The (Not So) Big 12

As an opponent to the relocation of the Seattle SuperSonics to Oklahoma City, Mark Cuban said, “My prejudice is against having a Dust Bowl Division in this part of the country. I don’t think in the big picture that helps the NBA. I think a bigger market helps the NBA.”

Indeed, Cuban ended up being one of only two NBA owners to vote against the Sonics move. Cuban’s characterization of a “Dust Bowl Division” made such an impact that I began to revisit it during the recent conference realignment talk. I have no allegiance to any Big XII school, but I enjoy watching Texas and Texas A&M play. When the chatter surrounding their possible departure for the West Coast began to build, I felt a sense of joy watching the NCAA’s “Dust Bowl Division” fall apart at the seams.

Since its inception, the Big XII conference lacked the natural rivalries of the old Southwest Conference, failed to capture the pageantry of the SEC and, with the exception of Dallas and Houston, lacked major media markets of the coastal conferences. Try as I might, I could not pump myself up for Texas/Iowa State or A&M/Kansas.

Say what you want about the history of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State, but watching them play the Aggies failed to capture the excitement of A&M/Arkansas or even the longstanding non-conference rivalry of A&M/LSU.

Okie State has played Texas tough a couple of times over the past decade, but the series lacks the history that a Texas/TCU series could provide (I’ll see your Barry Sanders, raise you a Davey O’Brien, Sammy Baugh and L.T.).

Growing up in the Ark-La-Tex area, I watched a lot of SEC football. I dreamed of one day seeing both Texas and A&M making the move East and joining THE ultimate football conference, getting a chance to expose Texas-style football to homes in Nashville, Jacksonville and Atlanta. The Pac-16 story broke and I recognized that it lacked the appeal of a jump to the SEC, but it definitely seemed better than staying put. Goodbye cornfields and grain, hello Hollywood and beaches!

Fans expressed fear of rivalries being destroyed, but Texas, A&M, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Texas Tech would have remained together. Would people really miss Kansas State/Oklahoma State that much?

Fans expressed fear of late start times, even though ABC traditionally shows the Pac-10 game of the week in prime-time at the exact same time as the Big XII game of the week.

Some fans even expressed concerns over the cultural differences between the Big XII South schools and some of the West Coast schools, asking what the reception for the Corps of Cadets would be like in Berkeley.

As the cards began to fall last week, first with Colorado bolting to the Pac-10 and then with Nebraska leaving for the Big 10, news began to leak that A&M might break from the herd and head to the SEC. I recognized this would be a much tougher road for the Aggies, but also provided long-term potential and viability for a program in desperate need of revival.

Now it appears that Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State have decided to put all their cards into the Dust Bowl Conference.  Simply put, this conference sucks!

The four Texas schools of the Big XII South would have been better served to take the “f you, we’re from Texas” route and brought the band back together–the old Southwest Conference. TCU, SMU and Houston are vastly improved from the last days of the Southwest Conference. TCU would battle for third place in the Big XII as presently constructed. Both SMU and Houston are headed in an upward direction, while Iowa State, Kansas and Kansas State appear headed downwards. Rice has always been the sickly brother of the group, but that doesn’t stop Texas from padding their stats against them every season. The newly formed Southwest Conference could even extend invitations to North Texas and UTEP to make it a truly Texas conference and to give you the magic “10″ number.

However, it appears that the geniuses in Austin feared losing the Topeka and Ames television markets and feared a generation of children growing up without the great Baylor/Missouri rivalry, so we’re stuck watching Texas and Oklahoma dominate the regular season, only to lose to a SEC school in the BCS. Eventually, the ‘Horned Hubris will catch up with the conference and it’s relevancy will be like dust in the wind.

