Time for Change

I'll admit it: I was excited when BGSU hired Louis Orr as head men's basketball coach in 2007. I had seen his teams play when he coached at both Siena and Seton Hall and liked the way they played. With BG's loss in the first round of the MAC Tournament on Monday night, he's now coached six full seasons for the Falcons. He's had just one winning season, in 2008-2009, when the Falcons won the MAC East and lost in the semifinals of the MAC Tournament. It must be noted: that team was led by leftovers from the previous coach's (Dan Dakich) tenure).

So yeah, my tune has changed. It's time for some new blood to lead the program. Unfortunately, Coach Orr has another year left on his contract...and it was announced tonight that BGSU will honor that year, allowing him to coach another season instead of buying him out and moving on.

I knew that would probably be the case. Still, it's disappointing. Letting a coach serve a final year of a contract doesn't just place that one season at risk. It's bad enough to have one more season of low expectations, but it makes recruiting so, so difficult. If you're a college basketball player, would you want to go to a program knowing it's almost a certainty that you'll be playing for a different coach in a year's time?

Look, it's not the losing that bothers me, per se. Dakich's last few teams lost more than they won, and I still went to games and enjoyed them, for the most part. What bothers me is that Orr's teams don't seem to have any personality. What bothers me is that players don't really seem to get better from one year from the next, or even from the beginning of their careers to the end. What bothers me is that there are so many guys on the team who just can't score. What bothers me is that some guys play a ton of minutes without doing much while other guys languish on the bench even though they seem to do more in the limited time they see. What bothers me is that going to games seems more like a chore than something fun to do. What bothers me is that BGSU opened a beautiful new basketball arena and hasn't been able to parlay it into any on-the-court success.

I only made it to four games this season. They won the first one, against Lake Erie College, which was disappointing because they played poorly against a far inferior opponent. They lost the other three (vs. Michigan State (good team), Ohio (good team), and Miami (dreadful team)). Now, I live an hour and a half away from Bowling Green, but believe you me, the drive is not the main reason I don't find myself up there more often. I think I only missed one home game during Coach Dakich's ten-year tenure, and that includes time spent living here, and one season when my wife lived in Stow (near Akron). Not kidding: one time I drove from Toledo to Stow (~2 hours) on a Friday night, drove back to BG the next afternoon for the game, then drove back to Stow after the game. There's no way I'd do that now; I don't mind the drive itself, but it's not worth it when there's such a good chance you're going to watch a poor, uninspired performance and come away disappointed.

I don't know what I'm going to do next season. The athletic department seems to have written it off, so maybe I'll do the same. I went to Wright State for two years before I transferred to BG; maybe I'll get season tickets to watch the Raiders play next season. They have a young coach, a young team, and just played in the Horizon League championship game.

I say that now in frustration. I know when next season rolls around I'll probably do what I did this year: go to a handful of games, mostly when I happen to be in the BG area anyway, watch the rest of the games via crappy Internet stream, complain about how badly the Falcons play, and pine for the days of Pardon, McLeod, Klassen, and Matela. It just pains me that I even have to ponder an alternative to watching another crappy season after what we've already gone through.

No, it doesn't just pain me; it nearly kills me. I was a student at BGSU for three years. I lived in Rodgers Quad for two of those years, and spent a lot of time on campus in East Hall and the Jerome Library, not to mention watching the football team at Doyt Perry Stadium. But some of the best, most amazing, most intense times of my college career took place watching the Falcons play in Anderson Arena. That's where I was when BGSU stopped being "the school I go to" and became my alma mater. That's where I became a Falcon.

To even contemplate taking a year off from watching the basketball program...I can't fathom how it got this bad, or how it can be allowed to continue. If Coach Orr's brand of basketball has come this close to driving me away, I can't imagine what it's doing to more casual fans. (Actually, I can: tickets for Monday's game were only $1, and still only 1,700 people showed up. Casual fans have already moved on.)

What? Where Am I?

Huh. After wandering around all this time in the dark, I've finally managed to stumble back onto my own blog. Yep, I'm still around and out of the funk brought on by the end of the football season. With the end of the year rapidly approaching, it seems like a good time for a sampling of what's been going on.

- If you're a regular visitor, you'll notice that my banners have disappeared. This happened a while ago, when my hosting company discontinued their service, the second time that's happened to me this year, I think. I've found a new host, though, and the banners will be back. I'm in the process of deciding whether to simply upload the old ones or create a bunch of new ones.

- I'm also in the process of contemplating, at least mildly, moving on from cable television and switching to a dish service of some sort. I've had DirecTV before and had a ton of problems with it; but, to be fair, the system wasn't professionally installed. My dad has it now and has occasional issues, but nothing like what I had. At any rate, I feel like a dish service might be able to offer a better deal for a comparable package, and I also like some of the features they offer (remote programming of DVR, onscreen score guide, more HD channels, etc.). But, on the flip side, I don't really want to get locked into a contract, and I'm still leery of dish performance, especially in adverse weather. So we'll see.

- Christmas was good. I took a couple of days off work last week so Brandi and I could travel up to her hometown to spend some time with her family. We had dinner and spent some time with her mom on Wednesday, then spent Christmas Eve with her dad and stepmom. Normally we spend Christmas Day with my parents, but my mom has been under the weather, so we just had a nice, low-key day here by ourselves.

- When iTunes started charging $1.29 for some more popular songs, I thought the tradeoff was going to be that some other songs would be reduced to $0.79. Where are the $0.79 songs?

- I went to the bookstore tonight in hopes of picking up a novel or three. I'm quite fond of my local independent bookstore, but I have to admit that my last several trips there have resulted in me leaving emptyhanded. Tonight was no exception. Apart from the big-ticket writers (King, Grisham, etc.), their selection is pretty limited. They might have a book or two from a lesser-known writer, but it's a crapshoot. And it's disheartening to finally come across something you are looking for, as I did a couple of times this evening, only to find that the cover is bent, or there's a section of pages with mangled corners. I'm admittedly a little bit of a snob about such things - I want a new book to look like a new book.

- I actually haven't been to any sporting events since Troy's football season ended in disappointment (as I referenced above). That'll change this weekend, as I'm planning to make my first trip of the season to Anderson Arena to see the BG Falcons men's basketball team take on the St. Louis Billikens (and Coach Rick Majerus). Basketball season doesn't even feel like it's started since I haven't been to Anderson yet. I'm really looking forward to seeing the Falcons in action, and I have to soak up that atmosphere while I can - just one season remains at Anderson after this one, and then the Falcons will move into the shiny new Stroh Center.

- While I won't be attending, BG's football team plays tomorrow afternoon at the Humanitarian Bowl in Boise (4:30 ET, ESPN). They'll be taking on the Idaho Vandals on the blue turf. Should be a good one if you like offense. BG's main threat, wide receiver Freddie Barnes (a Biletnikoff Award finalist), will likely set a new record for most catches in a season.

- Of course, the topic of BG football leads to the topic of Urban Meyer. He's an amazing coach, and college is football is better with him in it; I just hope he isn't risking his health by continuing to coach. I really enjoy watching his teams play (especially back when he was on BG's sideline), and I don't think there's anyone else even remotely like him out there. Of course, that's largely due to his intensity, which apparently isn't doing his heart any good. Hopefully a leave of absence will be enough to get and keep him on track in that regard.

Notes

* After being sick for over a week now, I finally feel like I'm starting to get on top of it. I'm not 100%, with some remaining sniffles, congestion, and coughing, but today is the first day since last Sunday that I've felt more or less "normal." It's about time, too, since I was beginning to seriously consider going to the doctor. That's a pretty big deal for me. I'm not one of these guys with a big fear of/aversion to doctors, but I'm not someone who goes for every little cough and cold, either. It just has to be something serious. I don't even have a doctor right now--I haven't been to one in a very long time, since before I moved to this area. The last doctor I went to (for one visit) has since retired, and the doctor I went to before that is now dead. That guy was my pediatrician. At any rate, it looks like I won't have to find one this time around, unless this stupid thing hangs around for a few more days. I would hate to go to the doctor for just a cold, especially one that's so clearly on the decline, but it really has been hanging in there for a while.

