but it’s funner to screw someone else up.”

The University of Texas got their own television network.  It wasn’t the first school to do so but it might have been the proverbial “straw” as it relates to conference realignment.  Texas A&M is a great institution with a proud tradition but they couldn’t handle being second enchilada in the state.  Many will question placing the Aggies #2 but that’s not the point to the people in College Station.  Number one is the only one that counts and a school with its own TV network is too much of an advantage (and a slap in the face).

The state university is simply more popular than any of its “subsidiaries.”  I’ve been on both sides of that argument.  When I was at Washington State, it was difficult admitting “UDub” was the choice of Washington residents.  I left Cougar Country for the University of Oregon and the tables were turned.  Our rivals, from “Corn Valley” were now the “Cow College.”

For most of the ’80s I was employed by the University of Tennessee.  There was no question who was The Boss.  I recall a conversation with the director of athletics from UT-Chattanooga who said he was a student at Chattanooga College in the ’50s.  They enjoyed their experience and felt the school offered them a solid education.  Much later, the powers-that-be at UT approached the smaller school’s administration and told them they wanted it to join the UT system.  The “old-timers” balked, saying they liked their independence and didn’t think becoming a sister school, with a hyphenated name was a good idea.  The Knoxville brass assured them that would not be the case.  The little guys accepted the offer and have been, as expected, UT-Chattanooga.  The old Chattanooga College people still resent the decision and refer to the University of Tennessee as UTK.

In every state, but one, “the University of . . .” is more prestigious than “. . . State U.”  Think about it: North Carolina, Iowa, Kansas, Oklahoma, Florida, Colorado, etc.  The one exception wasn’t always that way - and Tom Izzo deserves most of the credit.

These other institutions need to heed Charles Schultz’s line:

“Be yourself.  Everyone else is already taken.”

I’ve never understood the true sports fanatic but that’s more my issue than the fans’ because there are so many of them.  

Random thoughts on last night’s BCS game:

Exciting.  It certainly couldn’t have been closer, a game won on the last play.

The big plays made by big players (Newton, Fairley, James, Maehl, Matthews - and by some lesser known (Dyer, Byrum - at least lesser known to the average fan - and the Auburn bench who implored Michael Dyer to continue running, not so much because they didn’t think his knee was down but because of the number one rule of football - play until the whistle blows!).

The defensive side of the ball.  With all the offensive talent on the field, for each team’s defense to hold the other to such a low point total, was nothing short of remarkable.

Disappointing.  If there was ever any debate about who runs sporting events, it’s over now.  The extra times out and the increased length of them disrupted the flow of the game.  With the money that’s being tossed around, this will only get worse - for the rhythm of the game and for the fans’ enjoyment of it.

Kirk Herbstreit, one of the best analysts (definitely in terms of preparation), making the statement, “Oregon better not try to get too cute” after a reverse on a kickoff, then saying, “What a gutsy call by Chip Kelly” on the very next play, one which went for an 81-yard gain.  Like Herbie said, “That’s who they are.”

Seeing Nick Fairley getting flagged for exactly what he’s been accused of during the season.

Invoking God by nearly every Auburn individual.  Thank Him for the your skills, not for the win.  It’s called God-given ability, not God-given victory.  Oregon has just as much to thank God for.

Probably most disappointing for Oregon was not knowing what to do, e.g. continued inside running plays, especially deep in the red zone.  It’s their coach, Chip Kelly, who says the last thing he tells the team before leaving the locker room:

“Pressure is what you feel when you don’t know what you’re doing.  We don’t feel pressure because we know what we’re doing.”

There’s a little bit of arrogance in that remark - and it just might have hurt them last night.

If someone wondered if Oregon’s football team, which is playing for the national championship, has rabid fan support, consider this story excerpted from my book, Life’s A Joke, (available for purchase by sending a check for $10, which includes shipping, to 365 Sandpiper Ct, Fresno, CA 93730).