Texas High School Football Playoffs: A Broken System

Driving around my neighborhood tonight, I noticed yellow ribbons everywhere–on fences, stop signs and in front of houses. While I do live in fiercely patriotic community, these ribbons are not part of a military salute, but rather part of a unique Texas high school football tradition. This week marks the start of the Texas high school football playoffs, one of the most exciting events in all of sports. During the playoffs, the Highland Park community places yellow ribbons around town to show their solidarity with their local team (HPHS’s school color are navy and yellow).  It’s one Highland Park tradition that reminds me of home.

As a kid growing up in rural East Texas, high school football meant the world to me. The performance of our local football team defined our community. Making the playoffs sent a message to surrounding communities that we excelled in something uniquely Texan and served as a rallying point for everyone in town. I still remember the first playoff game I attended. In 1983,my Atlanta Rabbits took on the Carthage Bulldogs at Longview’s Lobo Stadium. My Rabbits lost that night, but this brief glimpse into this spectacular new world engendered an insatiable appetite for the game. Years passed before our next playoff appearance and the mystique surrounding them grew.  Then in 1990, the Rabbits entered a new era, one punctuated by an appearance in the state championship game in 1994.

Part of what made the playoffs so exciting was the selective nature of the system. Eleven man football in the state was broken into five classifications based on school enrollment. Each classification consisted of approximately 200 schools, divided into districts. Prior to the mid 80′s, only one school from each district–the district champion–advanced to the playoffs for a five week tournament. In the mid 80′s, the UIL, the state’s governing board for sports, decided to expand the playoff format and take the district champion and runner-up to compete in a 64 team field, stretched over six weeks.

In both scenarios, only the best teams advanced to the post-season and at the end of the year, each classification crowned one champion. This changed in 1998 when the UIL created two divisions within each classification (2A-5A, 1A would not adopt the policy until 2006)–a large school division with 32 teams and a small school division with 64 teams. The top 3 teams from each classification advanced to the playoffs, with the school with the largest enrollment going in the big school division and the other two teams advancing through the small school division (5A adopted this system in 1990 & 4A in 1996, but 1998 was the first season for 3A and 2A).

Under this new system, teams with sub-.500 records began earning playoff spots and each classification crowned TWO state champions. A team could finish in third place in a district and advance to win a state title. To say the least, the playoffs became watered down and state titles lost some of their luster.

For example, in 2003, the Atlanta Rabbits won the 3A Division II state championship, 34-0 over Marlin,  in one of the most dominating performances in a state championship game in Texas history and earning my alma mater their first state title in football. I watched from the stands that day and celebrated with my friends after the game, but something about the title felt cheap. Indeed, the weekend before, Gainesville High School had won the 3A Division I state title. We’ll never know if Atlanta or Gainesville had the better team (although Atlanta has won every meeting with Gainesville) and in my mind the championship will always feel like a co-championship. In some ways, I’m more impressed with our state finals appearance in 1994, a 36-15 loss.

Now the UIL has watered the system down even more, taking four teams from each district–two for each division–in 4A & 5A.  That means that at least half of the district makes the playoffs in most cases, 128 total teams in those two classifications.

What kind of champions do you get in this kind of system?

Let’s look at the two state champions in 4A from last season. Austin Lake Travis won the Class 4A Division I (big school) title with a 16-0 record. Led by quarterback Garrett Gilbert (now Colt McCoy’s back-up at UT), the Cavaliers won the District 25-4A state title, winning their 16 games by an average of 33 points per game. In the state championship game, they defeated the Longview Lobos, 48-23, capping off one of the most dominating seasons in Texas football history.

The Sulphur Springs Wildcats won the Class 4A Division II state title. For a full recap on their “unusual” path to the state title, I invite you to check out a piece we published in July. Suffice it to say, they took the road less traveled, finishing third in a district that featured Longview (see above paragraph). Longview defeated Sulphur Springs in district play 32-13. Yet Longview loses in a state title game and the Wildcats hoist a trophy at the end of the season. Sulphur Springs gave up an average of 30.6 points a game, only held one team to under 20 points the entire season and gave up 30+ points seven times. Clearly Lake Travis was the best team in Class 4A, but they will forever be remembered as a “co-champion.”