* Of course, being sick over the weekend meant that I had to miss all the St. Patrick's Day festivities, including a Neon Black show. I was pretty irritated about that. Their shows are an awesome time, and they only play here in BG once a month. Their next date here in town is Tax Day, April 15. I'll be there for that one, I don't care if I'm sick again. On the bright side, I did get to watch a little more of the NCAA basketball tournament than I would have otherwise, since I took Thursday and Friday off work. I thought my boss would be suspicious of that, but she wasn't, probably because I was obviously still sick when I went back in on Monday.

* I talked to my mom on Sunday afternoon, and I found out that she and my dad hosted a dog on an in-home recruiting visit last week. They ended up not taking this particular dog (a black lab who apparently spazzed out and didn't want anything to do with either one of them), but it's clear that they're looking. I have kind of mixed feelings about my parents getting a new dog. I realize, first of all, that I have no say in the matter, since I don't live there anymore and am lucky to make it home once a month, and I know that my dad especially would like to have a dog around since he's retired and spends a pretty fair amount of time at home by himself. It'll just be weird for me to have a dog there that isn't my dog the way Cupid was. Since Cupid was there for several years before I moved out as well as when I was home for extended periods of time for college breaks, she was as close to me as she was Mom and Dad. She was blissed out when I came home for weekends or whatever. For a new dog, I would just be a stranger to get used to--maybe one who's around a little more than others, but still not someone who "lives" there. Still, I love dogs, and it'll be great to have one around the house again, since I'm not yet in a position where I can have one of my own. And animals generally like me a lot (I've known several animals who have liked me better than their "masters," even on short acquaintance), so a new dog probably won't take very long to get to know me. I guess I really just wish I was around so I could help them pick one out.

* The BGSU men's basketball team has lost another player, with backup point guard Perrick "Moon" Robinson declaring that he will transfer to a school to be determined. I like Coach Dakich a lot, but it can't be denied that the team has lost a lot of players over the past few seasons, and the lack of continuity is taking its toll on the program. Moon isn't necessarily a great loss in and of himself, although he was a contributor and could have progressed even more, but it really hurts when guys are leaving year in and year out. Hopefully he's the only one we'll lose this offseason, and Coach Dakich will be able to effect a turnaround from this year's 9-21 record. If not, with Paul Krebs leaving for the University of New Mexico and a new Athletic Director on the horizon, it's likely that BG will be looking for a new coach next year at this time. I think BG will have a decent year next year, though. Coach Dakich's best teams are always the ones that have a lot of seniors, and there will be four next year (as opposed to just one this year). Whether or not it will be enough to earn him a contract extension remains to be seen, and whether or not it should be is up for debate.

* The Reds made a trade this week, sending outfielder Wily Mo Peña to Boston for right-handed starting pitcher Bronson Arroyo. This was GM Wayne Krivsky's first major trade for the Reds, and I confess myself disappointed. Peña is a young guy with a lot of potential. Sure, he strikes out a lot, but his power is prodigious. He hits the kind of home runs that people come to the park early to watch batting practice for. If the Reds were going to trade him, they should have gotten a #1 or at least a solid #2 starter for him, instead of a guy who went 14-10 last year (decent, but not great) and will probably end up as the #3 guy in the Reds' rotation, which isn't exactly strong. This move means that Adam Dunn will revert to left field (after moving to first base following the Sean Casey trade, which was even weaker and more disappointing than this one) and Scott Hatteberg will take over first base. It'll be interesting to see how things shake out for the Reds this season. Despite them getting rid of two of my favorite players, I'm excited for the start of the season--Opening Day is April 3 against the Cubs.

* I'm still planning a post on my first strip club visit. I haven't forgotten, I just haven't gotten around to it yet. Look for it this weekend at the latest.

Never a Dull Finish

Yep, here we are with another notes column. I'll try really hard to make my next post a real one, and I'll also try to make sure it has absolutely nothing to do with sports. Who knows how long it'll take for that to happen, of course, but that will be the goal.

The BGSU Falcons men's basketball team played another close game at home on Tuesday night, winning 73-71 over Eastern Michigan. They had to hold on for the win despite having a significant lead for much of the game. In the Falcons' two previous home games, they lost 93-90 to Ohio University in double overtime and 77-72 to Akron in overtime. In both of those games, BG had to overcome large deficits to tie the game at the end of regulation, only to fall just a bit short in overtime. One way or another, it seems like they're determined to make sure each game comes down to the final horn. I don't mind so much, because at least it makes the games interesting from beginning to end. I just hope they can turn more of them into wins. I think eventually they will. Maybe not this year, of course, but a whole bunch of this team is coming back next year. And you never know what can happen in the MAC tournament.

Speaking of Falcon basketball, a home game with Wright State was recently added to the schedule for February 18 of this year as part of the ESPN Bracket Buster event. I'm pretty fired up for that, for several reasons. For one, Wright State was where I started my college career, before transferring to BGSU. Secondly, the last time Wright State played at Bowling Green (Dec. 10, 1997) was the first game I attended after transferring, my first game at Anderson Arena, so that will bring back some memories. Finally, BG will return a game at Wright State next season, so that gives me at least one road trip I can bank on. I haven't been to a game at the Nutter Center in several years. I still have some friends in that area that I don't get to see very often, so hopefully that can turn into a reunion of sorts as well.

One more BG sports scheduling note before I move on: it was reported earlier this week that the Minnesota Golden Gophers football team will be visiting Doyt Perry Stadium for a game against the Falcons in 2008. It's always a good thing to get a team from a "big" conference to visit. It brings more electricity than we normally get, especially during the non-conference schedule. The strange thing is that it doesn't seem as if BG will have to return a game to Minnesota in order to get them to visit. Normally, for a team of Minnesota's stature, we'd play there twice in order to get them to come once, but that doesn't seem to be the case this time. I'll be a little surprised if we're getting them to come free and clear with no strings attached, but we'll see how it plays out.

Does anyone care about this Wayne Gretzky gambling thing? I don't, and I don't know anyone who does, but it's all I've been hearing about for the past two days.

I'm in the middle of an experiment, trying to go without pop for the entire calendar month of February (at least). I don't drink a whole lot of it anyway, at least not compared to how much I used to drink, but I thought I would drop it entirely and see what happens. I've heard other people who have given it up talk about how much better they feel in general. So far, I'd have to say that I feel exactly the same, except I get tired a whole lot earlier in the evening.

It's been pretty crazy at work lately. Yesterday was our catalog deadline, and it's always crazy in the days leading up to that. This month, though, we're launching an entirely new product line, which means a new catalog we've never done before. That meant a lot of stuff came to me later than usual, as we all scrambled to figure out exactly what we were doing. I've been coming in early and working late each day for the past two weeks. Today, as the day after deadline, was a nice break from that. It all starts up again next week, though, as I've been recruited to help fill in some of the gaps for our new product launch, which is scheduled to take place on March 1.

The extra time I've been putting in at work is a major reason why I haven't written much lately. By the time I get home, go to the gym, then come home and eat dinner, I really haven't felt like doing much else. I've noticed some things I probably would have written about under other circumstances, too, such as Britney Spears driving around with her baby on her lap, and the guy who attacked gay bar patrons with a hatchet. I don't read as widely on the Internet as I used to, which makes it tough for me to take on more serious topics or really much of anything outside of what I directly experience. Hopefully I'll get there at some point, though.

Another downside of being so busy is that it's been a while since I've been out to do anything fun (other than BG basketball games, of course). That all changes tonight. Brandi and I are going out tonight to see a band perform at Nate & Wally's in Bowling Green. The band is called Neon Black, and they do mostly covers of 80s rock tunes--stuff like Poison, Guns N' Roses, Def Leppard, that sort of thing. They also throw in a couple of change-ups, as well as some of their own original stuff. This will be the third time Brandi and I have seen them. I dig that type of music, and they're really good. Some friends are going to meet us there for the show, so it should be a really good time. Expect a full report next week.

