After nearly a decade on the Blogger network, The Playhouse is moving to Tumblr. This shift comes as it's become increasingly obvious that no one under the age of 65 uses Blogger, which hasn't made any significant upgrades in, well, nearly a decade. It's also driven by the wide availability of porn on Tumblr's platform.
The transition will be completed within the next couple weeks. All four of our regular readers can find our 'work' here now. Thanks.
8.28.2014
8.27.2014
August 28, 2014
Glad to have you back, college football.
You might be exploitative. (It's definitely cliche at this point, but an unpaid mercenary having his jersey sold in the school bookstore for $100 is beyond gross. Yes, we can talk about a scholarship, which we often hear is invaluable. But not everyone feels that way, including many of the players on current FBS rosters. They are in school to do one thing: Play football. That's it. A four-year ride means almost nothing to them. If that's disappointing or those aren't your values, it doesn't matter. You can't tell others what they should value).
You might be run (poorly) by self-entitled a-holes. (Read this about NCAA President Mark Emmert. Or watch Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby get backed into a corner after he tried to apply some batshit insane economic philosophy to college athletics).
And, increasingly, it's also becoming clear that you might be almost inhumanely violent. (Data is starting to pour in that seems to confirm what many have long suspected: If you play football at a high level, your quality of life will deteriorate more rapidly and you will die earlier than had you never played at all).
But, fuck, you are awesome.
It's been 234 days since the BCS National Title Game, which means it's been a terrible 234 days. We've been MIA for even longer, having last shown up in this space at the end of January. But we have a 14-month old child, and those are terrible, life-ruining little people who have no regard for anyone else's time but their own. College Football's excuse for being gone so long isn't nearly as good.
Here are a few things that have happened in our absence:
You might be exploitative. (It's definitely cliche at this point, but an unpaid mercenary having his jersey sold in the school bookstore for $100 is beyond gross. Yes, we can talk about a scholarship, which we often hear is invaluable. But not everyone feels that way, including many of the players on current FBS rosters. They are in school to do one thing: Play football. That's it. A four-year ride means almost nothing to them. If that's disappointing or those aren't your values, it doesn't matter. You can't tell others what they should value).
You might be run (poorly) by self-entitled a-holes. (Read this about NCAA President Mark Emmert. Or watch Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby get backed into a corner after he tried to apply some batshit insane economic philosophy to college athletics).
And, increasingly, it's also becoming clear that you might be almost inhumanely violent. (Data is starting to pour in that seems to confirm what many have long suspected: If you play football at a high level, your quality of life will deteriorate more rapidly and you will die earlier than had you never played at all).
But, fuck, you are awesome.
It's been 234 days since the BCS National Title Game, which means it's been a terrible 234 days. We've been MIA for even longer, having last shown up in this space at the end of January. But we have a 14-month old child, and those are terrible, life-ruining little people who have no regard for anyone else's time but their own. College Football's excuse for being gone so long isn't nearly as good.
Here are a few things that have happened in our absence:
- Ian Poulter sent out this heartbreaking tweet. As a parent, my heart really goes out to his family. No one should have to endure that.
- We learned that the NFL would rather its players beat their wives than do Ecstasy or drink beer.
- Tiger Woods convinced everyone that he had back surgery. To be clear, Tiger Woods did not have back surgery. We'll believe it when we see the scar. He's an inveterate liar who's incapable experiencing one genuine moment, so forgive us if we suspect his honesty. The only thing that was scarred was his ego.
- Tiger Woods scapegoated his swing coach, releasing a statement on a Monday morning saying that he had parted ways with instructor Sean Foley, an obvious PR ploy to maximize eyeballs and say, 'Look, it was this dude. I had nothing to do with it, and everyone should know that.'
- Gregg Doyel wrote this story. It's great. Seriously.
- ESPN Replaced Brent Musberger with Chris Fowler on its primetime telecasts. The Playhouse digs Fowler. A supremely talented on-site host, he's remarkably well prepared and is one of the reasons that GameDay has been must-see TV every Saturday morning for over a decade. But he's not Brent Musberger, who has shifted to the SEC Network to call games with Jesse Palmer. No one is. Gamblers, of course, are naturally inclined to love him, because he always injects a slice of Vegas into the games he's covering. But beyond that, if you're older than 35, Musberger and Keith Jackson were the voices of college football growing up. Now, one is gone and the other has been relegated to a much smaller stage. It sucks.
