Both 2004 and the fall semester at SLU are coming down to the wire. With all that goes on during this time of year, it becomes more and more difficult to put together a coherent thought at a time when coherent thoughts are needed most. So, in the spirit of the disjointed ramblings going through each of our heads as finals approach, here are some random musings to mull over for the final "Pine" of '04.
Even a month removed from the World Series, I am still sick over the whole ordeal. It's not the loss–defeat can be overcome. What really irks me is the persona this group of Boston "idiots" still tries to push on themselves.
These guys would have you believe they were the ball-club-that-could, a scrappy bunch of winners the Yanks couldn't hold down. Not so. They are not the '69 Mets, they are not the '91 Twins: heck, they aren't even the '03 Marlins. The Sox won, and in dominant fashion–I'll give them that. But they get some bank to do so. Their payroll is second only to New York's, not to mention well over $100 million. To small-market teams like the Royals or the Brewers, Boston is just as much a part of the "Evil Empire" as the Yankees.
In the same spirit, as much as it hurts to come up empty, I am thankful for every moment spent watching the 2004 Cardinals.
Did we all need another excuse not to start watching professional basketball until playoff time? I may not watch at all this year after the Detroit brouhaha. Ron Artest is a scapegoat–a scapegoat who deserves all the punishment that's coming to him–but a scapegoat nonetheless. The problem is the NBA, and its ailments are too exhaustive to list.
It's time to stop "Livestrong." Don't get me wrong, millions of dollars for cancer research is great. Lance Armstrong winning a sixth-straight Tour de France is phenomenal. But the little yellow bracelets must go. They went from being a good cause to the most tiresome sports trend since having "The Pump" on your kicks. Even John Kerry has taken his off by now.
At 1-3, the Billikens are off to a frustratingly slow start. Still, I remain confident they can bounce back. Why? In their three losses, their average margin of defeat is, only 3.67, which may sound like a fairly obscure stat. What it says is while they are losing–it's not by much. However, we all know, close only counts in…umm, not college basketball.
Tyrone Willingham's tenure at Notre Dame may be the most perfect model of inconsistency witnessed in recent college football–there's little debating in that regard. So, why are analysts reacting so hostilely to his firing?
I spoke with a friend of mine at ND who put the case against Willingham into clear perspective: Under Holtz and Davie combined, the Irish lost by more than four touchdowns only once. In the past two years under Ty, it's happened five times. That doesn't fly with Domers.
I'm no Colts fan; but Peyton Manning–wow. It's getting to the point that he could tell opponents' defense exactly what he plans on doing and they still could not stop him. I picked Indy to take the Super Bowl at the beginning of the season–I still like my choice.
Last Saturday, I happened to catch Missouri football coach Gary Pinkel's press conference. Commenting on the team's abysmal season and of being reduced to playing the role of a spoiler, he offered the following advice: "Don't get yourself in this position." Couldn't the same be said for the entire state of Mizzou athletics? The football team's season equaled the disappointment of last year's basketball squad–who fell as thoroughly from grace as the new arena's former namesake.
Things couldn't really get much worse in Columbia–which leads one to wonder why the likes of Quinn Snyder and athletic director Michael Alden are still around. Well, rumor has it, Mizzou administators throw some wild parties, with drunken ATV rides for all–there must be something big planned for New Year's.