A Rare Road Trip

On Wednesday after work I drove up to Ypsilanti to watch the BGSU men's basketball team take on Eastern Michigan. There aren't too many away venues for the Falcons which are feasible for me to attend on a weeknight, but I like to go when I can. Since Ypsi is only about an hour north, I decided it would be a good time for me to make up for missing BG's home opener due to the chicken pox. I wasn't entirely sure the trip was going to happen until I actually got on the road, though. For one thing, the winter weather seemed to conspire against me, as it snowed Wednesday morning and stayed cold enough for the possibility of icy roads. Beyond that, the Falcons generally don't play very well on the road, and I wasn't totally sure I wanted to go up there to watch them struggle. If there was a home game this weekend, I probably would have passed on making the drive, but since they aren't home again until next week, I finally decided I would go.

The weather didn't stop me from going, but it did make the trip just a little bit of an adventure. Not because of bad road conditions per se, but because some of the street signs I was relying on were snowed over. This caused me to drive right past a street on which I needed to turn, and I wasn't totally aware of it until the street I was on suddenly veered off to the right and became one-way. I wasn't entirely sure how I was going to get back to where I needed to be, but I managed.

Aside from that, the EMU Convocation Center is actually extremely easy to get to. It's a nice facility, relatively new, and has plenty of parking available. It offers no inherent reason for fans to stay away, but stay away they do. The official attendance for last night's game was 1,275, and it seemed like even less than that. In a 8,800-seat arena, 1,275 spectators leave a lot of empty space, and without fans, even a nice venue seems soulless and sterile.

I'm very much afraid of something similar happening when BGSU finally gets around to building a new basketball arena. Sure, our current facility is small, old, and maybe even outdated, but no one can say it doesn't have personality. It's one of my absolute favorite places in the world. While I'd like to see a new arena just for the recruiting advantage it would bring, I would hate to sacrifice the ambience of Anderson Arena and the home court advantage that comes with it. Hopefully they'll find a way to build that into a new building when the time comes (and frankly, I'm in no hurry, just in case).

Of course, maybe more people would attend EMU games if the Eagles were a more competitive team. They were looking for their first conference win against BG, and their overall record was 3-9. It's not so good up there right now. I had a good feeling for the Falcons starting with the pregame introductions. EMU does the standard lights-off introductions with each player spotlighted as he's introduced. Instead of doing this to Metallica, AC/DC, or even the band playing the fight song, the Eagles came out to the lilting strains of a Phil Collins tune. I'm not making this up. Right off the bat, this told me that there's something seriously off-kilter about the mindset of EMU's entire basketball program.

Something else I think can be a sign of a desperate program is an overly enthusiastic public address announcer. I definitely don't mind some homer-ism, putting a little excitement in the voice the home team, especially for key plays, but there is such a thing as taking it too far. It's a fine line between getting the crowd into the game and driving them crazy, and I think EMU's guy went way beyond. He was one of the more annoying announcers I've come across in my travels. At one point I thought he was going to rupture my eardrums with the sheer volume of his voice.

As for the game itself, BG came out on top, 79-72. Martin Samarco, playing in his hometown, led the Falcons in scoring with 35 points, followed by Steven Wright with 17. Given the trouble they have going on the road and beating even bad teams sometimes, it was great to see them get a win. They played pretty well for the most part, save for a couple of stretches (mostly in the first half) when it seemed like we were trying to give the game away with turnovers and missed shots. BG started off well and got a lead, and then EMU went into a zone defense. That really killed BG's offense for a while, allowing EMU to get back into the game and then take a lead. That's when Samarco started getting hot with his outside shooting, though, and after a few made three-pointers, EMU abandoned the zone for the rest of the game.

BG's team is really interesting to watch this year. Of course, they're interesting most of the time, due if nothing else to the volatility and personality of their head coach, Dan Dakich. The team on the court is pretty intriguing as well, though. There isn't much experience, due to the graduation of last year's seniors combined with a crop of transfers over the past few seasons, but it's a good group of guys who play hard all the time and are quickly learning how to play together. They've already improved a lot from where they were at the beginning of the season, and while they'll have some rough games along the way, I think they'll continue to improve and be a decent team by the end of the season.

One thing that makes life difficult for the Falcons is the fact that there are only two real post players on the roster in center Matt Lefeld and forward Erik Marschall, and Marschall is a true freshman. Both are good players, but both are also prone to getting into foul trouble. This leads to interesting matchups sometimes when they're unavailable. On Wednesday night, EMU's best player (6-9 forward John Bowler) was most often guarded by 6-5 Mawel Soler, with occasional help from 6-7 Dusan Radivojevic (another true freshman) and 6-6 Alvin Freeman (a sophomore walk-on). Even with the height difference, that combination managed to hold Bowler below his season average and kept him from hurting the Falcons too much.

One thing very much in the Falcons' favor, on the other hand, has been the improved play of guard Perrick "Moon" Robinson. Moon is only 5-9, but he's a tenacious defender. He and Mawel Soler have really contributed to the way this team plays defense. Both were on the team last year (Moon as a true freshman, Soler as a first-year JUCO transfer) but didn't play much due to foul problems. Both have improved in that regard, and they really keep guys locked down. Moon has come up with some clutch steals and stops in the past couple of games, and he's also starting to look more comfortable on offense. Last year he had a tendency to force things, driving the lane and, with his diminutive stature, getting his shots blocked. This year he's making better decisions and distributing the ball, and providing some quality minutes in relief of John Floyd. Floyd is a good guy to have on your team, a tough kid who's going to make all the hustle plays, but he's also good for at least one ugly, boneheaded play per game, which is rough for a point guard.

I don't think EMU's team is quite as bad as their record would indicate. They play hard and they've got some shooters. Their defense wasn't bad, especially when they were in that zone. They just made some mistakes and had a hard time holding onto the ball. Some of that was caused by BG's defense, of course, but some of it was just carelessness and lack of focus. All in all, they aren't a very good team, but they've got the potential to pull a few upsets on upper-echelon MAC teams if those teams don't take them seriously.

Anyway, BG got the win, giving them a winning record within the MAC and making it a worthwhile road trip for me. They aren't world-beaters just yet, but they're getting to be an opponent that no one will want to play. Plus, they're fun to watch and they seem to be a good bunch of guys. The next time I see them play will be in the friendly confines of Anderson Arena, where I know my ears won't be assaulted by the announcer, but they may be by the crowd.

A Few Things

I'm happy to report that this week has indeed been better than last week. Here are a few things that have happened or been on my mind since then.

* I don't think I've mentioned this before, but I did finally get my iPod back in working condition. Returning it to the store was absolutely no help in this regard. When it was taken back for the third time and a new iPod was requested, they said their policy was that an item had to be returned for repair four times before a replacement would be provided. Well, each time it's sent out for repair it's gone for about a month, so that really wasn't acceptable. Instead, we sent it back to Apple, which Brandi had great luck with when her iPod broke down. I was highly discouraged when I got it back with a report that they could find nothing wrong with it and no work had been performed, but it has worked like a charm since then anyway. I'm not complaining, but I do wish I knew what in hell was wrong with it in the first place. At any rate, I'm extremely glad to have it back and in working order. I just hope it stays that way for a while.

* Something cool I found this week is a website called Library Thing. It's a site you sign up for that lets you catalog a list of books however you like. I'm on the free trial right now, and I've been adding some books that I own, just because I think it would be really cool to have a listing of at least most of them (and if it's online, so much the better). There's a lot of stuff you can do with it. You can look at other users' lists, and it will also give recommendations based on your own library. If you love books (like I do), I highly recommend at least checking it out. I'll probably end up shelling out the $25 for a lifetime membership--the free trial only lets you add 200 books, and I've got way more than that. I'd like to use it to keep track of books I want to read as well as books I own, and also to log some basic thoughts on books as I read them.

