Good Ole Boys

I watched a little bit of the Boise St./Arizona St. game the other night and I’m sitting there thinking, “ What the heck am I doing watching Boise play a 6-6 team?” Nothing against ASU, but they simply were not up to taking on Boise St. Boise won the game 58-26 or something like that. Boise had a record of 11-1.

Boise St. lost one game this year to a very good TCU team and they got banished to Siberia in the bowl matchups. Why? Because they are not part of the BCS, that special group of college programs from the “power” conferences. They’re not part of the good ole boys group. If I was Boise St. I’d be really ticked off. Yeah, I know, they’re going to the Big East next year so it will all be all right. But they shouldn’t have to. If you’re good, you’re good. And these guys are good.

“They don’t play a tough enough schedule,” some say. So, they go to a bowl and beat mighty Oklahoma. “Oklahoma didn’t want to be there,” some whined. Baloney! They went to Virginia Tech last year and beat the Hokies. “Luck!” they cried. “Let’s see them schedule the SEC”. So they scheduled Georgia, went TO Georgia and beat them. “Well, they couldn’t do that week in and week out,” they declared. By the way, Georgia was in the SEC championship game.

So, I’m fed up with this BCS system. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a Big 10 fan and they are a BCS conference. But right is right. And who would I like to see Boise play? Oh man, how about Boise vs. Arkansas, Notre Dame, or Michigan? Now that’s what we should see. But to watch a great team play a 6-6 team, just wasn’t right.
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Pujols to Angels

I admit, I was very saddened when I heard that Albert Pujols was leaving my beloved St. Louis Cardinals to sign with the L.A. Angels. I wasn’t sad for the Cards, heck, they will be fine. I was sad to see the best player in baseball, a Cardinal icon, and great humanitarian leave St. Louis. It was so enjoyable to watch Pujols play. Not only is he one of the best hitters of all time, he plays excellent defense, runs the bases well, and makes smart plays. He is also a great team leader. The Angels are getting a heck of a player.

But I was uneasy with the amount of money it was going to take to resign Albert. The Cardinals were offering $200 million over ten years. That was too much for too long. Only because Albert had become the face of the Cardinals, second only to the great Stan Musial, would have I and apparently the Cardinals paid so much. Now that he is gone, I’m ALMOST relieved the Cards didn’t sign him. I can’t believe I’m saying that! But it frees up money to sign other players for a more balanced team.

Consider, in baseball, no matter how good you are, a player usually gets four at bats per game. And the worst hitter on the team also gets four at bats per game. It’s the same for everyone, superstar or not. So, Pujols could only hit four times, the same as Skip Schumacher or Yadier Molina. In football, I can get my stud thirty carries a game. In basketball the star can shoot twice as much as the entire team (or more). Thus, the star can only do so much. And Pujols, the biggest star of all, can only do so much.

I will miss Sir Albert, we all will, but the Cardinals will be OK. They won nine World Series titles without him and they’ll win more without him. He can’t be replaced but someone else will get their chance. Isn’t that what we tell a kid in football? When a starter goes down, we grab that young back up, look him in the eye and say, “It’s your turn man, you’re ready, get in there and play hard”. And that’s exactly what the Cardinals will have to do.

LSU - Alabama II

About a month ago I wrote a blog of the LSU – Alabama football game that ended 9-6 in overtime. I thought it was a great game and said so. Not everyone agreed. Seems the definition of a good game these days is 52-35. Now we are faced with a rematch for the national title. Good idea? Talk about controversy! This BCS season is full of it.

I saw a poll on CBSsports.com that indicated that only 34% of fans favor this matchup and a whopping 66% believe Oklahoma St. deserves a shot at the Tigers. I’m not sure where I stand on this one. Yes I do. I really think LSU is the best team in the country and Alabama is a very close second. Okie St. is right behind them. Based on that and the BCS system, it has to be LSU vs. Alabama. But I would RATHER see Oklahoma St. in the title game. I would compare it to boxing in the old days; when a contender got beat by the champ, they got the next contender in line to challenge. Alabama had their chance, AT HOME no less, and got beat. Let’s give someone else a shot. But that’s not how the BCS works. According to the rules, it must be BCS #1 against BCS #2, end of story. So, like it or not, that’s the matchup.