The UIL must do something about the high school football playoff system. I suggest creating a 6A division for the large high schools surrounding the state’s major metropolitan areas and adjust the other classifications accordingly. Return to a single champion format for each classification, with a 64 or 32 team field playoff. If this current trend continues, Texas football’s legacy stands to be tarnished.

The NFC East bubble

Greetings from Jacksonville, Florida.  This is my first vacation in almost 6 years and I am enjoying myself thoroughly. We had a weird flight schedule that took us through New Orleans, Tampa and finally on in to Jacksonville. Along the way, I had the opportunity to pick up several local newspapers and scope our their training camp coverage for their local pro teams.

In Tampa, I picked up a copy of both the St. Petersburg Time and The Tampa Tribune. One thing that caught my eye was a blurb for Buccaneer fans wanting to attend practices.  It mentioned that the Buc’s practice facility could accomodate up to 4,000 fans.  Seriously? The Cowboys travel out of town and pull in three times as many fans at their training camp work outs.

Tonight, I watched the Jacksonville news, expecting to find some great coverage of Jaguars’ camp. Instead, the Jacksonville news seemed to be more fascinated with the University of Florida’s first practice.  Texans love college football, but unless you live in Austin, College Station or Lubbock, the Cowboys will always get more coverage than Texas’ big 3 college programs.

I began to wonder if the Cowboys were the only NFL team to draw such excitement with their training camp program, but then I remembered the crowds I have seen at Redskins’ camp, at Giants’ camp and at Eagles’ camp. I began to wonder if my football world exists inside and NFC East bubble, a land where college football is fine, but the NFL reigns supreme.

The AFC and NFC South divisions seemed to be composed of regions where college football takes priority over the professional game. It’s so weird! It reminded me of a recent conversation I heard on a Dallas sports talk radio program. SEC fans have a great product in their football programs. No one can dispute the quality of athletes and coaches within the conference. However, fans of SEC programs often treat these programs as equals, both in importance and talent, than their NFL counterparts. In a sense, they act as if college football is all they have. The Gators get the special segments, beat reporters, etc. While the Jaguars and Buccaneers get whatever is left over.While I’m sure Florida will have no problem selling out all of their home games, the Jaguars struggle selling out just one of their home games.

We do things a bit different in Texas. Yes, Colt McCoy is a household name. Depending on where you are raised, you grow up wanting to play for Tech, UT or A&M.  Going to a game at Kyle Field (especially in 1990′s), can be just as energizing as going to a game at “The Swamp.” There are more D-1, or FBS, level schools in the state of Texas than in any other state.  Texans earn more D-1 football scholarships than athletes from any other state. We get college football and we love it.

However, we realize the quality of the NFL game, both on a technical and athletic level, is greater than that of the collegiate game.  Do Floridians not understand that? Why is so little interest in Jaguar and Buccaneer football?

An absurd policy

The University of Texas-Tyler is, without a doubt, the bane of my existence. Without getting into too many details, I attended UT-Tyler for two years. I made a lot of mistakes and bad decisions during those two years, chief among them deciding to enroll in classes there.

Anytime I request a transcript from this institution, I’m told that I have a hold on my account. It’s not for any outstanding fees or missing work; it’s because I earned my degree from another university and they don’t have an official copy of my transcript from that university.

UT-Tyler’s policy, as explained to me by their admissions office, states that a hold be place on any student’s–past, present or prospective–who does not supply an official copy of all their college transcripts. This policy makes sense for a prospective student. You have to know what credits a student has earned in the past. However, I have no idea why a college I attended for two years, prior to graduating from another university, would need an official copy of a transcript from degree granting institution, when I have no intention of enrolling at UT-Tyler again. 

I first became aware of this policy a year ago and a half ago when I applied to law school. All of the other schools I attended sent my transcripts to LSAC in a timely manner. A week before my application was due for SMU, I learned that UT-Tyler still had not sent my transcript. I contacted their office immediately and they told me that I had an “admissions hold.” I talked to the Admissions Office and had the hold removed with the understanding it was removed for good.

