Baton twirlers at a University of Virginia football game in Charlottesville. (Vironevaeh in Flickr pool, September 12, 2009)
From Scott Leibowitz. Find Scott on Twitter @Lebodome. Email him at [email protected].
I feel stupid. I can’t believe I did it again. I cared. I thought for some reason this season may be different, but no, it was not. Penn State’s disaster and the other usual distractions may have turned the average fan away but I could not tear myself away from college football: I thought college football would be different this year.
Despite no evidence to the contrary, I thought the results of the regular season might actually help determine who plays in which post season bowl and who goes on to the national championship. NOPE. NOT A FAT CHANCE. WHAT WAS I THINKING!
I feel even worse for all of those people at Buffalo Billiards who actually thought that their alma mater may get a chance to play in a post season game. I have ranted about this issue before and there are better writers out there who have the issue pegged (Both these links have great articles explaining why college football is a mess; worth the read).
I write about it here today because I feel that at this point, even the casual “I only care when my alma-matter plays” fan should be pissed that college football, unlike every other collegiate sport, has NO PLAYOFFS to determine a national champion. I cannot, as I think no serious sports fan should, take college football seriously for this fact alone.
In an effort to pull the wool over our eyes, the NCAA will throw out a schedule of meaningless bowls, causing us to wait for a national championship rematch of two teams whose last game was nothing more than a field goal kicking contest. Do not be fooled. This is silly. Instead, suck up your pride and anger, and enjoy a very stacked slate of NBA games on Christmas Day and an exciting conclusion to the NFL season (Packers are going 16-0, they are the real deal).
District Fun Stuff
Thanks. Now that I got that off my chest here are some fun happenings going on the District:
Even college kids take the Metro. GWU took the Metro to play VCU on Sunday at the Verizon Center….The No-Metro Hoyas are the first D.C. team to crack top 25 this year.
Redskins Football, only funny till… They are officially out of playoff contention, or… they forget when the league scheduled drug tests are.
Washington Nationals may get a star. Wow would Albert Pujols sell a lot of seats.
DC has enough weird laws. Now add this one to the list with sport team license plates.
Thought of the Week
The Fax Machine is laughing at snail-mail
Links! Links! Ice Cold Links!
- Moments in history with the best sports commentator in the business. A must watch.
- Texts from Bennett. Plain awesome.
- What does Amazon.com look like.
March 4 2006: Students storm the court after George Washington University’s double-overtime win over UNC-Charlotte, securing perfect home record and finishing the season 26-1. (Scott Leibowitz)
From Scott Leibowitz. Find Scott on Twitter @Lebodome. Email him at [email protected].
As I was digesting my very tasty Thanksgiving meal watching holiday football (the games were pretty good) I noticed something on the bottom ticker that seemed unfamiliar.
Places and numbers were rolling by with the title NCAAM and it took me a few moments to place it. In the excitement of the NFL season and my disgust in the NBA returning (it will take me at least ’till April to care if Lebron James can win in the 4th Quarter) I somehow forgot about college basketball.
Where I am from, this could be considered treason.
DC College Teams
We in the District are pretty fortunate in that there are lots of colleges around and all fairly easy to get to using mass transit. As a former DC college student, I can tell you first hand that many of these gyms have great atmospheres with very passionate fanbases.
You would think with so many teams in the city, there would be a great “Battle of the Metro,” but thanks to general stupidity and the stubbornness of one major school (Hint: the metro doesn’t go there) there is nothing but a watered down version. What a shame.
That aside, here is a just a short rundown of what we got in the District.
George Washington Colonials, Atlantic 10 Conference
Smith Center, Blue Line-Foggy Bottom Metro Stop. With no football team this is where most GWU students get their “big school athletics” fix and over the years have had some success. Located right near the White House, the small stadium provides a loud and intimate crowd that gives you a great college vibe. New coach this years hopes to rebuild GWU and take them back the NCAA tournament.
University of Maryland Terrapins, Atlantic Coast Conference
Comcast Center, Green Line- College Park Metro Stop. If you are looking for the bigger stadium and the long basketball history, look no further than the Terps. While a bit far away from Borderstan, the trip is worth it as during their season, they play national powerhouses Duke and UNC. Terps are starting to rebuild with a new coach, and are always dangerous come tournament time.
