Speaking of Washington universities, Boise State’s success has sparked and inspired Eastern Washington to paint their field blood red, and the Eagles are undefeated on it–albeit only 2-0. LSU, a school hardly devoid of tradition, released word last April that they would have purple “Tiger Turf” this season, yet it was all for naught when people realized that the date was April 1.

Too bad it was only an April Fool's Day Joke

The Boise blue has inspired a nation of college football fans, players, and coaches. College football: it loves the blue–or at least it did.

There has not been a time in recent memory in which a college football team has gone from beloved underdog to one of the most polarizing teams in college football so quickly, even to the extent that a respected college football analyst described them now as “like the Yankees: you either love ‘em or hate ‘em.”

Boise State — like the Yankees? This concept of would have been unheard of in 2007 when Thom Brennaman asked the college football world “Can the little dog play with the big dog?” But the Broncos didn’t just play with the big dog, then #8 ranked Oklahoma, they ran right by them for three quarters. After a fourth quarter collapse, one of the gutsiest calls in the history of the game–a “Statue of Liberty” play in overtime to go for two-points–won the game for the Broncos and crowned them America’s darling.

So why is Boise State such a polarizing team now–why do people hate them? While years of unchallenged domination of a weak conference is certainly one reason, a strong 2009 finish against a highly-respected TCU team in last year’s Fiesta Bowl and the return of 21 of 22 starters put the college football world on notice: they were in it to win it in 2010. The Broncos were considered legitimate national title contenders–the first time a non-BCS conference school has been considered one in the preseason. Ranked as high as #3 in the preseason polls, even the coaches couldn’t keep them out of their top five. College football fans everywhere loved Boise State when they were a cute underdog story knocking off a nationally hated college football brand name like Oklahoma, but now those very same Broncos could be taking a spot away from any generic big name school even though “they play no one.” People are angry.

Expect Boise State to run the table, and if they do, they will get legitimate national title consideration, especially if the Big 12 and Pac-10 winners have one or more losses and the Broncos can run up the score against most of their opponents. But is it enough to hate them simply because they might take a spot away from your team in the BCS title game?

Yet many fans still side with the “little dog,” as the throngs of Boise State supporters from all over believe that a Bronco national championship birth would represent the lovable underdog success story, the non-BCS school that redeems college football from the depths of BCS hell and into a playoff system–deus ex machina style.

Boise St. Coach Chris Peterson getting doused with Gatorade after their Fiesta Bowl win against TCU last January

Yet I contend that if Boise State makes the national championship game, and I expect this to happen, it will be, in fact, bad for the sport of college football. I’ve got the blues. The Boise-State-will-ruin-college-football blues. I would sing it, but you surely don’t want that, so read on:

1. It will legitimize bad conferences. There are only a few things worse than watching WAC football, and one of them is watching Sun Belt football. If Boise State were to make the title, especially if they win it or it’s a close game, it will destroy the argument that bad conferences don’t have good teams and that those conferences don’t prepare them for big games late in the season and in the bowls. Worse yet, it’s a major cause for the next two reasons for the Boise Blues–
2. It will decrease the likelihood of exciting non-conference games. If Boise can make it playing “no one” all year, why do you need to make a tough schedule? Especially if you are  a big time program in a BCS conference. If the WAC was tough enough to produce a BCS title contending team, certainly even the Big East and ACC are plenty tough. Why increase the likelihood of losing by playing a tough non-conference game? Worse yet, it will be even harder for teams like Boise State to schedule tough opponents because other programs will respect and fear them even more. Big schools have little to gain from scheduling them. Then again, the Broncos haven’t attempted to schedule Alabama yet…
3. It will make the conferences worse. You’re Texas. You’re Florida. You’re Ohio State. If Boise State can make the title game and their toughest conference opponent is Nevada, why do you remain in a big conference? Well the money, prestige, recruiting base are certainly all answers, but if the move makes sense financially (like if you got rights to your own TV network *cough* Texas *cough*), doesn’t it make sense to go to a conference where you can just beat up on everyone every year make more sense? Texas was rumored to be going to the Pac-10 in the off-season, but if Boise State wins, and the money makes sense, wouldn’t Texas rather be in the ACC? More realistically, wouldn’t Miami like to go back to the Big East where it would clearly be the best team? It also makes the pressing need for the smaller conferences to get better (Bravo Mountain West!) seem less important. In fact, would a title run mean that Boise State regrets the move out of the WAC?
   