- Steven A. Smith actually said that women need to stop inciting their own beatings.
- Donald Sterling racist ramblings to his girlfriend (escort) were terrible but not surprising. If you knew anything about Sterling, his words were entirely predictable. But they produced these guys, who are awesome, so something good came out of it.
- Tony Gwynn, one of the best baseball players of our generation died, and MLB and Fox Sports didn't care. During the All Star Game broadcast in July, they carved out three hours to stroke Derek Jeter's cock but not a single fucking minute to honor Gwynn, who was twice the player.
- The Florida State University Sports Information Director green lighted a Jameis Winston Twitter Q&A (#AskJameis), and holy shit was it a bad idea. Some of the best tweets can be found here, here and here.
- Jim Irsay was pulled over loaded out of his mind. In his car, authorities found 'numerous prescription medication bottles containing pills' and nearly $30,000 in cash. He's an owner, so he's not a thug, he merely has a problem and everyone should be sympathetic.
- After it was revealed that four of his players were being investigated for academic fraud (nearly every FSB football player engages in some sort of academic fraud) Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly said: 'We hold our players to a very high standard here at Notre Dame; I believe Notre Dame to be vigilant on that end. We don’t say one thing and do the other. I’m proud of Notre Dame and the way that they act. We don’t look the other way.' Good one. Go fuck yourself, coach.
- JFF gave the Redskins sideline the bird during a preseason game. It was believed to be the first time the gesture was made in public. It was outrageous and he'll never amount to anything because of it.
- LeBron went home. It's a good story. We like LeBron and are looking forward to opening night when he takes the floor in Cleveland, once again wearing a Cavalier jersey. But if Chris Bosh were a top-tier player and Dwyane Wade's skills weren't in rapid decline, LeBron is still in Miami. The Heat are flawed. That, more than anything, is why he bailed on South Beach.
- USC CB Josh Shaw told the most shameless lie ever to cover up two ankle injuries. Full details have yet to emerge, but there's no question that they involve liquor and a woman. Never trust a big butt and smile.
- Sports Illustrated featured Russell Wilson's cock on one of its regional covers this week. Even without Russ' bulge staring right at you, it's still a weird cover.
- People freaked out because Michael Sam kissed his boyfriend on live TV during the draft. If you don't like gay people and don't want to be around them, you should move to Iran. This is the world we live in. Get used to it.
- The whole World Cup thing happened again, and it was awful. Again.
- A Denver Post writer penned perhaps the worst game story ever after Denver beat Seattle in the first preseason game of the year earlier this month. This gem is the best: "At the very least, the Broncos may have proved to themselves, if not quite the rest of the NFL, that the 43-8 whipping they took from the Seahawks back in February was somewhat fluky." Absolutely not.
Super Play of the Day
A quick editorial note, these were awesome in 2012. We were light outs. But like we said, there's a 14-month old monster in the house now, so everything went to shit last year, when he was even younger and even more of a monster. We'd be happy just breaking even this season. Nothing like the burden of lofty expectations.
Bowling Green -7
other play
Louisiana Monroe -2
1.28.2014
January 29, 2014
Regular Playhouse readers (there are four) will notice that we have not posted in this space since December 8, for which we apologize. But shit happens, and when you have very young children and shit happens, it's not called shit, it's called life, and it tends to gets serious real quick - which explains our absence.
And while everyone is now fine, enjoying robust good health, a dose of perspective suddenly made this silly blog seem ridiculously trivial.
Which no doubt is. But life goes on, and today we make our triumphant return.
Earlier this week, gambling tout, internet scam artist and all-around terrible dude(s) Incarcerated Bob, along with his various alter egos on Twitter, reported that according to his (their) 'sources' boxer and well-known sports gambler Floyd Mayweather Jr had dropped an eight-figure bet on the Broncos.
Challenged, he (they) provided the following evidence: As one of the highest paid athletes in the world, Floyd could easily afford it. Ballgame. Case closed. Nothing to see here. It's obviously true.