That brings us to the subject of a playoff. Seems everyone wants a playoff. You know, if we had a playoff it would probably end up with Kansas St. vs. Boise St. for the championship, which is OK with me, but not glamorous enough for the masses. Anytime you have a tournament there are upsets, that’s how I came up with Boise against KSU. Hey, who could’ve predicted UConn vs. Butler for the round ball championship last year? One way to do a playoff would be to take the top eight in the BCS standings and have a tourney. These would be the eight teams:

1. LSU
2. Alabama
3. Oklahoma St.
4. Stanford
5. Oregon
6. Arkansas
7. Boise St.
8. Kansas St.

Nope, no one from the Big Ten. And in a seeded tourney #2 always plays #7. That would put Alabama against Boise in the first round. Alabama would be out because we know none of the “big boys” can beat Boise. If we had a tourney for conference champions, these would be some of the teams:

Clemson Northern Illinois
Oklahoma St. Oregon
Wisconsin Arkansas St.
West Virginia
Southern Miss.
TCU
LSU

Which would you favor? Frankly, I could go with either.

Finally, how about the bowl matchups? I feel bad for Boise. Everyone knows how good they are but they continue to get robbed. Same with TCU. How did Virginia Tech get a BCS bowl after a beat down by Clemson? And Michigan? What’s with that? Sometimes I really dislike this BCS stuff.

Well, there you have it. Coach Grant’s take on the state of college football. There will be some good matchups, and I’m going to enjoy them. I’m looking forward to Stanford vs. Oklahoma St. the most. How about you?

Hey, if you like free football instruction, visit Chiefpigskin.com everyday!

Me and Uncle Bill

My uncle Bill passed away about a year ago; he was only about 68 but had been in failing health for a couple of years. At his funeral I couldn’t help but think back about all the time we had spent together. I was pretty close to all my uncles but probably closer to my uncle Bill than any of the others. He was a good guy, very patient, kind and generous. I used to go squirrel hunting with my Dad and uncles and sometimes I’d tag along and hunt with Dad and sometimes I’d tag along with Uncle Bill. He was always willing to take me along. But our favorite activity to do together was to go to a high school football game every weekend. Starting when I was about 11 or 12 we would pick out the local game that we thought would be the best and then we’d go. We saw some great games over the years but the one that stands out the most took place on Friday night November 5, 1965 at Peoria Public Schools Stadium in Peoria, IL.

Spalding, the city of Peoria’s catholic high school of about 900 students and tough every year, came into the game at 7-0 and was coached by feisty, little Merv Haycock. Pekin, a nearby community of about 30,000, coached by veteran Joe Venturi, also came in at 7-0. Pekin had roughly 3,000 students. They were tied for the conference lead and this game figured to determine the champ. There were no playoffs in those days so winning the conference championship was the ultimate goal of every team. Pekin was a big strong team with talented skill players. Probably their best team ever. Spalding was smaller, quicker, and although undefeated also, the underdog. This game had been anticipated for the past month by the entire Peoria area. Uncle Bill and I knew which game we were going to that weekend.

The game started at 8 p.m. and we knew we had to get there early. Peoria Stadium held about 7,000 people and we figured it would be a full house. By 5 p.m. about 200 persons were waiting outside the ticket windows, which opened at 6:30. That’s when we got there. The stadium was already half full but we got a decent seat. By 7 p.m. it was full, but the crowd kept pouring in. It was a calm, cool night, perfect for football. By 7:30 there was a thick haze that hung over the field like a heavy fog. It was cigarette smoke! Heck, everybody back in those days smoked and there were no restrictions as to where smoking was allowed. I had never witnessed such a site in my life nor have I since. Finally, in front of an overflow crowd of 10,100 the game started at 8. I was pumped.

Spalding struck for a touchdown on the second play from scrimmage, an electrifying 62 yard pass play from QB Dick McQuellon to halfback Bob Beckman. As the clock showed 10:42 to play in the first period Beckman kicked the extra point through. Spalding had another first quarter assault underway after forcing a Pekin punt, moving from their own 32 to the Pekin 16. Pekin’s defense toughened up and stopped them cold. Pekin came back to tie the score in the second quarter, Steve Tumilty climaxing an 80 yard drive with a one yard plunge. Dennis Hurley kicked the extra point and with 4:16 to go in the second quarter it was tied 7-7. That’s how the half ended. The game was living up to its billing.

The second half was dominated by Pekin as Spalding rarely got the ball. Pekin played ball control and was able to move the ball well. Their best drive came at the end of the third quarter when they got the ball on their own 3 yard line after a 63 yard Spalding punt. As the quarter changed Pekin moved from their own 3 to the Spalding 8 before stalling at that point. Spalding was held to a three and out and punted out to the 40. There were 4 ½ minutes to play. After trading turnovers, a fumble and an interception, Pekin had one last chance. They reached midfield and ended with a swing pass to the flat. The headline the next morning of the Peoria Journal Star read:

Spalding 7, Pekin 7 in Thriller
Beckman, Tumilty Score
As 10,000 See Game

We couldn’t believe it. A tie. We drove home talking about the game. Uncle Bill figured Pekin outplayed them but Spalding held when they had to. Both teams went on to finish 9-0-1 and shared the conference title. There were no playoffs in those days so when the season was over that was it. By the way, could one of the teams gone for two after their touchdown? Nope. That was before high school had the two point conversion. You could run or pass it in but you still only got one point. We saw a lot of games, my uncle and me, but that one was the best. Thanks once again to www.chiefpigskin.com for providing a place for my stories and more football news. Happy Thanksgiving.

