Political statements are a part of sports. During the 1968 Olympics, after finishing first and third in the 200 metre sprint, Tommie Smith and John Carlos walked out to the podium with shoes in hand, then proceeded to raise a gloved fist straight into the air to draw attention to the plight of African-Americans during the Civil Right Movement.

The US and 5 other nations including Canada all refused to send athletes to Russia to compete in the 1980 Moscow Olympics, after the Soviet government invaded Afghanistan. A similar thing happened in the 1984 Olympics, where countries behind the Iron Curtain refused to participate in the Los Angeles games. The soviets claim that they boycotted these Olympics because of security concerns and a growing anti-soviet sentiment in the US. Others believe that it is because of the previous US boycott.

The most recent have been about new President Elect Barack Obama. Denver Broncos Wide Receiver Brandon Marshall scored a touchdown in Thursdays 34 to 30 win over the Cleveland Browns. After scoring the touchdown, Marshall pulled out a black and white glove as a tribute to Obama, but was stopped by teammate Brandon Stokley because the celebration would have cost the Broncos a fifteen yard personal foul penalty.

During the CFL playoffs, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers scored a touchdown. After numerous player lifted their jerseys to reveal “Obama 08” T-Shirts. Unlike the NFL, in the CFL there is no penalty for excessive celebration.

There is only one problem with making these political statements. After one person has made one, everyone expects every other athlete to make one. But there is one fundamental problem with that. If the athlete doesn’t have a thought on a particular subject, he shouldn’t have to express a view. A situation like this occurred last year.

When the Golf Channels Kelly Tilghman said that the only way golfers had a chance to beat Tiger Woods was to “####” him in a back alley somewhere. Woods accepted the apology after Tilghman was suspended for her comments and the issue was dead. Or so we thought. Former Browns Running Back Jim Brown criticized Woods for not speaking up sooner.

Brown, who is a political activist, would have said something because the comments offended him. But Woods, who may not have been offended by the comments, did what he thought was right. But the fact that Brown was active on the political side, he thinks that every athlete should have an opinion on everything and voice it, which is wrong.

Similar things happened to Michael Jordan. When Jordan refused to take a stance on political issues, he was criticized. Maybe he just didn’t have an opinion on the particular subject or didn’t care to the extent of other athletes. Forcing an athlete to take a stance on different issues, may make them shy away from giving opinions for fear of criticism or negative public relations.

The most recent overlooked opportunity for a political statement went overlooked by most if not all nations. The Beijing Olympics could have been boycotted like the ones in the early 80’s because of China’s very poor human rights policy’s. When that was mentioned people balked and said they won’t force their athletes to boycott. That is the right way to handle it and all countries did what they should have done.

If an athlete wants to make a statement like Smith and Carlos, or as a tribute like Marshall and the Blue Bombers, they have to realize there is a time and place. But for situations like the Olympic boycotts of the 80’s, because a country was invaded, which happens all the time. The Cold War economics and political systems were the main reason for the boycotts, but a battle in politics shouldn’t be fought on the playing field.

I know it is extremely taboo to question coach's unless you have a bet on the game or you are a fantasy nerd and you need a touchdown to beat someone, but I must do this.

I know most people think they are smarter than NFL coach's simply because they beat the computer on easy mode, and most think they can coach 53 men on any given Sunday, but I know better.  I know they are smarter than me and they know what they are doing, except for now.  I think I may have finally outsmarted a NFL Head Coach.  Let me explain.

Everytime a team is down, and they need a touchdown and a field goal to force overtime, coach exhaust their teams constantly trying for the tying touchdown.  The coach seems to forget they also need a field goal, but they try and try or the TD and then they leave no time on the clock to get the on-side kick and move in position for the tying field goal.  So here is my proposal.....kick the field goal, then go for the onside kick, then blow your brains out trying to get the touchdown.

I'll give you an example of this situation.  It happened Sunday in the Steelers and Eagles game.  Steelers coach Mike Tomlin is down 15 to 6 with less than one minute to go.  Byron Leftwich is in the game and the Steelers are trying to tie the game, or eventually win it.  But Tomlin wants to make it a closer game I guess and tries and tries for the touchdown.  Why?????

Even on a fourth down play where a field goal is almost a chipshot, he chooses to go for the TD and the play doesn't work.  Doesn't matter what play he chose but he just chose to try for the TD.  So now the score is the same, he has no timeouts, and a slim chance to get the ball back.  I may get a better response from a wall trying to explain this theory, but I must do it anyway.