* Anytime I get to go to Anderson Arena for a BGSU men's basketball game, it makes the week better. Wednesday's game didn't do as much for me as it usually does, though, mainly because I was irritated by the crowd. For one thing, over the past few seasons I've witnessed the watering down of a formerly incredible student section that created a nearly unbeatable home-court advantage. At the very least, though, it used to be a foregone conclusion that the entire student section would stand for the whole game. Not so on Wednesday night, when only a couple of scattered groups were standing. I've been sitting in the same spot since I first started coming to games, but I think for the next home game (on Sunday) I may relocate to where people are actually standing. It seems that all the irritating people have been congregating in my general vicinity anyway. I understand that not everyone knows a whole lot about basketball, but it drives me crazy when people talk about it, loudly, as if they do. Look, it's cool that one of the players is from your hometown or in one of your classes or whatever, and that you're there to support him, but that does not mean that he's open for the ball every time down the court. I also got really tired of the guy behind me digging his knees into my back. Of course, that wouldn't have been a problem if everyone would have been standing up.

* While I'm at it, a note to MAC basketball officials: just because the clock is winding down to the end of the game, you are not absolved from calling fouls. Steven Wright's off-balanced three-point shot attempt just before the buzzer of a 75-74 loss may not have gone down anyway, but I'm sure it would have had a better chance if his defender didn't have a handful of his jersey while he was shooting. I'm definitely not going to say that the officials cost the Falcons the game, given that they had a fifteen-point lead they couldn't hold, but I do think Steven deserved a trip to the line with a chance to tie or win the game.

* Of course, I can't really complain too much about NCAA basketball officiating, because it could definitely could be worse. It could be NBA officiating. Wow, is it bad. It's really to the point where it makes a mockery of the game, in my opinion. They don't control traveling or carrying the ball, and they have a very hard time differentiating between offensive and defensive fouls. I don't see how anyone who cares about the game of basketball itself could prefer the NBA over college hoops. I like watching the NBA--well, I like watching the Cavaliers, at any rate--but I see it more as "entertainment" than "sport." It's just hard for me to have much respect for a game that's so arbitrarily officiated. Beyond that, I just think college players have a lot more pride and passion than NBA players (at least as far as the game is concerned), and I know the fans do. You can't beat college basketball for atmosphere.

A Little of This, a Little of That

Okay. After so long away, I'm not totally sure I'll get to everything I'd like to tonight, but we'll see what happens.

* First off, the chicken pox episode is almost entirely over. I've been back to normal in terms of how I feel for nearly two full weeks now. Unfortunately, I'm still waiting for the last of my rash to clear up. My arms and legs only have a couple of spots left, but my chest and back still have quite a few. My face has probably cleared up the best, but the ones that are left are pretty deep. I'm ready for them all to be gone. There's still some occasional mild itching, but it isn't too hard to ignore. I missed a grand total of six days of work at a bad (busy) time, but they kept everything up for me so that I've been able to get caught up with little trouble since I've been back.

* Earlier this evening I watched the MAC Championship football game between the Akron Zips and the Northern Illinois Huskies, played at a neutral site at Ford Field in Detroit. It was a hell of a game. I honestly didn't think Akron would be able to stay in this game, but they came out and got an early lead. NIU came back and took a fairly decent lead, though, and held it until nearly the end of the game. Then Akron came back and put themselves back in the game, then scored again with only ten seconds left to take the lead and win the game. They're going to a bowl game (the Motor City Bowl, also at Ford Field) for the first time in their history, and I say good for them. Seeing the game on television, though, I think they have to move the MAC Championship game back to campus sites. Go back to the old system, where they rotated the game from year to year from the stadium of the East Division and West Division winner. Either that or play the game on a Saturday. Having a weeknight game at a neutral site virtually assures that the crowd will be small, as it was tonight. A great game like that deserves a great crowd. At least if it was at one of the teams' home stadiums, the students and home fans could have been there, or if it was on a Saturday, the fans would be more likely to travel. Some teams (say, BG and Toledo) would have drawn better due to their proximity to Detroit, but that matchup didn't quite happen.

* Speaking of football, BG's season ended with a 44-41 2OT loss to archrival Toledo, and they finished the year 6-5. That record likely would have been better had QB Omar Jacobs not missed almost three full games with an injury, and had the record been better, BG would have been in the MAC Championship game over Akron. As nice as that would have been, I don't really believe that this year's team was championship caliber. The offense was very good (when Jacobs was healthy), but the defense and special teams were suspect...and that's being kind. It'll be interesting to see where the Falcons go from here. The defense should get better with more time under the new defensive coordinator, and the special teams just can't get any worse. The offense will be in transition, losing their two top receivers and tailbacks. Jacobs may opt to leave early for the NFL as well. Hopefully he'll be back, because the team needs him and I think he needs another year before going pro. One way or another, it'll be interesting to watch next season's Falcons take on a killer schedule--including a "home" game in Cleveland against Wisconsin, a home game against Boise State, and a roadie at Ohio State.

* As one season ends, another begins. On Wednesday night I made my first visit to Anderson Arena to get my first look at the BGSU men's basketball team. This will be an interesting year for them as well. There are a ton of newcomers to the team, most of which are freshmen. I think there's some talent there, but they have a long way to go before they're a good team. They played hard and looked good in the first half, but faded in the second and lost 76-66 to Oakland. I'm hoping they can develop as the season progresses to a point where they're dangerous as the postseason approaches, but I think they might be a year away. As long as they keep playing hard, though, they'll at least be fun to watch.

* The iPod saga continues. I returned it for service on November 3, and I don't have it back yet. Needless to say, I'm getting pretty irritated at this point. Brandi called the store this week to see if she could find out its status for me, but they said they couldn't help her without the order number on the paperwork. Of course, somehow the paperwork has been misplaced, so we couldn't get any information. I'm giving it until early next week. If the iPod hasn't shown up at my door by then, the people at Best Buy are going to have to deal with me in person. I want my iPod, and I want it to work. I've been without it for nearly two full months now, and that's unacceptable.

* Sometimes I think I would be willing to trade my other talents (which are numerous) for the ability to sing well. Of course, if I could do that, I have a feeling I would be insufferable. I think I would probably sing everything I had to say.

* Last week Brandi and I went to see Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. It was pretty decent, but I feel like it could have been done better. I understand that they have to cut some stuff in order to adapt such a long book into a two-hour movie, but I always feel like they cut the wrong things. The one thing that bothered me most about this one was the removal, at the very end, of a minor incident that turns out to be a major plot point. It's vital to setting up the story for the next one, and I'm very interested to see how they deal with it. The last movie also removed a major plot point, and it has diminished, in my eyes, two otherwise very good movies. Neither would have taken much time, so the decision to leave them out utterly mystifies me.

* While there, we saw the trailer for the upcoming King Kong film. In general, I'm totally uninterested in King Kong. Still, I have a great deal of respect for Peter Jackson (of Lord of the Rings fame), and the trailer looked awesome. I may have to see this movie.

* Earlier this week, I finished reading Star Wars: The Unifying Force. It's the conclusion to the New Jedi Order series and the story arc that deals with a new alien species, the Yuuzhan Vong, invading the galaxy. I liked the series in general, but I'm not sure I liked this book. It attempted to almost totally re-define the Force, and it just seemed forced (no pun intended) and lame. I'm glad I've finally finished the series, though. There are a bunch of Star Wars books I haven't read (both post-NJO and prequel-era), and now I can move on to those.

* My goal for this month is to finish all the books I'm currently working on by New Year's, before I start on anything else. I don't think it'll be too much trouble if I can maintain my focus, but it's sort of contrary to my nature to finish something without immediately opening something else. I just want to start the new year with a clean slate.

Big Day

I got two big pieces of news before 9:00 a.m. today. One of them was good, but complicated, and the other was not so good. I'm not totally awake until about 11:00 each day, so dealing with these items first thing in the morning was not exactly easy.

The first piece of news came shortly before I left for work. If I have time (and I usually do), I get online each morning and read the news from the Dayton Daily News and the Toledo Blade. On the DDN website, I read that tickets for the upcoming Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith would be going on sale later in the day. This was the good but complicated news. It was good, because I'm really looking forward to the film and I wanted to make sure I get tickets for the midnight showing on opening day. It was complicated, though, because I had to go to work and I didn't know for sure if I'd have an opportunity to get tickets during the day, and also because I've seen the first showing of the previous two Star Wars films with my cousin Mike and wanted to do so again, but he lives in Dayton and we hadn't had a chance to work out plans for opening night.