   The Eagles are undefeated in their two home games since installing the red turf, including a won over last year's FCS runner-up Montana.

4. It would reinforce the BCS system. Full disclosure, I like the BCS system (another debate for another day), but I seem to be as rare in the world as a tough road game is on Boise State’s schedule–occasionally you find one, but often it turns out to not really be what it was billed as. If you really want a playoff, Boise State’s title chances are the scariest thing to happen to football since Stafon Johnson forgot to have a spotter. How will the cries for a playoff make any sense when Boise State does have a chance to play for it all and all of this in a season where their best win might have come against a team who lost to a 1AA school (I refuse to acknowledge the term “FCS”).
5. College Football Faux-Pas. Eastern Washington has already followed suit with their red field, imagine if the Boise Blue actually wins a title. We will see a rash of colored fields all over the college football landscape. Maybe LSU will actually be crazy enough to paint their field purple, as the need to find some new tactic–their 115th ranked passing game isn’t helping them win games. What’s next? Does Florida go blue too? Or even worse–Orange. Texas wouldn’t have to paint; they would just have to not water the field and the grass will go burnt orange in no time down in the Austin heat. Does Texas Tech paint the field black? I don’t even want to image what Oregon could come up with. Speaking of bad uniforms, a Boise State title run might only make their hideous new uniforms more accepted–gross. And worst of all, think: there will be a crystal ball. In Boise, Idaho.

So please football gods, I know that New Mexico State Toledo San Jose State Louisiana Tech Hawaii Idaho Fresno State Nevada doesn’t need that much help in upsetting the #3 team in the land, but any assistance would be greatly appreciated, for your sake and mine. I love the blues, but these Boise Blues are just too much to handle.

April turns into May and before we know it, May will turn into June, and teams all around baseball will begin talking about “selling” and “buying” at the July 31st trade deadline. Everyone is a buyer in April. Everyone has hope.

No one gave the Astros, the Royals, the Orioles, or the Pirates much of a chance, but after the first calendar month of the Major League Baseball season nearly every team has found its flaws. Even The Yankees have concerns: off to a great start with their early Cy Young candidate, they still sit behind the Tampa Bay Rays in the AL East and have serious issues.

This week I am looking at the problems around baseball. What are they? How should they be fixed?

Below are my diagnoses and prescriptions for the aliments around the league (with some help from my baseball fan friends across the 5cs). Sorry for the AL bias. Post your own suggestions for your own team or any team below in the comments section!

The New York Yankees (2nd in the AL East, 17-8, 1 GB):

I put the Yanks on here for two reasons: 1) Javier Vazquez is a mess and 2) Center fielder Curtis Granderson just hit the shelf, out for 2-6 weeks with a groin injury. After posting a 15-10 record and 2.87 ERA over 219.1 innings last year with a mediocre Braves squad in ’09, Vazquez has fallen apart in his second stint with the Yankees with a 1-3 record, a 9.78 ERA and 15 walks in just 23 innings in ’10. He hasn’t gotten out of the sixth inning once, his start this week will be skipped, and he could ultimately be demoted to the highest-paid-long-reliever-in-baseball position (he’s making $11.5 mil this year). The Yankees gave up Melky Cabrera to get Vazquez, which seemed like a steal at the time, but watching Randy Winn (.077 AVG/.077 OBP/.077 SLG in 13 AB) and lefty-mashing yet streaky Marcus Thames (.550/.625/.850 in 20 AB) fill in for Granderson is going to make some fans wish General Manager Brain Cashman could take it back.

My Big Apple Cure: 1) Let the virus run its course, stick with Vazquez and 2) put on a pretty Band-Aid ®, call-up Chad Huffman.

