Perhaps I could write about the upcoming talk Prez Obama will be giving shortly about the suspected terrorist now dubbed “The Underwear Bomber” and how things fell through cracks in our intelligence and security systems. But why bother? I’m sure it’s important and probably well-intentioned and even insightful. However, it’s only going to lead to more screaming and lying, yes lying, by Republicans lawmakers whose jobs are predominantly legislators, but these days we find them mostly in the obstruction and prevarication fields.
So I go with something not important to millions worldwide, but nonetheless important here in the United States — the National Championship.
I say only the national championship because probably more people know what I am talking about with those two words than do not. That is, the four or five people who actually read this blog. The game tonight is formally titled the Citi BCS National Championship. The first two words make me cringe when I say that: “Citi,” as in bank whose tele-support people can give me major pains in the ass, and “BCS” for Bowl Championship Series a.k.a. Big Crappy System. I have a credit card for my job, a requirement of my job actually, through Citi. And, like many others, I think the BCS stinks as a way to pick champions. The simple way to improve picking champions involves playoffs. Thus more games. Thus more TV revenue, one would think. Thus perhaps not as many fans with their noses out of their collective joints over their teams either not making the cut or losing the games.
One also would not have to lose any bowls in such a system although I don’t think it would hurt to cut a few here or there since there are 34 bowls. I think that’s a bit much.
Texas is the underdog in the game, which is good in a way. I like underdogs, mostly. But I am rooting for the Longhorns. I know some of my more rabid Texas A & M friends and family might not like that. Some are so rabid they want to see A & M lose any game, period. That’s kind of how I used to feel about the Dallas Cowboys. I still am not much of a Cowboys fan but under certain situations I like to see them win.
I’m not going to analyze the upcoming game because I only know a little about each team having seen them play a few times and I speak of, mostly, Texas. All I can say is I hope it’s a good, clean contest and perhaps without the insanity some such games, including ones Alabama played, have produced. The 1954 Cotton Bowl comes to mind during which the Crimson Tide’s fullback Tommy Lewis jumped from the bench as he saw Rice halfback Dick Moegle heading up the sidelines toward a score. Lewis then tackled Moegle — keep in mind he had been sitting on the bench — prompting the zebras to give Rice a touchdown and Moegle a 95-yard run. Rice won, maybe for the last time or so it seems, 28-6.
There is a lesson there. Maybe more than one but probably the biggest being don’t go on the field when your butt is supposed to be planted to the bench. See there, it’s pretty simple. Go ‘Horns!
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