I was still trying to figure all of this out when it came time for me to leave for work. While I was on my way there, I heard on the radio that BGSU basketball players Austin Montgomery and Scott Vandermeer are leaving the program. Montgomery, a little-used guard, came as little surprise, but Vandermeer, our starting center last season, came out of the blue and will be a big loss. He looked like a player who was poised to dominate the MAC in coming seasons, and he'll be hard to replace. Coach Dakich also announced the signings of a couple of additional players to try and take the places of these guys, but it's still tough to see them go, particularly given how many players have left the program in recent seasons. I'm still planning to write a "state of the program" essay on Falcon hoops sometime in the near future, but I think I'm going to hold off a while longer so another potential story surrounding the team has a chance to resolve itself.

Once I got to work, I spent a good portion of the morning trying to figure out exactly what I could do about the Star Wars ticket situation. A solution of sorts presented itself later in the morning, when an announcement over the company public address system informed everyone that the IT department needed everyone to close down the company database for a few minutes while they enacted some changes. I was working with the database at the time, and shutting it down left me with a few moments in which I had nothing else to do. That being the case, I hopped online and logged onto movietickets.com, where I went ahead and purchased four tickets to the midnight showing on opening night. I went out on a limb to do so, not knowing for sure if Mike and his girlfriend Lisa will be able to make the trip to Toledo for the movie, but I'm hoping for the best. I decided to risk it because I definitely wanted to get tickets before they sold out. I've seen the early showings for each of the other two prequels, and I definitely didn't want this last one to be an exception.

I'm so incredibly stoked for this movie. The trailers look incredible, and I can't wait to see how the story works out for Anakin Skywalker to complete his transformation into Darth Vader. It's hard to believe that it's coming to an end already. It doesn't seem very long ago at all that The Phantom Menace came into theaters, especially given how long we waited for that movie to be made. Now we're down to just a little over a month until the last one comes out. While I'm definitely excited, it's also a little bit sad to know that this will probably be the last Star Wars film. I just hope that the story continues to grow through other media. I've heard rumors of a possible television series in the future, which I find intriguing. Whatever form it takes, I'm just really interested to see where the Star Wars universe goes from here.

And So It Ends

RedHawks Top BGSU 85-65

Tonight, the season came to an end for the BGSU Falcons' men's basketball team. It seems like the season just started, and yet it's over. I listened to tonight's game on the radio, and it was not easy to listen to. The Falcons pretty much got pounded. I'm sure it wouldn't have been any easier to watch had I been there--it probably would have been worse, actually--but I wish I would have been there anyway. These guys were so much fun to watch this year. I wish I could have seen them play one more time, especially the seniors. We're going to miss them.

Despite low expectations, the Falcons challenged for a MAC West Division championship this season. They stumbled a bit at the end, but they had a chance, and they were still a dangerous team heading into the MAC Tournament. I had hopes of them winning tonight, and then neither hell nor high water could have kept me from Cleveland for tomorrow and Saturday's games. I envisioned myself watching them win the championship game on Saturday to earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. I tried to imagine what that would feel like. Once again, I'll have to wait at least until next year to find out.

Eventually I'll write a detailed examination of the past season and where the Falcons will go from here. For now, I just have to let this one sink in.

Stuck Here

Ugh. When I was working at my last job, I never thought I would find myself wanting to be back there after I left. That's exactly the situation I found myself in today, though. For one thing, I was suffering from terminal boredom at my new job. I had almost nothing to do for the entire time I was there, which was seven and a half hours on the clock. Of course, that's something I was accustomed to at my last job, when I didn't have much to do on most days. At that job, however, I had full use of the Internet, which was a wonderful time killer. Sure, a lot of days still felt long, but at least they were fairly productive, personally if not professionally.

Having nothing else to do, I spent most of the day thinking about MAC basketball and the upcoming MAC Tournament. Again, that's exactly what I would have been doing at the old place. At that place, with the Internet, things probably would have gone a little bit differently. I would have spent the day reading stories from Monday's game, and previews of tomorrow night's game. I would have spent a lot of time on message boards for MAC teams, reading and writing about all the matchups. Then I would have checked out the ticket situation, just for kicks, and I probably would have found that good seats were still available. I probably would have bought one, and spent the rest of the day coming up with a scheme for how I could get off a little early tomorrow in order to get to Cleveland in time for the game.

It's probably better that it didn't go down that way, as a trip to Cleveland for tomorrow night's game would not be wise right now (especially since, if they win tomorrow, there would be no way I would come back; I'd stay in Cleveland for Friday's game). Still, I really hate that I can't go. I love the tournament. I really like seeing the Falcons play as much as possible, of course, but I like being there for all the games, even when BG isn't playing. Whenever it happens that I find myself with more than one week of vacation time, I'll be using a couple of those days each year to attend the MAC Tournament at Gund Arena, in its entirety. In the meantime, I'll be listening to Todd Walker and Brent Klassen broadcast tomorrow night's game on the radio, hoping the Falcons win so I can go see them on Friday.

Let's Light This Fucker Up

(Or "A Farewell to Anderson")

Unfortunately, the BGSU Falcons were not able to get a win over Central Michigan in their final regular season game at Anderson Arena. Luckily, the way things shook out, the Falcons still earned the #8 seed in the MAC Tournament and so were able to host a first-round game last night against the Ball State Cardinals. Not only did this game present an opportunity for BG to advance to the rest of the tournament at Gund Arena in Cleveland, but it also gave them a chance to send the seniors--Cory Eyink, Josh Almanson, and John Reimold--out on a winning note in their last game in their home gym.

Of course, this year the MAC Tournament coincided with BGSU's spring break, so the crowd at last night's game was less than stellar, at least in terms of numbers. The student section, generally considered the strength of "The House That Roars," was especially depleted. Knowing how the team feeds off a raucous crowd, Coach Dakich came over to the student section (where Brandi and I were located) to address the die-hards that made it out. "You're all we've got tonight," he told us. "Let's light this fucker up."

That got the crowd started, and the game kicked off the right way. You could tell immediately that the players didn't want to repeat the sour experience from their loss on Saturday. They played with a lot of energy and jumped out to a big lead. Ball State was able to make a game of it in the second half, but that was when the game became really fun to watch. John Reimold absolutely willed this team to victory. He played his ass off. He's been a great player while he's been here, but this was without a doubt his best performance. He finished with thirty-eight points, the Falcons finished with a victory, and they'll play #1 seed Miami at Gund Arena on Thursday night.

I love the MAC Tournament. I really wish I could go on Thursday, but I just can't swing it this year. If BG happens to win that game and plays again on Friday evening, I might be able to make it to Cleveland by gametime. If they should win that game and advance to the MAC championship game, there is no way I'll be anywhere else.

A Silver Lining

As predicted, not a whole lot went on this weekend. Brandi was getting over her sinus infection, so we spent a lot of time just hanging out at home. Sometimes it's nice to have a weekend like that, although it would have been nicer if Brandi would have felt better and thus could have enjoyed it a little bit more.

She did feel well enough for us to go out for a nice dinner on Saturday night. We went to SamB's here in Bowling Green. We don't go there terribly often, but the food is awesome. Tonight we got to sit back in a little nook that we didn't even know was there, and it was pretty cool. There were only a few tables back there, and a bar. It was pretty quiet (except when someone briefly brought a screaming baby into the room) and had a cool atmosphere.

Unfortunately, we spent much of dinner talking about the basketball game that afternoon, which the Falcons did not win. It's hard to say exactly what went wrong, and in the end, it doesn't really matter. They didn't win on Senior Day, which is really an unfortunate way for these great seniors to go out. On the bright side, they will get another game at home--the way the seedings for the tournament shook out, the Falcons got the #8 seed and will host #9 Ball State tonight. Hopefully they can come victorious out of this one and advance to the games in Cleveland. These guys are tough, and I wouldn't be too surprised to see them go on to win the MAC tournament. I hope they get that far, because I probably won't get to see them play again unless they play in the championship game. If they do, I'll definitely be in Cleveland to see it.

