MySportsSanctuary

When you have alumni erecting billboards around your town calling your ‘job’ an ‘internship,’ post a season with the most losses in the program’s storied history and haven’t won a big game in your tenure, chances are things are not quite right.

Charlie Weis, the coach for Notre Dame, is one of the highest paid and controversial coaches in recent memory. Many believe Weis to be a very knowledgeable and charismatic coach who routinely gets a top tier recruiting class each year. However, those blue-chip athletes haven’t translated their high praise into high wins. Other than his splash in 2005 with a 9-2 record after the dismal season and even detrimental firing of Ty Willingham the year before, Weis hasn’t lived up to expectations. Ironic that after his first seven games (5-2) he was given a ten-year contract worth over $30 million when Willingham started out 8-0 during his inaugural season but was fired two seasons later. Critics blamed race as Willingham, who is black, didn’t have a chance to develop his players while Weis was seen as a breath of fresh air. Notre Dame would take the hit from the controversy and stood by Weis’s side, and the pressure to win was mounting. The critics of Weis would say that his 20-6 record in his first two seasons was won with his predecessors recruits which included Brady Quinn and Jeff Samardzija. Since then: 11-16 record including their dramatic collapse against Michigan a week ago, a loss to Navy for the first time in 43 years and their first ever loss to an 8-loss team in Syracuse in 2008.

So in his fifth year, after a great bowl victory over Hawaii and the fact that these are his players, the pressure is on his back like no other time during his brief tenure. He has to win and win now. I think he is a good coach but what Notre Dame did to Willingham all but made this situation a stressful one. They believed in Weis and bet the farm on him, and so far the return on their investment has been slim to none, and slim is packing up to leave.

For most of the game, Terrelle Pryor and the Ohio State Buckeyes dominated the USC Trojans. The game was theirs to win and, as it has seemed for an entire decade, they couldn’t close the deal. USC true freshman Matt Barkley, the latest in a string of great quarterbacks churned out by Pete Carroll, drove the Trojans the length of the field in the final minutes with 105,000 plus Buckeye fans screaming for the go ahead touchdown. The steely nerve of this 19 year old on his biggest stage offered up a drive for the ages.

As for the Buckeyes, it wasn’t the blowouts of their two previous BCS championship appearances against Florida and LSU; however it would have never dawned on me that this proud football team is now playing for respect and the opportunity to be included with the elite. As much as Nebraska, Michigan, Florida State, Miami and Notre Dame have been trying to regain prominence that once was theirs as recently as a decade ago (ND a little longer), the fact remains that Ohio State constantly is playing in the BCS bowls. They just haven’t won. They are 44-8 in their last 52 contests however they are 2-8 against ranked opponents and 42-0 against everybody else. That means they win the games they are supposed to, but lack the focus to carry it out on the biggest of stages.

After being dump trucked by USC in the Coliseum a year ago, this was a statement game for Ohio State. It was finally looking like this Big Ten team powerhouse was going to send a message to the college football world that they can play with the big boys. Unfortunately, a team that has been to three national championship games in six years are still looking for respect.

These next three months will be a joyous occasion for many students, from kindergarten to seniors graduating from college (unless you are looking for a full time job). Along with the economy downturn which forced the Yanks to sell first class seats at coach prices, the sports appetite wanes as the months of June, July, and August roll through.

At June 1, we will have the NHL and NBA playoffs almost reaching its climax, and MLB is in its early stages of weeding out it pretenders. Once July hits, baseball will be king, champions are crowned in basketball and hockey, but two behemoth sports leagues are revving up for their shot at glory and ooh will they ever succeed.

August is when the NFL and College Football begin to really prep for their upcoming season. You hear of OTA’s, spring games, involuntary (did I say that) workouts, and scrimmages as early as spring. The pads start cracking in the summer heat and just in time for school to start (sorry 6th graders).

The college football season will start with the usual suspects of Florida, USC, Texas, Oklahoma, and some lucky team from the SEC rounding out the top five. Not in that order, but don’t be surprised. Until we have a playoff…I said I wouldn’t go there just yet. Moving on, the NFL is wide open as it has been since ’91. Only the Cowboys, Broncos, and Patriots have repeated as champions, and many of the SB losers this decade haven’t even made the playoffs the next year. And that even happened to the Patriots after their attempt at moving Mercury Morris down the street fell short and going 11-5 the next year. Arizona already looking like one with coordinators leaving, Anquan wanting out, and the Edge already shipped out.

So why not enjoy the summer’s heartbeat known as the MLB season. I will, sort of, with one eye on Tom Brady’s comeback, Dolphins season after the miracle, and some guy making a comeback after two years. Not all is lost in baseball once the leaves starts turning. They’ll have the spotlight again in October. It may be the temps in these next few months that are scorching, but it’s in the fall when things really heat up.

When you were growing up, your family, teachers and coaches all expressed that you should always go after your dreams. In athletics, we begin by playing all sports, just because it was FUN and exciting. As you grow older, you start to specialize in two or three because you were GOOD at it. Then comes your senior year in high school.

If you are a great athlete, chances are you can play two sports in college. Some athletes like Antonio Gates, Ronald Curry, Julius Peppers, Tony Gonzalez and Charlie Ward played basketball and football for their alma mater. However, the most decorated player, Ward, who won the Heisman in ’93 and a national title, is the only one to play professional basketball. Now there are many more who did the two step and in different sports too so don’t crush me as you go get your sports almanac. But you rarely get a chance like Greg Paulus is about to take advantage of.