My graduate assistant year at the University of Oregon was 1975-76 and our basketball team was known as the Kamikaze Kids.  The squad was made of of long-time NBA players Ronnie Lee and Greg Ballard as well as Stu Jackson, currently VP of the NBA and (former) Ducks’ head coach, Ernie Kent.  Dave Merchant was our other grad assistant and he and I lived in poverty although he was a little better off than I was since his wife, Carol, had a good job as a hairdresser.

The reason I say poverty is that Oregon didn’t pay their GA’s, so we were forced to work part-time jobs.  One day after practice Dave was giving me a ride home in his old beat-up clunker that he bought for about $200.  The car sometimes ran and sometimes didn’t, and was badly dented, but it was all he could afford for a second car - and it did (barely) beat walking.

We were stopped at a traffic light when, in the lane to the right of us, a brand new white Mercedes pulled up alongside.  During that time period, our players were somewhat deified by the Eugene community (imagine what it’s like now for the football guys).  We glanced over at the occupants of the Mercedes and saw none other than one of our reserves driving the luxury vehicle and, looking past him, we saw the wife of one of our big boosters.  She was a member of a smaller “support” group, the Daisy Ducks, which was composed of a number of women in town.

Apparently, this lady’s husband was out of town on business while she remained in town attending to some business of her own.  Our player looked at us with a smug Cheshire grin that spoke volumes and then eyed Dave’s car.  He casually took a gander at the one was operating, looked back at us and smiled again.

Although we were somewhat surprised, in reality, it wasn’t all that shocking.  However, that wasn’t the worst part of the story.  When the light turned green, the player waved and took off while Dave put his foot on the gas - and his car stalled.

As the saying goes:

“To the victor go the spoils.”

 

Heading to the California Coast for a high school basketball tournament.  The blog will return Friday, Xmas Eve day.

This is the time of year when prognosticators of all types want to be heard.  Get it right and, especially if you have a TV or radio show, you can remind viewers and listeners of your expertise - which was presented prior to the contest.  Calling it wrong gives you carte blanche as far as criticism is concerned, e.g. it’s open season on head coaches, coordinators, kickers, offensive skill players (for fumbling, throwing picks or dropping passes) and defensive linemen (for not getting their average, or more, number of sacks).  Miss by enough and you can even roast the NCAA or BCS.

Just predicting who will has never meant much to me.  After all, when two teams are playing, Zippy the Chimp has a 50-50 chance of getting it right.  Make a pick and explain why that team will win.  Better yet, set the scenario(s) that each team needs to emerge victorious.

A few days ago, I heard Colin Cowherd, never short on opinions (or the ability to annoy/condescend), give his pick for the national championship game.  Although he’s from the Pacific Northwest, he’s convinced Auburn will win because they have better players, including the best.  Oregon has never seen such an array of talent.

While that might be true, what Auburn hasn’t seen is a team play at the pace the Ducks do.  In a pound-it-out macho conference like the SEC, coaching staffs pride themselves on situational substitutions.  Does this give an advantage to Oregon?  That’s something everyone will know as the game unfolds.

Well, what kind of prediction is that?  Everybody can tell what happened after it took place.  It’s called being a sportswriter, or more specifically, a columnist.  The fact that everyone can analyze why outcomes occurred after they happen is no more absurd than the fact that everyone can make a prediction before the game.  The more detailed you get, the greater chance you look like a genius - or a fool.

Predictions are great for water cooler conversations (or possibly conversations that take place where stronger beverages are served) and gamblers.  The latter actually do “put their money where their mouth is.”  Is it better to merely pick a winner and should your choice come up roses, gloat, and if you choose the wrong side, hide - or take a gamble and pre-analyze the fray, meaning your brilliance will be many times greater if your ship comes in, but you’ll leave yourself open to ridicule if your winner is right but for all the wrong reasons?  That answer depends on your personal make up - or how much the station is paying you.

Most people (outside the pacific Northwest) agree Auburn might have more better athletes (see yesterday’s blog re: “more better”) - and certainly no one is in the class of Cam Newton (unlike Florida’s claim that Newton wasn’t in the classes of many of his teammates - OK, bad joke) - but Oregon’s roster isn’t exactly composed of dogs.  The Ducks’ hurry-up offense is just as difficult to prepare for as Cam Newton.  It’s one thing to see each on camera, but another thing to try to actually tackle Newton, or play at the pace Oregon forces teams to do.