CBS's Phil Simms was pretty much screaming this idea on the broadcast, saying you need both scores, why not get the one you can get, and then take your chances on one that would tie the game.  I just don't understand why no teams have caught onto this theory.

I know this will fall on def ears, but I had to get it out there, for my own sanity.  If more teams adopted this strategy, those games they lost by ten points, may still be losses, but if it works it may get you some wins, and as Herm Edwards told us, "YOU PLAY TO WIN THE GAMES!"

Now that we are only hours away from the beginning of the college football season, many of the talking heads on the different networks are making their pick for who is going to be playing in South Florida for the NCAA FB NC.  While watching and listening to some of the coverage, I noticed that no one was picking all the BCS title games except the writers who exclusively cover the game.

So, I decided to, because I have way to much time on my hands, I decided to pick all the games that are apart of the BCS.

Yes, Yes I know, I need to find a life.  But here we go.

Fiesta Bowl
Normally they have the conference winner from the Big 12 and an at-large team.  I went to this game last year, it was my first college football game live I went to.  I loved the atmosphere and had a ton of fun.  I think the Big 12 has a chance to put two teams in the BCS.  I think the teams playing in the game...
Mizzou vs Ball State or BYU.

Sugar Bowl
This is one of the easiest game to pick because you take the team that loses the SEC Championship game.  Since the SEC is the best conference, they will probably send the team that wins the conference to the National Title game, like they have done for the past two years.  Then they throw a non-BCS team to face them, like Hawaii last year and then the SEC has some fun playing thier second string against the best the WAC has to offer.  This year the SEC finally gets some good competition.
Georgia vs Oklahoma.

Orange Bowl
Probably the most boring game of the entire BCS series, sorry to say but it is.  Last year it was a Virginia Tech team that couldn't decide who their quarterback was and a Kansas team that will have a tough time repeating their latest bowl appearance.  This years game will be a little more interesting than previous years, but is bringing up the rear on the intereesting scale.
Wake Forest vs West Virginia.

Rose Bowl
The Grand Daddy of them all.  This game is usually the one that offers up the best game of the year outside of the National Championship game.  It usually involves USC and some bad Big Ten team that will get trounced like it always does against good competition.  Since I believe that USC will be playing in the National Championship game, I think that it will be...
Arizona State vs Ohio State.

National Championship
This will be another good year that will offer a great game between teams that will go 1-2 throughout the entire year, similar to when TExas and USC played in the Rose Bowl a few years ago.  The teams I pciked are probably the most talented teams in all of college football, and Georgia could sneak in but their schedule is just way to difficult.  My choice for BCSNC is........
USC over Florida.

With the countdown getting under 12 hours before Kick-Off, and a few days away from Lee Corso's selection of the first Mascot Head of the year or Kirk Herbstreit breaking a story that is completely false, the calender has finally turned.

Welcome to Football Season!

The EXTRAVAGANZA continues today.  Last night at dinner the loyal readers weren’t as hostile as they were before yesterday.  I only had to dodge two forks instead of three.

Today, my picks for the Heisman trophy.

Before you make the pick, you have to consider what you think the Heisman means and what credentials a player must have to win the award.

 

First, they have to be on a winning team.  If you didn’t even make a top tier bowl game, then you have no business winning.  I understand that Jake Locker would be an excellent candidate, but he simply just plays on a bad team, and it makes you wonder if the team would be that much better with him than without him.

 

Next you must play in a BCS conference, because they are playing against the best players and best teams when they begin conference play.  I understand teams in the WAC or the MAC or any other conference that ends in AC, they play good teams, but not consistently during their conference schedule.  Colt Brennan gained a lot of pub last year because he was good, but he player against lesser talent which worked against him.  He was a good player, but his conference worked against him.

 

Finally, you have to be a primarily offensive player.  I know that takes out half of the players in all of college football, but defenses are seen as units, front seven, the back seven, pass rush, coverage, it is difficult to single players out.  They may be the best players in college football on the defense, but their accomplishment are difficult to single out, and makes it difficult to chose just one player.  Charles Woodson won the Heisman because he was good on defense, but also special teams.

 

So now that my criteria is out of the way, I can give you my top three, in no particular order.

• Knowshon Moreno, RB Georgia
• Tim Tebow, QB Florida
• Beanie Wells, RB Ohio State.

These guys will be fighting it out over the thirteen weeks to see who will be invited into that exclusive club.  I’ll make a case for each candidate.