George Mason Patriots, Colonial Athletic Association
Patriot Center, Orange Line-Vienna Metro Stop. I think of this team as the “the little engine that could”. Never the flashiest or the most talented, but the Patriots always play consistent and clean basketball. They stole the spotlight by making a historic run to the Final Four in 2006 and have since remained on the D.C. map. Just a feel good team that you hope to see in the postseason.
Georgetown University Hoyas, Big East Conference
McDonough Arena, Somewhere on campus-Verizon Center, Red Line- Chinatown. Yes this school has a long and great basketball history. Yes this school gets the exclusive right to play in the Verizon Center. Yes lots of famous coaches and players have been Hoyas. Frankly though, this team will only be OK and is not a good reason for me to be in that neighborhood of D.C. (Plenty of other places to get cupcakes). But if you want to watch the best conference in the country and some of the best programs, Gtown is the way to go.
I know I left out American University and some other smaller schools but these are the teams worth watching. So start watching now, take your mental notes, and when March rolls along, you’ll be ready to dominate your office March Madness bracket challenge.
Thought of the Week
If you haven’t seen the new Muppets movie, cancel your weekend plans and do it. No excuses people.
Links! Links! Ice Cold Links!
Ready for football?
From Scott Leibowitz. Find him @Lebodome on Twitter or email him at [email protected].
YES. It is finally here. There was definitely a moment back in May watching Ochocinco bull-riding where it definately looked like there may not be an NFL season. Even our commander-in-chief (a Chicago Bears fan, ha!) almost stepped in to fix the fight between millionaires and billionaires.
However, when push came to shove and the chips were on the table (by chips, I mean prospect of no season at all) both sides cooled and came to a compromise (remember that word Federal government?).
Football is here, and it starts this Thursday with the last two Super Bowl winners facing off: Saints vs. Packers. I hope that you all did well in your one or many fantasy football drafts, and are ready to dominate your leagues with good research and biting insults to your opponents.
This looks to be another good season with lots of fun, bizarre and illegal story lines. One of the things I have always respected while living in DC is how fierce and loyal Redskins fans are, despite its recent poorly run front office. This was and always will be (sorry Caps/Nats) a football town, and you can feel it around the city.
With that said, here are some things to look for as America’s greatest sport (baseball, you know you still own October) kicks off and we begin the 46th season of the National Football League.
The Redskins: how bad can/will they be? The star quarterback they brought in last year (McNabb) and the 100 million dollar headache (Haynesworth) are gone. They passed on QBs in the draft and are putting their eggs in either untested rookie John Beck or sorta decent veteran Rex Grossman. Coach Shanahan says Grossman is the starter, for now.
If this team wins eight games, I will be shocked. (That said, I hope that running back Tim Hightower scores lots of touchdowns for my fantasy team). The ‘Skins play a tough schedule, including the stacked AFC East, with home games against the New York Jets and New England Patriots. At least the defense will be fun to watch.
Boring Kickoffs. A new rule was made for this year that kickoffs are at the 35-yard line instead of the 30 to prevent some of the more vicious hits that occur in this phase of the game. Yes, player safety should be a high priority, but in the pre-season so far, there are too many touchbacks and less exciting returns. I will miss these plays.
10 Years Later. The first Sunday of the season is September 11 and the league was smart to have the New York Football Giants play the Washington Redskins at 4:15. This weekend will have lots of touching memorials, speeches and stories, especially at games. While we all will be enjoying a full slate of Week 1 games, please take some time to reflect on that day.
So… Are you ready for some football?
Thought of the Week. How are you preparing for Week 1? Any big party plans? I am fan of starting the season at home with friends and lots of guacamole…
Links! Links! Ice Cold Links!
- Are the new University of Maryland football jerseys cool or just plain weird? I haven’t decided….
- Even pro athletes get pulled over for driving 147 mph. This is a good thing.
- GWU just announced its 2011-12 Men’s Basketball schedule. DC is a better town when it’s not just Gtown playing good ball.
- Forget Andy Roddick. Say Hello to the new face of American tennis: Donald Young.