Who’s my selection?  I’ve worked in both leagues (albeit in basketball), so there’s no preference there.  I’ve always been partial to coaching and preparing game plans and in that regard, I favor Oregon, but to go out on a limb and say who the winner will be?

I subscribe to Casey Stengel’s theory:

“Never make predictions, especially about the future.”

There were three collegiate football games with major implications played yesterday.  Oregon, Auburn and Boise State, ranked #1, 2 & 3 in the AP Top 25 poll were all competing, and each had hopes for a national championship.

Both sides - BCS and non-BCS teams and conferences - have debated the fairness of the current system, with no clear cut “winner” in the discussion.  One factor that has not been mentioned has to do with the leaders of the actual schools involved, i.e. the directors of athletics and the presidents, as well as the conference commissioners.

During the Alabama-Auburn game, U of A president Dr. Robert Witt and AD Mal Moore, most certainly were comfortably seated in their sky boxes, cheering on their beloved Crimson Tide.  No doubt, Mike Slive, the SEC commish was there as well.  All were entertained by a terrific game, the Alabama contingent obviously disappointed with the outcome.  Commissioner Slive’s only rooting interest was, most probably, that no further incriminating news regarding Auburn’s Heisman Trophy leading quarterback, Cam Newton, was revealed during the afternoon.

Similarly, in Eugene, Arizona prez Robert Shelton and its director of athletics, Greg Byrne, were intently watching the contest, hoping that somehow their Wildcats could do what no team on the Ducks’ schedule had done - slow down Oregon’s fast-paced offense and derail the nation’s number one team.  I would imagine that Pac-10 commissioner Larry Scott got what he wanted.  Both schools played well and there were no embarrassing incidents.

In the Boise State-Nevada nightcap, however, there had to exist the height of ambivalence on the part of the Wolfpack’s president, Milt Glick and its AD Cary Groth.  If their boys won, it would be an upset for the ages.  The game was billed as “The Biggest Sporting Event in Reno History” since Jack Johnson fought there - 100 years ago!

Yet, because of the current BCS structure, their conference, the WAC, would be denied the mega-check that comes from one of their conference members participating in a BCS bowl - which has now been lost due to the overtime thriller in which Nevada prevailed.  Sure, the ‘Pack won, but what about the million or so dollars they, and the other conference schools, would have received had Boise won?  This isn’t a concern for the schools in the BCS leagues - even those as pitiful as Vanderbilt, Washington State, Wake Forest, Kansas or Minnesota.  Or Indiana - who gave up 83 points in an earlier game to fellow conference member Wisconsin.  Do the Hoosiers really deserve all that revenue?  More than Boise State and Nevada do?

And that’s just for playing in a BCS bowl.  I read somewhere that each BCS school receives in the neighborhood of $7 million - regardless of whether they even won a game during the season.  Nice neighborhood - if they let you in.

So far there’s been no mention of the WAC commissioner, Karl Benson, who must be in mourning.  Not only has Benson lost out on the BCS bowl paycheck, but next year Boise State moves to the Mountain West conference, followed by Nevada the following season.  Fresno State also leaves with Nevada and Hawaii is seriously consider bolting the WAC too.  Anyone who thinks Karl Benson was an impartial observer last night in Reno doesn’t understand the true problem a non-BCS conference commissioner has.

There’s little doubt that Benson and everyone belonging to the NCAA “family,” but outside the all-powerful BCS group, shares Mike Honda’s feeling:

“My own mother always taught me that fairness was a family value - I think equal pay is about fairness for everyone.“ 

Who’s better - Oregon or Auburn?  Boise State or TCU?  Peyton Manning or Tom Brady?  Or Drew Brees?  Tim Lincecum or Roy Halladay?  Or Cliff Lee?  The Lakers or the Celtics?  Or the Heat?  Michael or Kobe?  Or LeBron?  George W. or Barack?  Rush or Michael Moore?  Let’s delete the last pair since each has an agenda to get personally wealthy while dividing the country beyond salvation.

