schizzes and flows

I realize hockey’s far from an obsession in the US, taking a distant backseat to football, basketball, and baseball (and perhaps even the World Cup this year). And, I realize, quite a few hockey fans were either sulking in post-lockout gloom or simply didn’t care about two small-market franchises battling it out across two networks.

I don’t know the official numbers yet, but based on some of the previous playoff ratings very few viewers tuned in last night to watch the decisive seventh game of the Stanley Cup Finals. A shame, really. While Game 7 was far from classic–a 3-1 win by the Carolina Hurricanes who, in the previous two games, seemed less-than-championship worthy, getting outscored (and all-around outplayed) by the Edmonton Oilers 9-4–there was that unmistakable energy in Raleigh linking and feeding back among fans and players, the sort of intensity you rarely see except in the final game of a championship series. And even if you could care less about the ascension of “redneck hockey” to the height of NHL success, you gotta love the trophy presentation, which is always (and I seriously mean always) the best ceremony in sports.

The Stanley Cup Finals are set:

Monday night in Raleigh: Carolina vs. Edmonton

Should be an excellent series, and since J will be in town for her defense, she’s hoping to stand in line Monday or Tuesday night to get a picture with the Cup and, oh yeah, finally get that PhD she’s been working on for some time…

Like many, last week’s games completely busted my bracket. Not one of my Final Four teams remains in the tournament. To which I say, oh well. I’ve never really invested much in bracketology, even though every March I’m glued to the screen watching game after game after game. (You’d think I’d learn a thing or two about college hoops during these intense periods of engagement, but whatever.) Mainly, filling out brackets is just a fun annual diversion for J and I–a culturally sanctioned ritual that allows us to talk some real smack without worrying that we’re on the road to Divorce Court. So, when George Mason upset UCONN I barely considered what this meant for my bracket or my place in the marital pecking order, unlike some fanatics who called into ESPN radio the following morning bemoaning GMU’s unlikely victory and, more generally, one of the most unlikely Final Fours in tournament history. I realize some are more invested in these games than I am (both emotionally and financially), but seriously, people, how can you be anything other than thrilled after watching (or hearing about) that game? Get over yourself and your bracket(s)–enjoy the games and stop worrying about your office pool or your ranking in ESPN’s tournament contest. Jeez.

And speaking of Fours, I would be amiss if I didn’t mention here Wisconsin’s historic victory over Cornell two nights ago (a 1-0 win in triple overtime–second longest hockey game in NCAA tournament history), which earned them a spot in the Frozen Four for the first time since 1992. Also, I would be doubly amiss if I didn’t mention UW’s women’s hockey team, which won the NCAA National Championship the same day. How’s your bracket doing now?

After a somewhat ho-hum season of college football, we finally get what everyone’s been waiting for: #1 vs. #2. Undefeated USC vs. undefeated Texas. Heisman wannabe Reggie Bush vs. Heisman wannabe Vince Young (well, not really, unless one of these two wants to line up at defensive end, but that’s a different post). On paper, this should be a great game, but, as previous BCS title games have showed us, these games have a tendency to get ugly (and uninteresting) fast. Anyone remember (or want to remember) last year’s USC-Oklahoma classic? Admittedly, I’m looking forward to the match-up, and hopeful that the game stays close. But, like many CFB fans, I’m disappointed that things worked out so well for the BCS this year. With only two undefeated teams left standing in December, the annual (and often vocal) criticism of the bowl system is effectively silenced, because, by God, the system works.

For those who don’t follow CFB, the bowl system–wherein teams are selected based somewhat on their season record, but largely on programs’ prestige and the in-stadium and television audiences they instantly bring to the table–serves as a substitute for a playoff such as the ones used in professional and most other collegiate sports. (The reasons for this are complex, though the smart move is to “follow the money.”) At any rate, arguments against the bowl system aside for a moment, proponents of a playoff in CFB have, in recent years, achieved some leverage, particularly in cases where the BCS formula (a “championship series” designed to make sure that the top two teams in the country play each other in a high-profile January bowl game) has showed considerable weakness in handling more than two undefeated teams at the end of the regular season. For critics, the solution to the mess perpetuated by the BCS is to hold a short playoff–possibly consisting of the top 8 teams–culminating in a championship game a la the Superbowl or the Final Four. As astute rhetoricians, these critics have even suggested that a playoff need not do away with the current bowl system but could rather work within the system and many of the existing bowl games (e.g. the Rose, Sugar, Orange, Fiesta, and possibly Cotton).