Or not.
Anyone with just a cursory knowledge of the sports gambling industry can tell you that this 'report' is total bullshit. No book would take even a tenth of that action, and even if Mayweather spread it around to multiple shops using runners, he ultimately would have to hit every house on The Strip, because most have much lower limits than even that.
But the rumor spread swiftly through Twitter and the internet like a bad virus, with even a few mainstream outlets picking it up and running with it - which is exactly what Incarcerated Bob wanted in the first place.
In his honor, we've come up with 50 things more legitimate than Incarcerated Bob and his 'sources.'
1. Bernie Madoff's trading profits
2. Jayson Blair's journalism career
3. Allen Stanford's knighthood
4. Bigfoot
5. Dick Cheney's hunting skills
6. First Take
7. Wealthy Nigerian families seeking help via email
8. Reverse mortgages
9. This guy
10. The Loch Ness Monster
11. Balloon Boy
12. The officiating in Super Bowl XL
13. Lance Armstrong's Tour de France victories
14. Enron's stock price
15. Josh Brent's prison sentence
16. Danny Almonte's Little League World Series performance
17. A-Rod
18. Adam Sandler's movies
19. Mike Price's tenure at Alabama
20. Every plot line of Beverly Hills 90210
21. Rich Kotite
22. Dan Snyder
23. The PGA Tour's non-profit status
24. Rob Ford
25. My Space
26. The academic integrity of every FBS football program
27. Friday Night Tykes
28. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's understanding of history
29. Mark May
30. Jerry Jones the GM
31. Super Bowl Media Day
32. The fans who paid $28.50 to attend Super Bowl Media Day
33. Dick Morris' prognostications
34. Anthony Weiner
35. MLB umpires
36. Steve Sarkisian's qualifications for the USC job
37. Mike and Mike
38. Manti T'eo's girlfriend
39. Pete Thamel's SI profile of Manti Teo
40. Pete Thamel
41. The job this mother did parenting her child
42. Daft Punk winning awards
43. Sochi's mayor
44. Tiger Woods
45. Tom Brady saying the Patriots win with 'graciousness'
46. The Blackberry
47. This tattoo
48. Tesla's stock price
49. Bud Selig cleaning up the game
50. Rick Reilly's career post SI
And while everyone is now fine, enjoying robust good health, a dose of perspective suddenly made this silly blog seem ridiculously trivial.
Which no doubt is. But life goes on, and today we make our triumphant return.
Earlier this week, gambling tout, internet scam artist and all-around terrible dude(s) Incarcerated Bob, along with his various alter egos on Twitter, reported that according to his (their) 'sources' boxer and well-known sports gambler Floyd Mayweather Jr had dropped an eight-figure bet on the Broncos.
Challenged, he (they) provided the following evidence: As one of the highest paid athletes in the world, Floyd could easily afford it. Ballgame. Case closed. Nothing to see here. It's obviously true.
Or not.
Anyone with just a cursory knowledge of the sports gambling industry can tell you that this 'report' is total bullshit. No book would take even a tenth of that action, and even if Mayweather spread it around to multiple shops using runners, he ultimately would have to hit every house on The Strip, because most have much lower limits than even that.
But the rumor spread swiftly through Twitter and the internet like a bad virus, with even a few mainstream outlets picking it up and running with it - which is exactly what Incarcerated Bob wanted in the first place.
In his honor, we've come up with 50 things more legitimate than Incarcerated Bob and his 'sources.'