LSU - Alabama

In my last blog “When There Were Ties” I wrote about the epic 10-10 tie that #1 Notre Dame and #2 Michigan State played to in 1966. I watched that game and 45 years later I watched #1 LSU play #2 Alabama. To my amazement I watched another tie. This one was 6-6 at the end of 60 minutes. The difference between 1966 and 2011 is that we now have overtime. And in that overtime LSU’s defense stopped Alabama cold and forced them into a 52 yard field goal attempt. It wasn’t even close. LSU took the ball inside the 10 and kicked the game winner for a 9-6 win over the Crimson Tide.

This game featured the best college defense by two teams I’ve ever seen. Both teams had a ferocious defense and I thoroughly enjoyed the game. It was well played and not sloppy. Any turnovers were caused by great defense and not by poor offensive execution. Man oh man, these guys hit and neither team blinked. So, I’m wondering how so many people found the game boring. Not enough scoring! Are you kidding me? This was great football. They hammered, hit, scrapped, clawed, and made each other EARN every inch of turf. That’s football. Although I enjoy high scoring games I don’t need them to appreciate football. Sometimes I get bored watching teams score TOO much in this day of high powered offenses. Guess I’m showing my age.

On a side note, do you remember the rest of the story in 1966 when ND and MSU finished 9-0-1 and shared the national championship? Neither team went to a bowl game that year. That’s right, no bowl game for either team. Prior to the 70’s Notre Dame did not accept bowl invitations. Why, you ask? I don’t know, you’ll have to ask them. The Big Ten only participated in one bowl-the Rose Bowl. And that was reserved for the Big Ten champ. No other teams were allowed to play in a bowl. Michigan St. was not allowed to go to the Rose Bowl because the Big Ten had a rule that a team could not go to the Rose Bowl two years in a row, and MSU played UCLA the year before in the Rose Bowl. The 2nd place team went instead. Hard to believe, but that’s how it was. Not like now when everyone and his brother goes to a bowl game. Just for the fun of it, let’s take a look at the ’66 bowl games. There were only ten of them.

Dec. 10 Liberty Bowl Miami FL 14 – Virginia Tech 7
Dec. 10 Tangerine Bowl Morgan St. 14 – West Chester 6
Dec. 10 Camellia Bowl San Diego St. 28 – Montana St. 7
Dec. 17 Bluebonnet Bowl Texas 19 – Mississippi 0
Dec. 24 Sun Bowl Wyoming 28 – Florida St. 20
Dec. 31 Cotton Bowl Georgia 24 – SMU 9
Dec. 31 Gator Bowl Tennessee 18 – Syracuse 12
Jan. 2 Sugar Bowl Alabama 34 – Nebraska 7
Jan. 2 Orange Bowl Florida 27 – Georgia Tech 12
Jan. 2 Rose Bowl Purdue 14 – Southern Cal 13

That’s it. Bowls were very special and some good teams were left out. Keep checking in on www.chiefpigskin for all your football needs and I’ll be back with more stories soon.

When There Were Ties

How many of you are old enough to remember the 10-10 tie Notre Dame and Michigan St. played in 1966? Probably only a few of us. The game was played on November 19, 1966 at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, Michigan. I waited and waited for that doggone game and I sat there and watched every minute of it. You see, back then there was only one college game televised per week. That’s right, ONE! There was no ESPN, FOX, TNN, BTN, or anything other than the big three - ABC, NBC, and CBS. Only one had the rights to the game of the week. So, I looked forward to that one game on TV every week and it was just about always the premier game in the country. They could afford to be very picky.

Notre Dame and Michigan St. were ranked #1 and #2 all season. Notre Dame was ranked #1 in one poll and #2 in the other. MSU was ranked #2 in one poll and #1 in the other. So, who was really #1? This game would decide it. They both came into the game undefeated, ND 8-0 and MSU 9-0. The buildup for the game was tremendous; this was the first time in 20 years that a college football game was given the "Game of the Century" tag by the national media. The Spartans were coached by old Duffy Daugherty, the veteran coach of the Big Ten. The Irish were coached by the legendary Ara Parseghian, one of the best. I was about 15 years old and a football junkie. On Saturday mornings I played on the high school sophomore team, Friday nights I went to the varsity game, Saturday afternoon I watched the college game of the week and on Sunday I watched the Bears or Packers. Homework? I don’t remember doing it-I disliked school work very much. I’m not proud of that, but that was me. Oh yeah, no girlfriend either. Got in the way of football. So, there I sat in front of that TV with my Pepsi and snacks.