For proponents of the bowl system (usually university presidents, athletic directors, and conference leaders as well as the bowl games themselves and their various corporate sponsors), such a playoff system would be impractical and too expensive for already financially-strapped schools (the cost of transporting and supporting well-over 150 people for up to three weeks is, presumably, too much for most schools and athletic departments to handle). Additionally, at least according university and college presidents, pulling student athletes out of class for up to three weeks would be antithetical to the REAL purpose of the university, which is of course to provide high quality education to each and every student, including student athletes. (Never mind that college basketball players on successful and high profile teams must travel extensively throughout the entire month of March, but I digress.) Finally, proponents of the existing bowl system point to the already implicit playoff atmosphere in college football, where every game is important and every loss counts. Teams that have locked up a place in the playoffs, the argument goes, won’t care as much about winning the remaining games on their schedules as they will resting key players and scheming for the playoffs (admittedly, this kinda thing happens in the NFL every season).

If it isn’t clear already, let me say at this point that I’m in favor of a playoff.

And yet…

Enter 2005 Florida State. Playing in the newly divided ACC conference, FSU won their division early in November, assuring them a spot in the inaugural ACC title game against Virginia Tech this past Saturday. In the meantime, however, FSU took what amounted to be a gridiron holiday, losing to Virginia, Clemson, NC State, and Florida, thereby dropping out of the national rankings, but not we should note jeapardizing that much-coveted spot in the ACC title game and the chance to “earn” over $11 million by receiving an automatic invitation to the BCS.

As I see it, there are a lot of good reasons to dislike Free Shoe U. But this year takes the cake. Not only is FSU’s assured at fat Orange Bowl paycheck, but they’ve also provided BCS proponents added fuel for the argumentative fire.

Way to go guys. Great season. We’ll see ya in Miami on January 3.

I have to say, one of the nice things about moving from Raleigh to Madison has been the return to Big Ten football. Now instead of getting dizzy watching the Big 10 scores scroll by during Florida State’s latest televised thrashing of, well, just about anyone, I can more efficiently spend 6-8 hours of my day channel surfing among all the day’s conference match-ups. Yep. Much more efficient…

Of course, I knew moving back to Big 10 country would inevitably mean several games in which BA Penn State would line up against PhD Wisconsin. That’s right. The Big Ten’s full of fun little trophies: the old oak bucket; Paul Bunyan’s Axe; the landgrant trophy (!?). And since I don’t know of any trophy (real or otherwise) linked to this series, I would like to propose a new tradition for the becoming-intense rivalry that is Penn State-Wisconsin: The Battle for the Deterritorialized Academic Trophy. Ok, I know what you’re thinking: this is a little too heady for a once-a-year football game. Or you may be thinking, this is exactly what college football needs–more attention paid to scholarship and education! Or, if you’re like me, you’d just love to hear Bob Griese say the word “deterritorialized” on air during a nationally televised game.

But these concerns aside, I think the BDAT would be a welcome addition to Big 10 football. Of course if this thing’s really going to catch on, it needs to take on a material life of its own. You know, something the punter can run across the field and grab from the opposing side’s bench in the closing seconds of the game. Something that looks great backlit in a trophy case as it awaits next’s year’s bitter rematch. That’s when you know you’ve got a great trophy on your hands. So what about the BDAT? Admittedly, this is a tough one. As just one possibility, maybe a moving box loaded with writing handbooks, prelim books, and random desk or office supplies? (Of course this would present an obvious problem for the punter who would have to carry this box over his head and around the playing field.)

In any case, these tradition things tend to take on a life of their own. But what’s most important is to get the word out about this year’s inaugural BDAT. Forget first place in the Big Ten, there’s bragging rights at stake here…

******
Update: BA wins! Fatality!