Is This Goodbye?

A heads-up for everyone out there: since this is March (think "March Madness"), I'll probably be writing a lot about college basketball in the next few days and weeks. That's just the way it is.

This probably will be a pretty low-key weekend. Brandi has been sick the past couple of days with a sinus infection, and she's still getting over it. Her medicine makes her sleepy, so we probably won't be going out and doing very much.

One thing I'll be doing, and I hope that Brandi will be feeling well enough to go with me, is a BGSU basketball game tomorrow afternoon against Central Michigan. Central is one of the worst teams in the conference, so it should be an easy win for the Falcons. That'll be nice, because it's the last regular-season game, and thus it's Senior Day. Depending on the way the seeding shakes out for the MAC Tournament, this very well could be the last game in Anderson Arena for our three senior players: Cory Eyink, Josh Almanson, and John Reimold.

Eyink came in with a pretty fair amount of hype, and he never quite lived up to it. At 6' 8" and with a pretty wide body, he looks like a player who would live in the post and bang down low. That was never his game, though. He is more of a perimeter player with a decent shot from behind the arc, and he could handle the ball pretty well for a big guy. Still, he had better ball-handlers and guys with better long-range shots, so his minutes this year have not been huge. Still, he's managed to play a very important role on this team. He's a smart player and a good defender, so he's generally on the floor during crunch times. He's the glue that holds the team together. He makes a lot of little plays that are hard to notice but that play a big role in a team's success. Cory hustles, makes smart plays, and provides a lot of spirit and leadership for this team. I doubt BG would have been able to contend for the MAC title this year without him.

Almanson has been a huge surprise this year. He's turned into one of the best players in the MAC, a potential Player of the Year. He's one of the top scorers in the conference. It's awesome to see him doing so well, especially since it was mostly unexpected. Like Eyink, Almanson is a prototypical post player who never showed much interest in playing down low until this year. This year, his last year, he put on some muscle and really came into the season ready to play. His development has been a joy to watch. He definitely hasn't been afraid to be physical down low, but he can also step outside and shoot from long-range. He plays good defense, and also plays smart basketball. He doesn't commit stupid fouls, and really provides a great big-man presence on both ends of the floor. He also may be the best free-throw shooter on the team. For the Falcons, who sometimes have trouble getting the ball in the hoop, Almanson's play this year has been absolutely necessary. We're going to miss him next year.

There's not much to say about Reimold that hasn't already been said. He has been incredibly tough from the moment he stepped on campus. He's a hell of a competitor, and wants to win as much as anyone I've seen play here. Coach Dakich's teams always tend to take on the personalities of the seniors, and John Reimold is the one reason I felt the Falcons would have a good season, even when preseason prognosticators (including some of our own fans) were writing this year off. Like Anthony Stacey and Keith McLeod before him, I expected Reimold to will us to victory when necessary, and he has done just that. He's another potential Player of the Year, another leading scorer in the conference. He can score in just about every way, and he's also a solid defender. When a play needs to be made, John is the one player we can count on to make it.

It's going to be sad to see these players move on--Coach Dakich has said he wishes he could coach them for the rest of his life. It's hard to see how the team is going to be next year without them. With at least a few more games left this year, though, that's something to worry about later. Right now I'm just hoping they can get a win tomorrow and enjoy Senior Day. The MAC is pretty crazy this year, and the Falcons could still get a first-round bye in the tournament, or, with a loss, they could possibly have to play a first-round game on the road. Most likely, though, they'll play a tournament game at home on Monday night. Still, not knowing whether or not they'll play again in Anderson Arena, I hope to see them go out on a high note.

Behind Enemy Lines

Earlier this evening I attended a BGSU basketball game at the house of our archenemy, the University of Toledo Rockets.

I debated for a while over whether I would attend the game or not, and I didn't decide until this morning, while I was at work. The season is winding down, and there are only so many opportunities left to see these guys play. Last year that wasn't an issue, but this year's team is a whole lot of fun to watch (most of the time, anyway). Besides, I knew tickets were pretty cheap, and since I work in Toledo, I was already in the general area.

Unfortunately, the Falcons lost, 58-50. This was my third trip to Savage Hall (UT's arena), and I've never seen Bowling Green win there. It's pretty frustrating. Tonight was a display of bad basketball by both teams. It just so happened that the Falcons played a little bit worse than the Rockets did. There were turnovers and missed shots galore. If Bowling Green had been playing even mildly well, I would have enjoyed watching UT struggle so mightily.

Attending away games is always an interesting experience, and even more so when it's on the campus of your biggest rival. I most assuredly do not hide my colors under such circumstances. I wear just as much orange as I would for a home game. I had to park in a garage a short distance from the arena (parking cost: $5), and I received a few dirty looks on the walk over, but nothing overly hostile. I don't know how it is in other conferences, but I've never felt threatened or even all that out-of-place when walking around at an away game. MAC rivalries are intense, but for the most part, the fans are a friendly enough bunch. I've heard stories of hostilities at other schools, but they were during football season instead of basketball, and I've never experienced such things myself.

At the ticket window, I asked for a ticket in the visitor's section (ticket charge: $7). I didn't get one, but I don't think the lady did it on purpose. I think she just didn't know where the visitor's section was, exactly. It wasn't a very big deal, at any rate. I gave up my reserved seat to go to the other side of the arena and sit in the general admission section with a group of fans wearing orange. The seat I took was just as good as the one I left, if not a little better, and I got to sit with a guy I know from going to BG home games for as long as I have. I don't mind at all on the occasions (and as I go to every game I can, these occasions are many) when I have to sit by myself, but having someone to chat with about the finer points of the game is nice from time to time.

Shortly before tipoff, I went down to the concession stand to grab a snack: a popcorn and a Coke (total cost: $6.75). The lady who sold me said food was decked out in blue, as were all the concession workers, but I noticed she had a falcon-head pin attached to her apron, and as she handed me my food, she said "go Falcons" both quickly and quietly.

Savage Hall has a capacity of 9,000, give or take, but it rarely approaches that number in actual attendance for men's basketball games. Tonight's game, even given the rivalry, was no exception. There were a large number of empty seats in all the upper sections of the arena. Nonetheless, the usher stationed in our entrance--the entrance which led to the general admission section I sat in plus the reserved section immediately across the aisle--felt it was necessary to check everyone's ticket as they entered, to make sure they sat in the correct section. He did this until nearly the very end of the game, which angered a lot of the people in these sections. It would have been understandable under other circumstances, but given the fact that there were plenty of empty seats, and also given the fact that almost everyone in both of these sections were BGSU fans, it seemed like nothing more than petty harassment. I don't expect it to change, though. This was my third trip to Savage Hall, and this was the third time this individual has so patrolled his domain.

During one stretch of the game, when Bowling Green was making a run, a good number of BG fans in these sections stood up and cheered loudly. The usher turned around and motioned for everyone to sit down. At this point, an elderly BG fan, who had not stood up to cheer, did stand up. He slammed his fist on the empty chair next to him and yelled "Goddammit, we'll stand up if we want to!" That was when the usher finally gave up and left the section. There may have been five minutes left in the game at that point.

One final observation: Toledo's student section features a "spirit crew" of individuals wearing jumpsuits and masks. This seems to be a fairly direct knock-off of BGSU's Sic-Sic organization. Sic-Sic members walk through the crowd at sporting events, throwing candy and annoying spectators. I think they're fairly useless, but Toledo's spirit crew takes the cake. As far as I can tell, the only thing they really do is give the finger to opposing fans.

Anyway, despite my lack of success at Savage Hall so far, I'll probably continue to go each year whenever I can. It is, after all, the closest away game the Falcons play, and as long as I work in Toledo, there's no real reason for me to stay away. Eventually BG will get a win there, and it will be so sweet when that day comes.