Even though I have been accepted to law school, I decided to apply for law school in June. Imagine my surprise when I received an e-mail from the graduate school that they were missing my UT-Tyler transcript. Again, I contacted UT-Tyler and was told that I had an “admissions hold” on my account. When I told the admissions office I had resolved this issue in December, they told me that they have to reapply the hold immediately after sending out my transcript.

Does this policy make sense to anyone else?

Rangers Frustration!

As a Rangers’ fan, I should be accustomed to being frustrated. This team did a great job of teasing us all earlier this season, but now reality is beginning to set in.  We might hold on to first place for another night, but it won’t be long.  The weaknesses of this team have been exposed and until they are addressed, the team will continue to struggle and slide down the standings.

I spent a majority of the day listening to local talk radio dissect this Rangers team. The general consensus among the talking heads was that this team woes begin and end with the offense, especially one particular player.

Let’s be realistic, this Rangers team is a mess right now. No one person is to blame.  The main problem with this team is much bigger than the offense; it’s the philosophy that if they continue to play the game the same way, they will get different results. This is foolish, and dangerous, thinking.

Their “balls to the walls,” “swing for the fences” offensive mentality has a place in the baseball world. When your pitching staff has an ERA in the 5′s, you have no choice but to play big offensively. If you have hot sticks in your line-up, by all means, ramp up your offensive attack. However, this is a ball club that’s getting decent production out of their starting pitching and bullpen. By Arlington standards, this pitching staff is phenomenal.

On the flip side, this is a team that is struggling at the plate and its’ not all Chris Davis. From Ian Kinsler in the lead-off position, right down through the heart of the order, and down to the batting cellar with Salty and Davis, with the exception of Michael Young, there is no offensive consistency on this ball club. Potential ? Yes. Production? Hell no!

Some out there seem to think that by sending Davis down to the minors, the Rangers’ offensive woes will magically disappear. They seem to believe that Davis possesses some freakish power that not only drains his athletic prowess, but also that of his teammates.  I’ll be the first to admit that sending Davis down is a great idea. I’m a native East Texan and I love to see East Texans succeed, but keeping Davis in the majors is bad news for both the Rangers and Davis. However, that move alone will not resurrect this team.

What this team needs more than anything is a return to the basics of baseball, especially offensively.  It sounds so cliche, but be patient at the plate, take the first pitch, work the count, make the opposing pitcher throw strikes. There’s nothing wrong with a walk, but if you see a pitch you like on a 2-1 count swing, make contact and “hit it where they ain’t.”

The home run is not the only scoring option in this great game, especially if you know how to play “small ball.” Personally, I don’t know how you can make it to the majors and not know how to bunt, but from what I understand there are several players in the Rangers’ line-up who cannot bunt effectively. University of Texas head baseball coach Augie Garrido, a master of small ball, has said that he would bunt Babe Ruth in certain situations. The Rangers would be well served to adopt this philosopy, especially with their current struggles. Work a walk to lead off an inning, lay down a bunt, move the runner to second, instruct the next hitter to not swing until the pitcher has thrown a strike and then to make contact.

Of course offensive fundamentals mean absolutely nothing if you play with such poor defensive fundamentals that your catcher can’t even return the ball to the pitcher without an overthrow.

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Now playing: Public Enemy – By The Time I Get To Arizona
via FoxyTunes

College World Series

I’ve had a great time watching the College World Series over the past week. As I write, Texas and LSU, two of the most tradition rich college baseball programs, are tied up in the top of the 10th, with LSU threatening.  This is Game 1 of the Best-of-3 championship series and it has been everything you could want out of a championship game. Yet the top sports stories of the day involve a no-name wining the U.S. Open and the Yankees being sore losers.