1. Bernie Madoff's trading profits
2. Jayson Blair's journalism career
3. Allen Stanford's knighthood
4. Bigfoot
5. Dick Cheney's hunting skills
6. First Take
7. Wealthy Nigerian families seeking help via email
8. Reverse mortgages
9. This guy
10. The Loch Ness Monster
11. Balloon Boy
12. The officiating in Super Bowl XL
13. Lance Armstrong's Tour de France victories
14. Enron's stock price
15. Josh Brent's prison sentence
16. Danny Almonte's Little League World Series performance
17. A-Rod
18. Adam Sandler's movies
19. Mike Price's tenure at Alabama
20. Every plot line of Beverly Hills 90210
21. Rich Kotite
22. Dan Snyder
23. The PGA Tour's non-profit status
24. Rob Ford
25. My Space
26. The academic integrity of every FBS football program
27. Friday Night Tykes
28. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's understanding of history
29. Mark May
30. Jerry Jones the GM
31. Super Bowl Media Day
32. The fans who paid $28.50 to attend Super Bowl Media Day
33. Dick Morris' prognostications
34. Anthony Weiner
35. MLB umpires
36. Steve Sarkisian's qualifications for the USC job
37. Mike and Mike
38. Manti T'eo's girlfriend
39. Pete Thamel's SI profile of Manti Teo
40. Pete Thamel
41. The job this mother did parenting her child
42. Daft Punk winning awards
43. Sochi's mayor
44. Tiger Woods
45. Tom Brady saying the Patriots win with 'graciousness'
46. The Blackberry
47. This tattoo
48. Tesla's stock price
49. Bud Selig cleaning up the game
50. Rick Reilly's career post SI
12.08.2013
December 8, 2013
The Super Play hit again yesterday, as Michigan St (+5.5) beat Ohio State straight up. It was our third winner in a row, lifting our record to 10-12 for the year. Because we always set lofty goals for ourselves, the objective now is to somehow scratch and claw our way to .500.
Super Play of the Day
No extended Playhouse today. There are unconfirmed reports that we've been up since 3:50 attempting to coax a violently irratible six-month old baby to sleep. And by coax, we mean running laps with a stroller in the underground parking lot of our apartment while it's 19 degrees. #parenthood
However, we will leave you with following tweet from Florida receiver Quinton Dunbar, who apparently has a real soft spot for Urban Meyer:
In English, it's disloyal, but still pretty super fantastic.
However, we will leave you with following tweet from Florida receiver Quinton Dunbar, who apparently has a real soft spot for Urban Meyer:
Lol lets see if Urban Meyer play sick again #UnLoyal
— Quinton Dunbar (@QuintonDunbar1) December 8, 2013
In English, it's disloyal, but still pretty super fantastic.
Super Play of the Day
Pittsburgh -3 (-120)
12.07.2013
December 7, 2013
Fresh off the Super Play of the Year Monday night, the Crew has somehow hit two in a row to push our record to an 9-12 for the season. We'll look to build on this extraordinary success with not one but two Super Plays today. But first a rambling thought...
**Disclaimer: Though I live roughly three miles from UW, I didn't go there nor do I care about them. I went to Arizona State, the Harvard of the desert.
USC Athletic Director Pat Haden, a one-time Rhodes Scholar, is a pretty smart guy. And having been an NFL quarterback, an accomplished national broadcaster, a practicing attorney and a partner at a private equity firm, he's far more successful on a professional level that I'll ever be.
But you'd never know it based on some of the shit he's pulled recently.
First, he hired Steve Sarkisian. The same Steve Sarkisian who went a pedestrian 34-29 at Washington.
After dispatching Lane Kiffin midseason, Haden had more than two months to scour the the landscape, seek advice and evaluate a long list of qualified candidates to fill what is easily one of the top jobs in football, college or pro -- and he arrived at Steve Sarkisian.
It should be pointed out that when Sarkisian took over at Washington it was program in shambles (0-12 the year before arrived) and he immediately made it respectable, guiding the Huskies to a 5-7 record and an upset victory over, ironically enough, third-ranked USC.
The following year, Washington went to the Holiday Bowl, beating nationally ranked Nebraska. At the time, it was considered a springboard win, one that would propel the program back to national prominence.
Not so much.
His final three seasons in Seattle were remarkably uninspiring, as the Huskies were on the wrong end of a string of lopsided losses against ranked opponents, time and time and time and time and time and time and time again.
In fact, there was distinct possibility that he would have been fired this week had the Huskies not staged a second-half comeback against in-state rival Washington State in the Apple Cup.
But there was Haden anyway, introducing his new coach at a press conference Tuesday, telling reporters that Sarkisian, a former assistant under Pete Carroll, knew the ins and outs of the USC program, and thus had greater level of understanding of what it took to win big and attract players, using the same rationale that led North Carolina to hire Matt Doherty.