In each instance, there are numerous - and loud - votes cast for each.  Any of the above comparisons will elicit extreme emotion from the debaters.  Yet, everybody can’t be right.  Or wrong.

Every time I hear one of those topics discussed - or when I used to participate in them when I was younger and (thought I was) wiser, one tactic would invariably creep into the discussion.  That tactic was demeaning the opposition.  Hey, maybe we shouldn’t delete Limbaugh vs. Moore after all.  Demeaning the opposition is at the core of each of their messages.

As an example, let’s look at the top two teams in the current college football poll.  Oregon supporters will argue they’ve blown away everybody (except Cal).  Auburn backers will talk of how their team plays in the nation’s toughest league.  Before long, however, UO people will be saying that Auburn is a one-man show and that one man probably is  ineligible.  AU folks will counter with the Pac-10 being nothing but a bunch of soft teams and that if Phil Knight ever pulled his support, the Ducks would shrink to mid-major status.

I was guilty of this type of immaturity - when I was a teenager.  Maybe even a few years (decades?) beyond.  But after reading an article on the Harbaugh brothers in Sports Illustrated, I’ve come to the same conclusion that my friend Jeff Van Gundy stated on an NBA broadcast a couple weeks ago.  After reading the same article, Jeff says he has sworn off comparisons because of something that John Harbaugh said in that interview:

“I’ve got this rule.  We make no comparisons.  Somebody is going to be devalued.”

If people would follow the “somebody is going to be devalued” rule, the world of sports would be less fun for the fanatics and void of talk radio, but a lot more sane for others.

TCU beat San Diego State yesterday by the score of 40-35.  SDSU scored more than the rest of the Mountain West combinedagainst the Horned Frogs vaunted defense.  Utah, the team TCU beat convincingly last week - in the battle of the unbeatens - lost just as convincingly to what has recently been an average Notre Dame squad.

How much does TCU winning by onlyfive, coupled with their showdown victory over the Utes last week, hurt their standing in the BCS race, especially after Utah’s embarrassing showing against the Irish?  It’s odd how no one thought Oregon’s “victory” over a Cal team that’s been less than average deserved to be thought of as a blemish.  Cal’s place kicker stepped forward, then back (and after watching replays, looked like he was set prior to the snap, although a penalty was called), before making his chip shot which would have given the Bears the lead (and maybe the upset).  The subsequent kick (also a short one) was hooked, allowing the Ducks to escape with a less-than-stellar display.

The Cam Newton story has had some strange timing to it.  How about if he’s ruled ineligible right after they win the SEC Championship game?  Would it be mandated that a one-loss SEC team replace them in a national championship game? 

Whether TCU is as great as the talking heads said they were a week ago (when they raved about their powerful defense) or as overrated as the same guys say they are now is unknown.  One thing, however, most anyone (who has no personal bias) will certainly agree is that an undefeated TCU club is a helluva lot better than . . . Pitt!

Common sense seems to have little place in the discussion.  Maybe the BCS people agree with George Seaton who said:

“Faith is believing in things when common sense tells you not to.”

Oklahoma’s tradition dates all the way back to Bud Wilkinson, a winner and a gentleman.  The Sooners are currently the #1 team in the polls but unless you’re an OU supporter, they’re probably not the overwhelming choice of America.

The sentimental pick, maybe not for #1, but at least to go to the national championship game, has got to be Boise State.  Not only are they undefeated - and rolling over everyone they play - but they haven’t lost in two years!

Sleeper picks?  TCU, in case Boise gets knocked off, Missouri for the BCS fans who want to see a team from the Big 12 who’s not Oklahoma, Texas or Nebraska.

Before the season, ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit picked Auburn to win it all and if they beat LSU this weekend (and a couple other formidable opponents down the road), Herbie might actually be the genius many think he already is.

BUT . . . as far as the unbiased fan’s favorite team, Oregon must be the squad people want to see.  Their defense is good but the reason America loves them is the same reason many claim soccer will never catch on here - not enough scoring.