As a high school quarterback, Mr. Paulus was a beast. An All-American from upstate New York, Paulus could have gone anywhere he wanted to at the time. He was a pretty good guard also, and yes, the dilemma was there. Playing both sports is a privilege most never get, but it only works at certain schools. Playing both sports for a college like UNC, as Peppers and Curry did, is one of those schools, and in fact the football program was their ticket to professional sports, not basketball. Duke isn’t exactly a football factory. I think Paulus just wanted to play full time for Coach K and soak in all the knowledge he could from him. It had nothing to do with Duke football chances of having a winning season. Nope, he just wanted to play basketball.

After three average seasons at Duke with no titles playing basketball, the gifted Greg, who hasn’t taken a snap since his prom, is now being RECRUITED again to play football. Michigan, Nebraska who are heavy hitters in college football were both interested along with Syracuse. How many of us can say we were courted twice in a college career? The icing on the cake would be him making the squad. The football powerhouse known as the Orangemen will be a tough outfit to make, since they are coming off of a…3-9 season and 10 wins in the last four years. I know he hasn’t taken a hit in years and a screen from Tyler Hansbrough is nowhere in the realm of a blindside sack from a blitzing linebacker. I just hope he makes it and keep the dream alive.

I hit the blogosphere this past week and there was no shortage of opinions of University of Florida’s head football coach Urban Meyer demanding allegiance amongst former Gators. Now I have heard there is a silent code among Presidents to not criticize one another, but in college football, whoa baby!

Shane Matthews, who I admit, was playing before I was totally into college football other than watching ‘The U’ and Notre Dame (didn’t have cable then), had a great career in Spurrier’s Fun n’ Gun aerial attack. I would say he was at the start of the rise of the Gators in the early 90’s which culminated with the 1997 trouncing of Florida State for the sports top honor. So before General Meyer tells anyone else to drop and give him fifty, the Gators had success before him.

I am not one to argue General Meyer’s credentials; in fact, he has earned his success. Besides his two titles in the Swamp, he took a mediocre Utah team and made a splash as the first non-BCS team to win a BCS bowl by blitzing the ‘burgh in ’04. I like General Meyer, and no, I don’t think he is as hard to deal with as I am making it.

The reason why I call him the General is not his likeness to Bob Knight or Schwarzkopf because he isn’t like them. However he will steamroll you if you make him look soft. Remember the beat down he gave Georgia this past season after the Bulldogs met at the club in the first quarter a year earlier. Yeah, he even called a timeout late to keep the clock rolling.

Shane Matthews, a radio analyst, just did what all employees do at their jobs, follow the job description. His is to not only analyze the games, but to be critical (no way!) of the home team when it is warranted. His saying that the Gators should have attacked the secondary of the Rebels since they were playing man-to-man is something most with a football IQ would say. And the game was in Gainesville, and Ole Miss handed them the first and only loss of the year. The great thing about the loss is that we would never have had the greatest speech in the history of sports from Tim Tebow. Okay I am exaggerating; I got caught up in the moment.

Months after, yes MONTHS after, the game General Meyer, at a banquet, sounded off. He said in so many words that ‘any former Gator who is not behind the team can go buy a seat near I-75(actually 37F) and don’t even think about coming to the football office.’ Imagine what would have been said if Matthews said they actually stunk that game.

I see why the coach would want support from people affiliated with the team. If you’re the boss, you want your team, employees, staff, janitors, clients, and even stockholders on board. However, Gator football is much bigger than General Meyer. He may have won two titles, but he couldn’t have done it without the players, and the players come to the Swamp to play for one of the best programs in the nation. It only got to the top from past players doing big things. Players such as Shane Matthews. If Meyer’s leave tonight, the University will not fold. It made Gatorade for goodness sakes!

To read more about it click here.

At first I thought it was a no brainer. No, I am not a ‘what have you done for me lately’ type of guy, but when it came to what team should be declared the team of the decade, my instincts pointed towards Florida. With good reason, they seemed to dominate college football the last couple of seasons. However, like their basketball counterparts, it looks like it isn’t enough.

The beginning of the millennium saw the birth of a phenomenon named Michael Vick, the Sooners throttled Texas by putting up over 60 points in the Red River rivalry, which now is normal in Norman, and Nebraska was starting their miraculous slide to mediocrity.

Florida still lagged behind as USC began flexing its muscles, starting with Carson Palmer’s exit with the Heisman. Nick Saban came and went, and came back. Football powers Notre Dame, well you can’t really call them that if they haven’t won a national title in over 20 years, and Penn State hiatus from the top has been even longer.

As the NFL’s minor league known as the SEC beat up on each other, it was a slow start to the decade for the conference with LSU only winning in 2003, now it leads with four. So shouldn’t the championships be the measuring stick for greatness, yes but hold on. It shouldn’t be the only factor.

The gang out in Hollywood would have an argument, and the Sooner nation would have had something to say with their seven BCS appearances, tied for most with USC and Ohio State (yes them Buckeyes). Unfortunately, their lone title came in 2000, and a lot has changed, like getting drubbed the last three times they had a shot. They lead the wins count with 102, with Texas trailing at 97.

Back to the Trojan army, they lead with three Heisman trophy winners, and had the longest winning streak by far with 38. Their loss came in the title game to a Longhorn team dying for respect and got it.

And Notre Dame still hasn’t won a BCS game.

Enough wordage, here are their resumes, and I will bet your opinion will not be on one single factor.
Florida: 2 National Titles, 4 BCS appearances(3-1), 87 wins :
Texas: 1 National Title, 3, BCS appearances (3-0), 97 wins
USC: 2 National Titles(1 is AP), 7 BCS appearances (6-1), 93 wins
Oklahoma: 1 National Title, 7 BCS appearances (2-5), 102 wins
LSU: 2 National Titles, 4 BCS appearances (4-0), 90 wins
Notre Dame: 0 National Titles, 3 BCS appearances (0-3), 64 wins