Nacho-rama - The Appetizer

I didn’t have time to work on an in-depth article like my counterparts, so y’all are going to be stuck with some random thoughts and short points this week instead. Let’s get started.

1. Great post by Ek on why the NFL is better than College Football. Being a recent NFL convert myself, he did a great job of stating the problems with the college game and voicing the frustrations of many of the game’s critics. Also, I had completely forgotten that USC only one the AP National Championship in 2003 while LSU won the BCS National Championship. Kudos to Ek for the reminder.

Two quick counterpoints (although they aren’t nearly enough to tip the scales in favor of the college game):

A. The three of us are probably all biased by the fact that we went to Wheaton College, which is located in Chicago, Illinois, and only a Division III football team. There are no big time college football programs in the area (no, Northwestern doesn’t count), so we weren’t exposed to the tradition and excitement of being on a major college campus on a Fall day right before kickoff. The other factor working against the college game for us is the fact that the majority of the students at Wheaton generally did not get along with the football players. Whereas Mountaineers are generally regarded as celebrities and demigods up here in Morgantown, the majority of Wheaton’s campus thought that the football players were jerks. I’m not saying whether this was the right or wrong opinion, but it definitely introduces a bias into our opinions of college football players in general.

B. The NFL cannot compete with the college game in terms of tradition. From the “Dotting of the ‘I’” at Ohio State, the DawgWalk at UGA, or the singing of “Country Roads” after WVU victories, there a many more long-lasting and meaningful traditions among colleges as compared to the NFL. The only NFL team that comes close to this kind of tradition would be the Green Bay Packers. However, compared to collegiate traditions, the Packers’ traditions such as the Lambeau Leap simply don’t make the grade. Also contributing to this more storied tradition is the fact that the college game has been around longer than professional football (1880’s versus 1920’s for the earliest professional football). Some of the biggest rivalries in college football have been played for over 100 years. It’s hard for the NFL to beat that tradition when we are only up to 40 years since the league merger and we're still adding expansion teams like the Houston Texans as of 2002.

Just thought I’d quickly make the counter arguments since no one else decided to make them.

2. Just so you know, I’m watching the Dave Matthews Band on VH1 Storytellers right now. Sorry if my distraction is evident. There is absolutely nothing more entertaining to me than listening to Dave Matthews talk. I love the man’s music, but I just start laughing when I ever I hear him speak. Watching him interact with the band members when they are being interviewed is pretty awesome too. He's like a little, giddy kid. Even if you don’t like the music, you should be watching the show just for these kinds of interactions. Also, Carter Beauford (the drummer for those of you unfamiliar) just said that they (the band) “trust” Dave lyrically to express his opinions and the opinions of the band without going overboard. It’s insights like this one that you can only get from VH1 Storytellers. Jeez, I had no idea that the primary song writer and lead singer for the band was in this position. Unbelievable!

3. A very enjoyable and entertaining article from Mark on the absurdity of Frank Robinson’s 45 second staring contest with the umpire in a recent National’s game. The Will Ferrell references scattered throughout were a real treat. I’m very impressed because Mark is not a baseball guy, but he put in some serious effort and time researching for his article. Plus, he was very creative (and at times a bit too personal – going from naked to fully dressed) in coming up with things to do in 45 seconds. It might have been a little bit better had the entire article only taken 45 seconds to read and the final point was “read this entire article.” However, this approach would not have given us the same full glimpse into Mark's psyche that we all now possess.

4. I know it is a great song, but do they always have to play “Ants Marching” at every live show and put it on every concert cd that is released by the band? What? They do? Oh, my bad; I didn’t realize that. Sorry.

5. Just wanted express my condolences and sympathy to Javon Walker since he is out for the season with an ACL tear. I realize that calling a professional football player’s season ending injury tragic is not appropriate in light of the recent true tragedies (not even a strong enough word) of Hurricane Katrina, but Walker’s injury was a major disappointment for Packers’ fans and NFL fans in general. He was in the process of becoming (and may still after he returns next season) one of the best WR in the NFL, although he was paid less than many back-ups. His agent Drew Rosenhaus threatened to hold him out for the season if the Packers didn’t increase his salary to level of other #1 Wide Receivers in the NFL. Javon reported to camp without a new contract, and then tore his ACL in the first game. Granted, Walker still made more money than most of the world can ever dream about, but it is disappointing to see him not get the amount of money that we as a society have deemed professional athletes (entertainers really – a forthcoming article from me that will challenge all your perceptions and preconceived notions about professional sports) at his level should receive. I hope that he is able to get back to this level after his injury for his sake and for our sake as fans whom get to watch him play.

6. There is nothing quite like the group of individuals that assemble at the DMB concert. It’s truly phenomenal. By the way, according to his imdb.com page, Dave’s favorite drink is Jack Daniels. Also, if your one of those people that jumped off the DMB bandwagon, you’ve been beaten to the punch by the man himself (http://www.theonion.com/content/node/39670/print/).

Well as you can see, I ran out of material a while ago. I promise actual articles with research in the future, but I had to get something up fast. I also realize that I have promised at least 4 or 5 specific articles in the course of my first 2 posts. Get ready.