And, as we all know, that turned out awesome.
Then, Haden made things worse - much worse. Describing the days leading up to his decision to hire Sarkisian, Haden said, 'This has been the hardest few days of my life.'
Go fuck yourself.
My six-month son was born with a micro cleft on his lip and mild cleft palette. He'll have a surgery at the end of this month and another one in June. A year from now, he'll be fine. Five years from now, he'll probably have no idea what he went through.
But having spent spent some time at Seattle Children's Hospital recently, I can tell you that most of the kids I've seen there won't be so lucky. They'll struggle for the rest of their lives.
If you ever want some perspective, visit a children's hospital. Those kids, along with their families, are dealing with real life and death issues.
So if you think hiring a football coach is hard, you don't know what hard is -- and you're also an asshole.
And if all this weren't bad enough, Haden's week got even worse Thursday, when word filtered out that he passed on chance to hire Boise State's Chris Petersen, who has won 92 games in eight years, including two BCS bowls.
CBS Sports college football writer Bruce Feldman reported that the two men talked about the position but ultimately Haden decided that Petersen didn't share his 'vision' for the USC program. Apparently, Petersen's vision of winning and winning big didn't fit with Haden's vision making asinine statements and hiring unqualified football coaches.
To be clear: Even if Petersen walked into the interview with prostitute, and his two conditions for taking the job were that he wanted smoke peyote before games and coach in the nude, Haden's response should have been: 'Win a 11 games a year, and you can do whatever the fuck you want. How much is the check and who do I make it out to?'
Of course, in an ironic twist, Petersen replaced Sarkisian Washington on Friday, which for Husky fans was like trading in a Ford Festiva for Mercedes S Class.
Pat Haden now drives a Ford Festiva. Let us know how that shit handles in a couple years, dog.
(we decided against a second super play)
**Disclaimer: Though I live roughly three miles from UW, I didn't go there nor do I care about them. I went to Arizona State, the Harvard of the desert.
USC Athletic Director Pat Haden, a one-time Rhodes Scholar, is a pretty smart guy. And having been an NFL quarterback, an accomplished national broadcaster, a practicing attorney and a partner at a private equity firm, he's far more successful on a professional level that I'll ever be.
But you'd never know it based on some of the shit he's pulled recently.
First, he hired Steve Sarkisian. The same Steve Sarkisian who went a pedestrian 34-29 at Washington.
After dispatching Lane Kiffin midseason, Haden had more than two months to scour the the landscape, seek advice and evaluate a long list of qualified candidates to fill what is easily one of the top jobs in football, college or pro -- and he arrived at Steve Sarkisian.
It should be pointed out that when Sarkisian took over at Washington it was program in shambles (0-12 the year before arrived) and he immediately made it respectable, guiding the Huskies to a 5-7 record and an upset victory over, ironically enough, third-ranked USC.
The following year, Washington went to the Holiday Bowl, beating nationally ranked Nebraska. At the time, it was considered a springboard win, one that would propel the program back to national prominence.
Not so much.
His final three seasons in Seattle were remarkably uninspiring, as the Huskies were on the wrong end of a string of lopsided losses against ranked opponents, time and time and time and time and time and time and time again.
In fact, there was distinct possibility that he would have been fired this week had the Huskies not staged a second-half comeback against in-state rival Washington State in the Apple Cup.
But there was Haden anyway, introducing his new coach at a press conference Tuesday, telling reporters that Sarkisian, a former assistant under Pete Carroll, knew the ins and outs of the USC program, and thus had greater level of understanding of what it took to win big and attract players, using the same rationale that led North Carolina to hire Matt Doherty.
And, as we all know, that turned out awesome.
Then, Haden made things worse - much worse. Describing the days leading up to his decision to hire Sarkisian, Haden said, 'This has been the hardest few days of my life.'
Go fuck yourself.
My six-month son was born with a micro cleft on his lip and mild cleft palette. He'll have a surgery at the end of this month and another one in June. A year from now, he'll be fine. Five years from now, he'll probably have no idea what he went through.