A Few Notes on Sports

Earlier this evening, I went to the BGSU basketball game against Akron. I'm beginning to think that Akron should change their mascot from the "Zips" to the "Assholes on Parade." I don't know how they manage to do it, but it seems like they always have one player who challenges for the coveted award of biggest jerk in the league. I don't think anyone will top Ben Reed from WMU this year, but the kid in question is only a freshman, so he has years to hone his game. When I first came to BG and started attending basketball games, Akron had Jami Bosley. They only had Bosley because he had transferred there after being kicked out of Ohio State for vandalizing cars. He got away with more fouls than any player I've ever seen. One year, after a victory in our house, he tore off his jersey and ran screaming around the arena, plowing through our cheerleaders and careening into our fans. When he left, in came Andy Hipsher, son of Akron's coach at the time. Our fans really got into his head, rendering him almost entirely useless when the Zips played here. Needless to say, this made him unhappy, and as far as I can tell, he was utterly unable to control his emotions. Two years in a row, he physically assaulted one of our fans--once during warm-ups, and once during the game itself. Neither time was any sort of punishment leveled against him, and in the second event, the fan was removed from the arena even though Hipsher was the one who instigated the whole thing. I seem to remember him having some issues with fans at Ohio University as well. He's gone now, and good riddance, but in to take his place is freshman Bubba Walther. This evening he pushed a ref--no technical foul was called--then, after Akron won, didn't join his team huddle but instead stood in the middle of the court, taunting our fans. He wasn't nearly as much of a jerk as Hipsher ever was, but then again, he's young. He'll get there.

Now that I've vented, it's time to let that go and turn my attention to the upcoming Super Bowl. I like the Eagles in this one. I think it's their turn to win. Also, I'm really coming to dislike the Patriots. At some point, some sports talking head is just going to blurt it out: "Tom Brady is so pretty, and I want to make love to him all night long." Give me a break. Yeah, the Patriots are good. We get it. They're not the best team ever; Tom Brady is not Joe Montana; and Bill Belichick is not Albert Einstein. Stop trying to convince me otherwise. Whether the Patriots win or lose the Super Bowl, I'm hoping the loss of both of their coordinators will bring them down a notch for next season and in seasons to come. It's time to stop hearing about them for a while.

While I like the the Eagles, I'm really nervous about Terrell Owens playing in this game. He's looked good in the few shots I've seen of him practicing this week, and I know he's an incredible athlete with a documented history of quick recoveries from injuries. Still, coming back this quickly from an injury so serious seems like a bad idea. If anyone can do it, though, it's him, and I have a ton of respect for him for trying so hard to get back on the field to help his team. I hope he plays well if he plays, but most importantly, I hope he doesn't get re-injured.

Of course, the Super Bowl will bring with it the official end of the football season (except for any poor saps out there who actually care about the Pro Bowl). To say I'll miss it would be something of an understatement. I won't feel totally whole again until August, when the high school season will fire up. There will be a brief respite in April, for the BGSU spring game, but otherwise my football jones will have to be satisfied with PlayStation and the couple of games I have on tape.

The Return of Notes, Quotes, and Billy Goats

Today was my first really good day at work. I was busy all day long, and I had to make a ton of corrections. A busy day is a good day, especially when I'm doing a lot of editing. I still haven't been totally trained. I keep hoping that it's coming, but no luck so far. It should be soon, though. I just want to get to a point where I know what to do when there isn't anything in my inbox. Fortunately, I had enough work today that there's plenty left over to start with in the morning.

If my calculations are correct, tomorrow I should get my first paycheck from my new job. I'm looking forward to that.

Making the day even better, I got to spend some time at Anderson Arena this evening. The BGSU Falcons took on the Bluffton Beavers and won 87-60. Despite the 27-point win, the Falcons didn't play particularly well. It was a fun game to watch, though. The crowd was pretty good (Coach Dakich actually came over to the student section during one of the timeouts to thank everyone for coming--a nice gesture, but one he shouldn't have to make), and there were quite a few dunks. I think all of them came from Josh Almanson, who really bulked up in the offseason and has looked great so far. He has always been a solid player, but this year it looks like he's ready to live up to his full potential.

Tonight Brandi and I watched the movie Super Size Me, the documentary made by a guy who ate nothing but McDonalds food for a whole month. It was pretty incredible. Looking back, I can't say there was really anything in there that was really surprising, but it was a real eye-opener to see it laid out the way it was. Very good movie. I'd like to say it will inspire me to clean up my eating habits, but we'll see. I've actually been trying to eat better gradually for quite a while now, and I think I do a pretty decent job. I still eat fast food at least once a week, though, as I just can't pass up Wendy's on Friday.

If Barry Bonds had a shred of decency, he would simply retire from baseball before the beginning of next season. If he continues to play, he's going to break the all-time home run record, and then that record is going to be tainted by the fact that he has taken steroids. He absolutely has to know what a mess that would create for the game, so he should walk away and not let it happen. Do I expect him to do that? Absolutely not.

Notre Dame is still looking for a head coach after being spurned by former Bowling Green coach Urban Meyer, who took the job at Florida instead. Hey Irish, I bet you could pry George O'Leary away from Central Florida! Didn't you try to hire him last time? I think he'd probably be willing to listen to offers after leading the Golden Knights to an 0-11 record in their final year in the MAC.

Let's Get It Started

BG bigger, tougher . . . better?

There's been a drastic change in what I wrote yesterday. I'm now ready for college hoops.

It started, actually, as I was writing that very post. Just thinking about college basketball, about being in Anderson Arena with a loud and raucous crowd, made me start to feel it again. Then last night I came across a Preseason NIT game between Colorado and Michigan, and I watched it and got into it. This article sealed the deal.

I'm so stoked for Falcon basketball. I won't get to see them play until next Wednesday, unless they happen to be somewhere on my television dial on Saturday, but I'll probably try to listen to that game on the radio. Sight unseen, here's my best guess at how the starting lineup will look.

C Josh Almanson (6-8 Sr)
PF Cory Eyink (6-8 Sr.)
SF John Reimold (6-6 Sr.)
SG Steven Wright (6-3 Jr.)
PG John Floyd (6-2 So.)

I think the first guy off the bench will be Germain Fitch (6-4 Jr.), who should be totally recovered from a series of knee surgeries that have caused him to miss most of the past two seasons. He's a great all-around player who can provide valuable minutes at the 2 and 3 spots, and he can even play the point if he's needed there. I think Floyd will start the season as the starting point guard, but I think Perrick Robinson's (5-9 Fr.) minutes will increase as the season goes on and he'll eventually take over the starting spot. Wright may also see some time there, as he was the starting point guard last season. Austin Montgomery (6-4 So.) will be another key reserve at the off guard spot. He showed flashes of great promise last season as a freshman, but also had trouble at times holding onto the ball.

In the frontcourt, Reimold will definitely be the starter at small forward, and he'll provide a good deal of BG's scoring punch as well as strong leadership. He'll be spelled by Fitch and JUCO transfer Mawel Soler (6-5 Jr.). I haven't seen Soler play yet, but he's said to be a tenacious defender and rebounder. That sounds like Coach Dakich's kind of guy, so he'll definitely see some minutes. I penciled in Almanson to start at center, but he may in fact start at power forward with Matt Lefeld (6-11 So.) playing center. Lefeld is a good post defender, and the weight he added in the offseason will really allow him to bang down low. Hopefully he has learned to stay out of foul trouble as well. Freshman Scott Vandermeer (6-11) will likely also see some time at center. If Almanson starts at power forward, Eyink will then come off the bench at that position. It's also possible that Soler and even Fitch may spend some time in this position if necessary.

I'm really optimistic about this season, and I can't wait to see these guys play. Typically, Coach Dakich's best teams have had great senior leadership, and I think we'll have that this year. Reimold is tough and gritty, and if he rubs off on the rest of the team, that can only mean good things. I think he'll be the vocal leader. Almanson and Eyink are the other seniors, and I think they'll lead mostly by example. Both are hard workers, guys that hustle, play smart, and do the little things. I think the end result, in terms of wins and losses, will come down to how quickly the new guys can come along and contribute. I'm encouraged by what I've heard so far, and I'll be able to finally see for myself next Wednesday. That day can't come soon enough for me.

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.

BGSU Basketball: The State of the Program Address

Lewis Wants to Leave Falcons

I hate the offseason.