I’ve always wondered why the College World Series plays such a minor role in the sports world.  To me, it’s a better sporting event-more exciting sporting event (if you don’t believe that, look at what Texas has done this post-season)–than the Final Four, yet the national media flocks to the Final Four and you’re lucky to find a box score from the College World Series in your daily newspaper.

Why is that?

ESPN, the evil sport Svengali, controls the world of sports media or at least they think they do. They  believe that the interests of the I-95 corridor represent the interests of the entire nation. College baseball is not very big in the I-95 corridor, so ESPN doesn’t think it will play well nationally. College baseball is big in the South, out West and in Middle America, places like Omaha, Nebraska–places that ESPN just does not understand.

What have you missed if you haven’t caught any of this year’s College World Series?

You’ve missed a college sport that, relatively speaking, is scandal free. When was the last time you saw a college baseball program involved in a dirty scandal like the Memphis basketball program or Florida State’s football program?

You’ve missed a bran of baseball where fundamentals are stressed. Yes, even clean-up hitters can, and do, bunt at this level.

You’ve missed a championship sporting event where the game remains the center of attention. While corporate sponsors control every aspect of the BCS and the Final Four, the College World Series has few commercial gimmicks and focuses on the game instead.

There’s still time to enjoy the excitement. Game 1 is now tied in the Top 11th and it looks like this one could last a while. Tomorrow night we have Game 2 and Game 3, if necessary, will be Wednesday night.  If you’re like me and complain about the lack of summer sports excitement, this is your last chance before training camp starts later next month.
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Now playing: Counting Crows – Omaha
via FoxyTunes

BCS B.S.

In his Meditations on First Philosophy, Rene Descartes wrote of an “evil genius,” a being whose sole purpose it is to mislead humans. For example, Descartes’ “evil genius” could try and get you to believe that 2+2=5, when we all know it to be 4. I’ve never been a huge fan of Cartesian philosophy and I’ve always been skeptical of all supernatural beings, but I am now convinced that an “evil genius” does exist in the form of the  BCS, as they attempt to convince us that the University of Oklahoma has a better football team than the University of Texas, when the opposite has been prove true on a neutral football field.

Put simply, OU being handed the Big XII South title (and the opportunity to earn a shot in the BCS title game) by the BCS is the single greatest travesty in sports since the 1972 Olympic Gold Medal basketball game.

I didn’t attend OU or Texas; I have no rooting interest involved. I’m simply a fan of sports, especially college football.  Even as a kid, I felt that college football’s method of choosing a national championship was idiotic.  Along the way, the system evolved into the BCS and now we, the college football fans, are supposed to believe a computer and a group of inane journalist and coaches who make up the voting panel, when they tell us that OU is a better football team than Texas, without any backing evidence, personifying the words, “evil genius.” 

I should know better than to expect fairness from the NCAA when it comes to college football. This is the same organization that punished SMU with the “death penalty,” destroying a proud football tradition, because the program paid players. The NCAA then let other universities, including the University of Oklahoma, field teams with criminals committing felonies, slip by with minor punishments, taking away scholarship here and there, but allowing the program to still field a team.

In the end, it comes down to money–money for the conferences, money for the schools and of course, money for the NCAA–but God forbid the players get any of that money. The BCS is a huge sources of revenue for the NCAA and the major conferences.  Ending the current BCS format and switching to a playoff system would mean an end to this current form of revenue and lead to an unknown financial future. It is possible that the NCAA could very  well increase their revenues with a playoff system; however, it is unknown and the suits in control are scare to death of the unknown.

The only way to change the system is to beat the system. The way to beat the system is to impact the revenue of the current system. If Oklahoma wins, as expected, on Saturday and the BCS invites them to their national title game, I call on each and everyone of you to boycott the BCS totally. Do not watch any of the BCS games on TV. Do not attend any of the BCS games in person. Write Fox, the NCAA and all the sponsors (I will try and provide a list) and tell them why you are not watching the BCS and what you expect in the future.