But having spent spent some time at Seattle Children's Hospital recently, I can tell you that most of the kids I've seen there won't be so lucky. They'll struggle for the rest of their lives.
If you ever want some perspective, visit a children's hospital. Those kids, along with their families, are dealing with real life and death issues.
So if you think hiring a football coach is hard, you don't know what hard is -- and you're also an asshole.
And if all this weren't bad enough, Haden's week got even worse Thursday, when word filtered out that he passed on chance to hire Boise State's Chris Petersen, who has won 92 games in eight years, including two BCS bowls.
CBS Sports college football writer Bruce Feldman reported that the two men talked about the position but ultimately Haden decided that Petersen didn't share his 'vision' for the USC program. Apparently, Petersen's vision of winning and winning big didn't fit with Haden's vision making asinine statements and hiring unqualified football coaches.
To be clear: Even if Petersen walked into the interview with prostitute, and his two conditions for taking the job were that he wanted smoke peyote before games and coach in the nude, Haden's response should have been: 'Win a 11 games a year, and you can do whatever the fuck you want. How much is the check and who do I make it out to?'
Of course, in an ironic twist, Petersen replaced Sarkisian Washington on Friday, which for Husky fans was like trading in a Ford Festiva for Mercedes S Class.
Pat Haden now drives a Ford Festiva. Let us know how that shit handles in a couple years, dog.
Super Play of the Day
Michigan St. +5.5(we decided against a second super play)
12.02.2013
December 2, 2013
Super Play of the Year
Seahawks -4.5
It's blatant homerism, but this number is short for a variety of reasons.
First and foremost, Seattle is the better team, especially at home, where it's hard to find many good reasons to go against them with less than a TD in your pocket.
It's blatant homerism, but this number is short for a variety of reasons.
First and foremost, Seattle is the better team, especially at home, where it's hard to find many good reasons to go against them with less than a TD in your pocket.
Also, the last time there was this much local hype surrounding a game was earlier this year, when the Seahawks hosted the 49ers in Week 2. The city didn't shut up about it all summer. Final score: Seattle 29, San Francisco 3.
Additionally, it's worth noting tonight's local weather report, which is calling for temperatures in the low 30's with winds coming out of the north (which means f-ing cold) and a chance for snow.
And if that's not enough, look no further than here, the last time New Orleans played a game outdoors.
Additionally, it's worth noting tonight's local weather report, which is calling for temperatures in the low 30's with winds coming out of the north (which means f-ing cold) and a chance for snow.
And if that's not enough, look no further than here, the last time New Orleans played a game outdoors.
11.23.2013
November 23, 2013
Shockingly, backing the Jags didn't work out for The Crew last Sunday. It dropped our record to 7-12 for the year, meaning we have to win today to reach 40 percent. Nice effort.
Ultimately, anyone putting money on Jacksonville is an asshole. Write that down and lock it away in your mind, because that's right up there with 'Don't Drink and Drive, 'Do Unto Others as They Would Do to You' and 'Never mix ether and Ecstasy.' Live it, love it, learn it.
We literally have nothing to say, so just a few quick thoughts before getting to the Super Play of the Day, which will be terrible...
We start with ESPN sports business reporter Darren Rovell, who on Friday offered this impressive perspective concerning the John F Kennedy's death, 50 years later:
Via Johnny Detroit of Pregame.com, the top five teams in the BCS -- Alabama, FSU, Ohio State, Baylor and Oregon -- are 35-12-2 ATS (74 percent) this year...
Florida State is a -750000 ML favorite today against Idaho, meaning oddsmakers give the Vandals a .002 percent chance of winning...
Desmond Howard opened Gameday this morning by saying one the big questions about the Texas A&M-LSU game tonight was how Johnny Manziel would play on the road. Johnny Manziel has never lost on the road. Keep it up, ESPN...
Ultimately, anyone putting money on Jacksonville is an asshole. Write that down and lock it away in your mind, because that's right up there with 'Don't Drink and Drive, 'Do Unto Others as They Would Do to You' and 'Never mix ether and Ecstasy.' Live it, love it, learn it.
We literally have nothing to say, so just a few quick thoughts before getting to the Super Play of the Day, which will be terrible...