 

Moreno is just such a good runner and has the potential to break as many tackles as he wants to score a touchdown.  He is an excellent player who will be a great compliment to the throwing ability of QB Matthew Stafford.  Also, if Moreno was not playing at Georgia, Georgia would not be the pre-season number 1 team.

 

Tebow is just such a freak athletically, that he can beat you with his arm or his legs.  He can run either around you, through you, or throw it over you.  He is just such a good decision maker.  Also, with Florida adding a RB this season, Tebow will be more healthy throughout the entire season.  Florida would not be the same if Tebow was enrolled somewhere else.  A major drawback for Tebow is that he won the trophy last year, and the Heisman voters may snub him to keep Archie Griffen alone as the only repeat winner.

 

Finally, Wells is an excellent player who will force teams to try and put as many people in the box to defend him, but he, like Moreno seem to be able to take everything to the house every time they touch the ball.  His drawback, although he plays in a BCS conference, not many people outside the Big Ten Conference believe that the Big Ten as a whole isn’t that good.  Wells is a great player, but will struggle because teams will key in on him and force Boeckman and the Bucks to throw on them.

 

So after all the debateing, my pick for Heisman winner is…………Drumroll Please.

 

Florida QB Time Tebow defies the odds and becomes the second Heisman winner.

 

The ending of the EXTRAVAGANZA is tomorrow with my choice for BCS teams and National Champions.

I was looking at my calendar earlier this week and I occurred to me that we are only less than a week away from the beginning of the season.  I have been putting off my preview for a couple of weeks, but there were three angry looks from my loyal readers across the dinner table.  So to appease everyone here is my preview.

 On with the Extravaganza

Big Ten

The best in the Big Ten no question is the Buckeyes from An Ohio State University and they are my prediction for the Big Ten conference champions.  With a great offense and an absolutely loaded defense, they could be looking at a potential third straight National Championship bid. The Bucks will have a large chip on their shoulder after being spanked twice by SEC teams and will very good this year.

 

The team to watch will be the Wisconsin Badgers who have been steadily improving ever since Bret Bielma took over for Barry Alvarez.  They have the potential to challenge the Bucks for the Big Ten title and a chance at a BCS bid.

 

Player to see at least once is the great RB Chris “Beanie” Wells who is a front-runner for the Heisman and could provide a great compliment to the good passing game of Todd Boeckman.  He will be a lot of fun to watch.

 

Big East
The team that will win will be the West Virginia Mountaineers under first year head coach Bill Stewart.  They run the option so well, that teams have difficulty defending it, and now the Stewart says QB Pat White will be throwing the ball much more.  Now teams will have to respect White’s arm as well as his legs with great RB Noel Devine they could be a potential national title contender.

 

A team to watch will be South Florida who will be an excellent team and potentially be undefeated going into their game with West Virginia.  They made improvements last year and will continue to build on that success. 

Player to watch will be South Florida DE George Selvie along with West Virginia QB Pat White.  Both players a freakishly athletic and can make plays at will.  When they line up opposite each other on that Saturday in Morgantown, look for some fireworks.

ACC
My pick to win the ACC goes against what all the experts are saying, I am taking Wake Forest to win a down ACC.  Clemson seems to be the trendy pick, but with senior QB Riley Skinned running the show at Wake, he has the potential to bounce back from a bad year last year and return to his excellent play from two years ago.  Wake looks poised and I think they can prove a lot of people wrong.

The team to watch is Clemson because they are going to be a great running team with their two-headed monster in CJ Spiller and James Davis, who could re-kindle thoughts of the old thunder and lightning combination that USC used a few years ago.  Especially in a game of attrition they will be able to run all over teams when the have two semi-fresh backs late in the game.

Players to watch are the two I mentioned before, the RB’s Spiller and Davis simply because both of them are so good.  In football you have to be able to run the ball, and these two will probably do it better than anyone else in college football, outside of USC.

 Big 12
The conference champions will be the Oklahoma Sooners and the improved Sophomore QB Same Bradford.  Oklahoma was excellent last year and with Bradford learning more of the system in the off-season, he will be a much more polished passer.  I doubt he will come near the TD total he put up last year at 36, but he will come close and that will be good enough to win the Big 12.  Mizzou has the potential to win it but I think Oklahoma is just to good.