Irish quarterback Terry Hanratty was knocked out after getting sacked in the first quarter by Spartan defensive lineman Bubba Smith. Michigan State jumped out to 7-0 lead early in the 2nd quarter. Later in the half they added a field goal for a 10-0 lead. But the Irish came right back scoring on about a 35 yard pass play. MSU took a 10-7 lead to the half. I was enjoying a great game. Notre Dame tied the game early in the 4th quarter on a field goal. Who was going to get the winning score? I was ready for an exciting finish. Late in the game, Notre Dame had the ball on its own 30-yard line with 1:10 to go. They needed about 40 yards for a game-winning field goal. But Coach Parseghian, not wanting to risk a turnover that could hand the game to the Spartans, chose to run the clock out, preserving the tie and Notre Dame's # 1 ranking. The last play of the game was a QB sneak by Notre Dame that gained 5 yards. Game over. I sat there, Pepsi in hand, staring blankly at the TV. A tie? I waited and watched all that for a tie?

For over 40 years, Parseghian has defended his end-of-the-game strategy, which left many fans feeling disappointed at the game not having some sort of resolution. Michigan State fans and other Notre Dame detractors called him a coward, and college football expert Dan Jenkins lead off his article for Sports Illustrated by saying Parseghian chose to "Tie one for the Gipper." In that same article, Parseghian was quoted as saying, "We'd fought hard to come back and tie it up. After all that, I didn't want to risk giving it to them cheap. We get reckless and it could cost us the game. I wasn't going to do a jackass thing like that at this point."
The tie resulted in 9–0–1 seasons for both Michigan State and Notre Dame. The final AP poll put the Irish and the Spartans at #1 and #2, ranking both teams above the undefeated and two times defending national champion 11–0 Alabama. Both schools shared the MacArthur Trophy, while Alabama was denied recognition for its accomplishment.

We no longer have ties, and I’m thankful for that, but we do have the BCS and so controversy remains a part of college football. But I’ll never forget that game and in fact was the 2nd greatly anticipated game for me in less than a year. I went to local high school game that was dubbed “Game of the Century” in 1965, but that’s another story. I’ll share that with you soon. Right now, its playoff time in Illinois and I get to watch more football. The fun just never ends. Keep following the documentaries on www.chiefpigskin.com and enjoy the greatest team sport ever.

Patience

There was a kindergarten teacher who was getting her students ready to go home for the day. She noticed that one little boy was struggling with his cowboy boots. He was having a hard time getting them on, so she decided to go over and help him. She pushed and pushed, he pulled and pulled, finally, she got the boots on. The little boy looked up at the teacher and said," They’re on the wrong feet." So she took the boots back off of the little boy. She pulled and pulled, he pushed and pushed, and finally they got the boots off. She switched the shoes to the other feet and pushed and pushed as the little boy pulled. Finally, they got the boots back on. The little boy looked at the boots, then looked at his teacher and said, “These are not my boots." So, the teacher helped him get the boots back off with much pushing and pulling. When they finally got them off the little boy looked at the teacher and said, "They are my brother’s boots. My mom told me to go ahead and wear them today”. So the teacher helped the little boy put the boots back on. She pushed; he pulled until they got the boots back on. She took the little boy over to get his coat on and helped him with his coat and put on his hat. "Where are your mittens?" she asked. "They’re in my boots," replied the little boy.

Patience is required of a kindergarten teacher. Heck, patience is required of all of us. We need to have patience with our own children, our spouse, friends, and coworkers. And we certainly need to have patience with our team when the season is not going as planned. Or, maybe the season is going like you thought it would. You knew it was going to be a long year. Either way, this is the time of year when we are tested. Not everyone is undefeated or only has 1 or 2 losses at this point. For every 7-0 team there is an 0-7. For every 6-1 team there is a 1-6, and so on. I’ve been on both sides and believe me; I know how tough it is to hang in there with many disappointments.

But the fact is we have to keep coaching, keep teaching, and keep doing things the right way. The kids deserve that, and they’re watching us. So my encouragement to you is to be patient and stay the course. When all is said and done, you won’t be sorry. By the way, I’ve noticed on Chiefpigskin.com that some of the teams doing documentaries are struggling. Not all are winning every game. Real teams, real life, and we’re all in it together.

For the teams that are winning, it’s getting exciting. The playoffs are just around the corner and I can’t wait. Good luck down the stretch!