We start with ESPN sports business reporter Darren Rovell, who on Friday offered this impressive perspective concerning the John F Kennedy's death, 50 years later:
Lee Harvey Oswald was paid $11 a day for his job at the book depository for his work from 8AM-445PM.
— darren rovell (@darrenrovell) November 22, 2013
Via Johnny Detroit of Pregame.com, the top five teams in the BCS -- Alabama, FSU, Ohio State, Baylor and Oregon -- are 35-12-2 ATS (74 percent) this year...
Florida State is a -750000 ML favorite today against Idaho, meaning oddsmakers give the Vandals a .002 percent chance of winning...
Desmond Howard opened Gameday this morning by saying one the big questions about the Texas A&M-LSU game tonight was how Johnny Manziel would play on the road. Johnny Manziel has never lost on the road. Keep it up, ESPN...
Super Play of the Day
Oklahoma St +9.5
11.17.2013
November 17, 2013
After a long week, there was no Super Play on Saturday. We apologize to the zero people who were impacted by its exclusion from their weekend routine. Last Sunday, we offered up more fade material, missing with the Bears. The lost dropped our record to 7-11 for the year.
A couple thoughts before the Super Play, which is a guaranteed winner, our Five-Star, AAA-rated Play of the Year...
The national media has its tongue down Ed Orgeron's throat this morning, with slew of columns (here and here, for instance) circulating suggesting that USC athletic director Pat Haden should take the interim tag off 'Coach O' and make him the permanent head coach of the Trojans moving forward.
That would be ridiculous.
Sure, Orgeron has injected new life into the program after taking over for Lane Kiffin in late September, since leading the Trojans to a 5-1 record and into the thick of the Pac-12 South race. And by all accounts, Oregeron is a wonderfully engaging guy and a dynamic recruiter with an infectious personality -- all attributes that any athletic director should be looking for in a potential head coach.
But as was pointed out on Twitter by Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times last night, this isn't exactly an underdog coming together as one and overcoming enormous odds to achieve an impossible dream. This is a roster full of five-star recruits and NFL prospects finally accomplishing the bare minimum of what they should have been doing in the first place.
And while Orgeron has been cathartic for USC players and fans after the Kiffin clusterfuck, there's no way Haden can give him the keys to the Trojans full-time.
USC is basically a multi-million dollar corporation, and its next CEO must have an established track record of successfully managing large enterprises. Given his 10-25 record at Ole Miss, his only other stint as a head coach, it's impossible to say that Orgeron is that guy...
Condolences if you had the Bulldogs +3.5. Incidentally, Gary Danielson of CBS suggested afterward that it was hard to fault the Georgia defensive backs who tried to make a play on the ball rather than knocking it down -- as they are no doubt taught -- saying their instinct took over.
Absolutely not.
What is practice or film session, if not an every-day effort by coaches to tone down and harness the natural instincts of each individual player in order to successfully integrate them into a system that seeks the betterment of the overall team. It's not hard. Knock the fucking ball down...
Super Play
Jags +9
*NO CARSON PALMER QUARTERBACKED TEAM SHOULD BE FAVORED BY MORE THAN A TOUCHDOWN ON THE ROAD, EVER.
11.10.2013
November 10, 2013
Amazingly, the Super Play won easily Saturday, as Minnesota continues to cash for their backers. Going into the game, the Gophers were the first team since Arizona in 2007 to win outright as a dog of a touchdown or more. It ran our record to 7-10 for the season.
No extended Playhouse today. We have neither the time nor the energy this morning (don't have kids) to come up with something that's even remotely compelling.
Look for something mid week, if you care, which you don't and probably shouldn't.
No extended Playhouse today. We have neither the time nor the energy this morning (don't have kids) to come up with something that's even remotely compelling.
Look for something mid week, if you care, which you don't and probably shouldn't.
Super Play of the Day
Bears -1.5
11.09.2013
Train wreck
After Thursday's 'special' Super Play - which was terrible - we can only be described thusly:
Our record dropped to 6-10 for the year and we are fade material from here on out. We'll be back tomorrow with a more robust version of the Playhouse.
Super Play of the Day
Minnesota -2.5
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