The team to watch will be Texas Tech for two words and one letter… Run n Gun.  This team could set records and will be the most entertaining team to watch in all of college football because they rack up points and yards.  The combination of Graham Harell and Michael Crabtree will be the most interesting QB to WR tandem and make for great television.  A great offense but will fall just short of a BCS bid.

 A player to see once is Michael Crabtree, Texas Tech WR because he is probably the best athlete in all of college football.  With his combined speed, jumping and ability to catch the ball will make him a head ache for every corner who tries to line up against him.  He set records as a freshman as has the potential to set a few more.

Pac 10
There is a simple answer for the question of who will win the Pac 10 and it begins and ends with USC.  They have 5 star recruits sitting at third and fourth on their depth chart.  These are players who would start on most college teams and even a few NFL teams.  Their defense is amazing, and quarterback Mark Sanchez has the potential to build on some solid performances from last year.  This team is scary good.

A team to watch will be UCLA under new head coach Rick Neuheisel.  There will be some growing pains as there always is when a new system is installed and a new team philosophy is used, but the fact that UCLA has a good coach leading them could lead to a great end of the season.  The first few weeks, they will struggle, but when they start to get rolling, this team could be dangerous.

There are two players to watch in this conference, USC LB Rey Maualuga and Washington QB Jake Locker.  Maualuga is just a freak of nature and will be an excellent LB at the next level.  Not many LB have to potential to make big plays everytime the ball is snapped.  Maualuga will be the only thing going through opposing QB’s heads when teams play USC, both figuratively and literally.

Locker is an interesting player because he possesses all the talent of Florida’s Tim Tebow, but doesn’t get as much coverage.  I know he doesn’t because he plays on a bad team, but if Washington is playing an early game on the east coast, you may want to check out how good he is.

 

Finally, the SEC
This is probably the strongest conference in the college game.  There are two teams potentially who could win it and the winner of the head-to-head game in Jacksonville will determine the winner of the conference.  I think Florida will win it only because Georgia’s schedule is absolutely brutal.  Every game of theirs is tough after week 3 of the season except for Vandy.  I believe that Georgia will be competitive but will not win the SEC

One team to watch is Georgia simply because of the talent that they have on both sides of the football.  They have an excellent QB in Matthew Stafford, a killer RB with Knowshon Moreno and a very scary defense.  This team has the potential of getting to the BCS Title game as long as they can get by their murder schedule.  I think they have a shot at winning if they do two things. One is stay healthy, but that goes for every team.  The other is keeping their player from going Pac-Man Jones in local scrip clubs.

One player to watch aside from Tim Tebow is going to be the person I mentioned before.  Georgia RB Knowshon Moreno is built in the mold of home run hitter, similar to Darren McFadden who can take the ball to the house any time he touches it, but he can also be the every down back that run between the tackles.  He will be one person to keep your eye on every week.

 So there are my conference picks, let me know what you think.

Tuesday, the EXTRAVAGANZA continues with my selections for Heisman

Ok it's official, Aaron Rodgers is the least luckiest man in professional sports.  it is not even close anymore.  Give him the trophy or the $10,000 or something else, cause he may need something as of Monday.

It has been reported that Brett Favre will be reinstated to the Green Bay Packers on Monday and that will officially end the honeymoon between the Pack and Aaron Rodgers.  Then on top of that it has also been reported that there will be an open competition for the starting QB that Favre left in March, that had been Rodgers job since Brett teared up in March.

So now we can officially hold off the Favre jersey retirement ceremony that would have been happening on that first Monday night game of the season.  Unless Brett decides to be like Michael Jordan and pull out a number 5 and let them add 4 to the ring of honour or whatever the have in Green Bay.

This just proves one more thing that people have been speculating since the Draft back in April...The Packers aren't completely sold on Rodgers, when they drated not one but two quarterbacks in the draft.  Granted the second QB they took was in a late round, but the first one was taken in round two.  A second round pick isn't one that teams are taking the best player available, they are drafting for need.  So I believe that the Packers are still waffleing on Rodgers.

But now that Brett has reportedly been invited to compete for his old job, Green Bay  has confirmed many su####ions, unless Rodgers beats Brett out for the job, but I think only the Rodgers family believe this will happen.

Now Green Bay loses a player that has learned thier offense and is some what comfortable running it, because the way the organization has jerked Aaron around, there is no chance he re-signs, but I don't think the organization cares.

No matter how this situation turns out, or how many animals they bring into the circus that will be Packers camp on Monday, we can actuaclly get some interesting football in early August.

Are you ready for some football?