The Ducks are the anti-soccer team.  Not only do they put up mega numbers, they do it fast.  Four and five play drives are the norm.  “Making big plays,” what so many coaches preach as the key to winning, is their mantra.  Strikes of over 25 yards happen on a regular basis.  The offenses job is to march down the field.  Oregon usually does it in under two minutes.

The Ducks’ coach, Chip Kelly, does things his way and, at least so far, he’s maintained a humility about the success his club’s achieved.  Quoting from Confucius:

“A superior man is modest in his speech, but exceeds in his actions.”

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Prior to the season, there was a pre-season Top 20 poll.  Boise State and TCU were in the top 10, in some polls, the top 5.  Boise’s opening game was against Virginia Tech at Fed Ex Field, essentially a road game for the Broncos.  It was to be a true test for the perennial WAC champions.  Boise prevailed in a close game. 

Among fans, but even more importantly, voters, there exists a group that will never recognize a team from a conference that isn’t a BCS member, i.e. an automatic qualifier, as one that deserves a chance to play for a national title.  A large majority of those people don’t think a non-AQ team ought to take up a spot in the Top 10 in the polls.  After Virginia Tech lost to Division I-AA member James Madison, this contingency claimed victory, saying Virginia Tech wasn’t a test at all.

Since that game, both BSU and TCU have done nothing to disprove their ranking.  Each week they win and win convincingly.  The voters who placed Boise State, in particular, so high seemed to have forgotten that the Broncos went undefeated last year and returned nearly all of their starters.

So far this season, Boise State scored 33 points against Va Tech and 37 against Oregon State.  In their other three games, they scored in the 50’s.  After they trounced New Mexico 59-0, they were passed in the polls by Oregon who thoroughly dispatched a previously undefeated Standford squad, 52-31.  It was understandable that the Ducks would move up as they had played better teams that Boise and had beaten them just as badly.  Perhaps, the voters felt, we got it wrong.  Oregon is better than Boise State.

But yesterday, Alabama, the #1 team in the nation, was defeated by South Carolina, no slouch by any means, but a team that few people felt were as good as the Crimson Tide.  Granted, the game was played on the Gamecocks’ home turf but the guys from Columbia didn’t exactly squeak one out against ‘Bama.

Now, the anti-AQ contingency is bellowing, “No way Alabama should drop below Boise State and TCU” (both of whom continue to steamroll opponents).  Mark May, on ESPN’s college football show, made the statement that if Boise State were in the SEC they’d have two losses.  If he’s that clairvoyant, why didn’t he pick South Carolina to beat Alabama?  (Everyone knows why he went with Pitt over ND - and no noe faults him for his loyalty).  But to make such a foolish claim on national television just goes to show that style is more important than substance.

If ever an argument should be made regarding the BCS, it’s that this year, as in every year since the BCS was formed, a Big East squad will get an automatic bid to a BCS bowl game.  And who might their representative be this year?  After you dredge up an answer, try looking Chris Petersen straight in the eye and tell him that club is a better choice than his Boise State bunch.  If you can do it with a straight face, you earn automatic entry into the Liars’ Hall of Fame.   

There’s only one way to tell, with the current system, whether a Boise State or a TCU can win the national championship and that’s to let them play for it.  Dropping Alabama below each - the right thing to do - doesn’t eliminate the Tide from a national championship game.  If they were to win out, beating LSU, Auburn and the winner from the SEC East, they’d have a better chance than any other one-loss team in the country.  

Oh, the anti-AQ’s say, “But what if Boise State and TCU go undefeated - as they’re both certain to do?  Are you telling me that they are better than Alabama?”  Maybe not.  But would it make people feel better if two BCS teams went without losing and played for the title rather than Alabama? 

Is Ohio State-Oklahoma or Ohio State-Nebraska a better indicator of who should be national champions?  How about Michigan State-Nebraska?  Boise State and TCU, especially Boise since they beat TCU (17-10) in last year’s (BCS) Fiesta Bowl (was it by chance they played each other)?

It was none other than the recently departed George Steinbrenner who said:   

“Don’t talk to me about aesthetics or tradition. Talk to me about what sells and what’s good right now. And what the American people like is to think the underdog still has a chance.”