Wednesday Tidbits

I really hope I'm not coming down with some sort of illness, but it feels that way. This is the second straight day that I've had a sore throat. That's the only symptom I have right now, but it hurts quite a bit. I'm just hoping it doesn't spread into a full-blown cold. I thought about staying home from work today, but given the circumstances it didn't seem like such a great idea. Besides, if I'm going to be mildly uncomfortable, I might as well be at work.

I am continually amazed at how uptight people can be. I've heard a lot both yesterday and today about the "controversy" surrounding the intro to Monday Night Football this week, featuring Philadelphia wide receiver Terrell Owens and Nicolette Sheridan from the show Desperate Housewives. I saw the intro, and yes, she dropped her towel, but unless I missed something there was no nudity. So what's to be upset about? Implied nudity? Give me a break. If I were authorized to speak on behalf of ABC, Monday Night Football, or the NFL, I would categorically not apologize, and would instead issue a statement encouraging everyone who was offended by the spot to stop being so juvenile.

Staying with pro football, rookie quarterback Eli Manning will start for the Giants this weekend ahead of Kurt Warner. I hope Eli enjoys his moment in the sun, because I have a feeling that he was vastly overrated coming out of college and will struggle in the NFL. If he does succeed, I doubt it will be this year. The Giants' offensive line isn't very good, and opposing defenses will be coming after the rookie. He's not known for being fleet of foot, so he's going to take some lumps. I hope he's up for it.

The MAC has made an agreement to send a team to the Silicon Valley Bowl this year, meaning that at least three MAC teams will play in bowl games. This greatly enhances the chances that Bowling Green will get a postseason berth. This one-year agreement was brought about by the fact that the Pac-10 conference won't have enough bowl-eligible teams to fill all their slots. Bowling Green currently has the best overall record in the MAC at 8-2 and has one of the most explosive offenses in the nation, so I have to think we're the leading candidate for a bid. I would most like to see the Falcons return to the Motor City Bowl, which we won last year over Northwestern, because Detroit is nearby and I could probably attend. The other options would be Mobile, Alabama for the GMAC Bowl, or San Jose for the Silicon Valley Bowl. I'd be happy if the Falcons made either of those, but I wouldn't be able to attend in person.

In the midst of all this football hoopla, I'm trying to get myself geared up for college hoops season. You'll notice that I've listed the BGSU men's basketball schedule in the sidebar to the right. The Falcons start their season this Saturday at DePaul (in Chicago), and as much as I would love to be able to make it out there for the game, I just can't. I haven't seen them at all yet this year, as there were no scrimmages, and the one public exhibition was held this past Saturday morning while I was out tailgating before the football game. It's driving me crazy because we have a lot of newcomers and I have no idea what to expect from them. I'm hoping I'll be able to find the game somewhere on my digital cable, but I'm not banking on it. The first home game is a week from tonight against Illinois-Chicago.

Until I see the Falcons play, I doubt I'll be fully into basketball. Normally I'm a college hoops junkie and will eagerly consume any game I happen to come across, but last night ESPN2 was televising a Providence-Niagara game and I just couldn't get into it. I'm sure that'll pass soon enough, though, and I'll be ready for some "Happy Action Fun Time."

I neglected to mention it last week due to my self-imposed silence on the topic of politics, but I did want to point out that I've added a new blog to my list of links in the sidebar. It's called Democrack, and it's an interesting and well written political blog by a former employee of the Clinton White House. Check it out.