I've touched on that theme several times recently, at least in terms of it being hard to wait for the upcoming season. However, in those cases I was referring to football, and not basketball. In this case, it isn't because of anticipation for the coming season that I hate the offseason, but because crazy stuff is going on. The Bowling Green Falcons mens' hoops team is embroiled in a mess right now.

Guard Chris Hobson and forward Isaac Rosefelt have already left the program. Both were freshman last year and left ostensibly to find more playing time. Rosefelt may have required more development, but Hobson likely would have been a major contributor this season. However, they're both gone. There were also rumors that guard Steven Wright may leave, for off-the-court reasons not fully known, but that situation seems to have calmed. Steven is still listed on the official roster.

Ronald Lewis, however, is not. Yesterday Lewis, a rising junior guard, declared his intention to transfer to another school to continue his playing career. I was almost physically hurt when I got the news. Unlike Hobson and Rosefelt, both of whom played limited roles last season, Lewis was a known quantity. He was the Falcons' leading scorer last season, and 2nd team All-MAC. His athletic and often eye-popping play was one bright spot of the past two seasons, both of which were subpar in terms of actually winning games. Seeing Ron play was worth the price of admission. Needless to say, at first glance this looks like a huge blow to BG's program, and, in conjunction with the other departures that have taken place this offseason, could lead some to question the leadership of the team and where the Falcon program is headed.

As the day progressed, though, more of the story surfaced. In the article linked above, Lewis's mother comments on his goal to play in the NBA, and apparently that's at the heart of this matter. The story, as it was reported by the local sports radio station, is that Lewis was upset that the coaching staff had signed an incoming freshman point guard. He reportedly told the coaches that he needed to play point guard in order to reach the NBA. When told that his desire to play point guard wasn't in the best interests of the team winning games, Lewis reportedly replied that winning was secondary to him.

That story at this point is unconfirmed, but was said to have been reported by two sources. If indeed it is true, then Coach Dakich can absolutely not be blamed for Lewis leaving the program. Especially after two seasons in which wins have been in short supply, having a key player who puts personal goals ahead of the team's interests cannot be tolerated. That's not the way Coach Dakich runs the program, as any observer of the team can tell you. If Lewis actually said this, then the team is better off without him. If nothing else, team chemistry will be better with him playing elsewhere.

It also seems to me, after much thought, that this may not hurt the team on the floor as much as it would seem. Obviously, it's never a good thing to lose the scoring leader from a team, nor an off guard that rebounds as well as Lewis did. However, he did have a propensity for turning the ball over, and he wasn't a particularly good defender. He would not have been good in the point guard position--that's just not his game.

The roster as it currently stands can be seen here.

The incoming freshman in question, Perrick Robinson Jr., will be able to play the point, relieved by incoming transfer John Floyd. Steven Wright wasn't particularly impressive running the point last year, but he can play there if needed (provided he does indeed return, which it looks now like he will). I think he can blossom in the shooting guard spot, and he can share time there with sophomore Austin Montgomery. Montgomery was inconsistent last year, and looked downright bad at times, but he also had games where he looked really good. If he can step it up, I think he and Wright can come close to replacing Lewis's scoring output. Defensively, this is an upgrade. It would have been nice to have Hobson to work into this rotation as well, especially on defense, but the Falcons should be okay with the guys they have.

The rest of the team, the frontcourt, should be decent at worst. Small forward John Reimold will be the heart and soul of this team, and provide the senior leadership and the main three-point threat. He's a fighter, and if the rest of the team follows him, I have high hopes. The rotation at that spot, however, is an unknown quantity at this point. Hopefully junior Germain Fitch will be recovered from injury and ready to play. If so, he'll also be a good leader for this team, and his contributions on defense, rebounding, and overall smart basketball will be a great asset. Incoming transfer Mawel Soler will figure into the mix here as well.

Power forward is something of a question mark, despite the fact that the players in question are both seniors. Cory Eyink has the build to be a bruiser down low, but he has a tendency to play on the wing and shoot three-pointers. He can shoot, but that's not what the team needs his main contribution to be. Josh Almanson is a heady player with skills, but was a little tentative at times last season after sitting out most of the previous season with an injury. He's an outstanding free-throw shooter, though, so getting him the ball will be key. These guys need to step up their game this year and play like seniors, and I think both of them will do that.

The starting center is almost sure to be sophomore Matt Lefeld, who played some last year in relief of Kevin Netter, who graduated. Lefeld is a tenacious defender who showed in his limited minutes last year that he has a lot of potential. He needs to stay out of foul trouble. He'll be joined down low by incoming freshman Scott Vandermeer, who will be thrown into the fire.

Coach Dakich, in the past, has shown a reluctance to give major minutes to freshmen. He'll have to overcome that this year just because of the sheer numbers crunch. The transfers Floyd and Soler will also be depended on to contribute. If these new guys come in ready to play right away, the Falcons may not win the MAC Championship this year, but it could be the year we start getting the program back on track. If they aren't ready, it could be a long season. Either way, it'll be something to see.

In the meantime, it will be interesting to see how this Lewis situation plays out. He'll be granted a release from his scholarship pending the results of an NCAA invesigation. There are some questions as to whether or not he or anyone in his family was contacted by another school prior to him requesting his release. If so, that would be a violation of NCAA rules. If that's found to be the case, I don't know what the consequences would be. If not, he'll be free to puruse his NBA dreams elsewhere. Good luck, Ron. You were fun to watch and I hate to see you go, but your (alleged) attitude will hopefully be a better fit somewhere else.

Purging the Notebook

Overhearing a co-worker giving directions to a trucker on how to get to our facility, I have to wonder how she ever gets from Point A to Point B without becoming hopelessly lost or crashing into anything. She doesn't know street names or route numbers, or how highway exits are labeled. She was complaining about a turn-only lane that isn't clearly marked, when there are in fact two signs clearly stating the fact that it's a turn-only lane, not to mention the markings on the pavement.

This same co-worker wandered into my office this morning, complaining under her breath about the fact that it's not sunny today. I wasn't sure if she was trying to make conversation or what, so I turned around to look. In fact, she was holding a document up to the window and using the light to trace a signature from an original document. I have no idea what she was doing, but there can't be too many legitimate reasons for this, can there?

It took me very little time to get to lunch today, and I have no idea how that happened. Maybe I ran a red light or something without being aware of it.

As much as I love the Reds, watching them play lately has been an exercise in frustration. Earlier in the season, it didn't matter if they got behind early because I felt like they could and would come back, and often they did. Now it doesn't matter if they get ahead early, because they've shown a propensity for blowing leads and losing games. They've currently lost six games in a row to even their record at 50-50 with 62 games left. With the trading deadline approaching, it'll be interesting to see what they do. The best I'm hoping for at this point is for them to stand pat. I doubt they'll attempt to upgrade for this season, but at the same time I don't think they can afford to trade players away for prospects. There's too much risk of alienating the fans (and the players) if they do that. I think they should stay the course for the rest of the season and see how it plays out, and then attempt to fill holes in the offseason. As good as the Reds have been at times this season, there are plenty of holes to be filled.

I'm still hoping to make it down to Great American Ballpark for a game before the end of the season. I have seen the Reds in person once this year, but it was an away game at Jacobs Field in Cleveland.

The Bowling Green State University football team announced yesterday that they've signed an agreement for a home-and-home series with Boise State, starting with a BG trip to Idaho next season (2005). Besides their prolific offense, Boise State is known for their stadium and its blue Astroturf. That would be quite interesting to see in person. Idaho is a damned long way from Ohio, but with a year's notice, I'm hoping I can find a way to swing a trip out there for that game.

The news isn't quite as good for another BGSU athletic program. Rising sophomore guard Chris Hobson has apparently left the men's basketball program, and rising junior guard Steven Wright may be considering it as well. I'm a big fan of Falcons head coach Dan Dakich, but the past two seasons have definitely been sub-par and a lot of players have left the program. I'm personally willing to wait and see how the upcoming season plays out before making any judgment on his status with the team, but other fans are not as patient with Coach Dakich as I am. It's not a good situation no matter how you look at it.