2009 was likely a career year, but Vazquez won’t continue this forever. At least let him try to work out the kinks for a month longer; an average Vazquez is likely better than a stellar versions of the internal options in long relievers Sergio Mitre and former “ace” Chan Ho Park, and they certainly aren’t long term options.

This is the perfect time for Huffman; we know what Thames and Winn are (pretty mediocre). Keep an eye out on Chad Huffman, recently claimed after the Padres DFA’d him, Huffman is currently with the Yankees AAA affiliate in Scranton. He is struggling a bit out of the gates, but the Padres’ 2006 second-round pick and 2009 AAA Home Run Derby champion hit 20 homers in ’09 in 135 games at AAA last season. Thames and Winn will be key pieces for the rest of 2010, but this is the perfect audition for a young guy with a high ceiling who can get some at bats without immense pressure on him–he comes up with the understanding that he will be back in Scranton when Granderson returns.

The Boston Red Sox (4th in the AL East, 12-14, 6.5 GB):

Everyone doubted The Nation’s ability to score runs in 2010, but the pitching has really been the problem. The Red Sox have given up 134 runs, worst in the AL and 5th worst in all of baseball. Jason Varitek of all people leads the team in slugging (.824) and OPS (1.202) and isn’t even an every day player. The Red Sox can’t run (9 steals / 4 times caught stealing); only Dustin Pedroia and Jacoby Ellsbury have more than one steal (each with two), and Ellsbury is on the DL. The Red Sox can’t stop the run. Victor Martinez has been atrocious behind the plate, catching just 5 of 32 base stealers, but Varitek has lost a step behind the plate as well, catching only 2 of 13. The Red Sox are scoring runs, but David Ortiz (.159/.254/.381) and Martinez (.233/.298/.314) are troubling as well.

My Sweet Caroline: 1) bring back some traditional medicine, make Varitek the primary catcher, 2) put everything on high heat, make Daniel Bard the closer, and then 3) try the exotic fix, trade for Adrian Gonzalez.

Varitek is older but stroking it at the plate right now and has been historically a much better catcher for pitchers than the defensively paltry Victor Martinez. V-Mart would become the everyday DH and catch once a week (or so) with whomever he has the best repport with.

Daniel Bard is the answer in the pen. Jonathan Papelbon has two losses already, and while Bard hasn’t been perfect, he throws 99 mph and has struck out 20 in 15 innings, and Papelbon has been luckier than good with a mediocre 1.38 WHIP, walking 9 batters already in just his 13 innings of work.

Papelbon and/or Ortiz and/or Lowell could be moved, along with some minor league pieces and maybe Clay Buchholz, if the Sox can get creative in a three-team trade with the Rangers, Rays, or A’s who could all use bullpen help and a veteran right-handed bat and have the farm system to provide the needed prospects to pry Adrián González away from the Padres–this is all, of course, contingent upon the Padres, who currently sit at first in the NL West, selling come July 31st.

The Seattle Mariners (4th in AL West, 11-14, 2.5 GB):

The Mariners can’t hit. This is nothing new. In 2009, they slugged only .402 as a team (13th out of 14 in the AL) and their 640 runs scored was the worst in the AL and ahead of only two national league teams, the Pirates and the Padres. Yet their biggest offseason move was to bring in a starting pitcher, Cliff Lee. They parted ways with their best power prospect and replaced Adrián Béltre and the team homerun leader Russel Branyan with a high OBP player in Chone Figgins and the singles hitting first baseman Casey Kotchman respectively.

How to End the Sleeplessness in Seattle: 1) starting hitting the juice, cut Griffey and sign Barry Bonds, or 2) start a bidding war for the 2010 cure-all, trade for Adrian Gonzalez.

Griffey is a great player, a great teammate, and beloved by Seattle, but the team with the worst DH play in the AL the last two years has got to make a change to contend and could do no better than signing the best player of our generation, Barry Bonds.  The Mariners DH combination of Griffey, Eric Byrnes, and Mike Sweeney aren’t even slugging a mere .200, why not bring a guy in who slugged over .600 for his career and and who didn’t have a SLG% under .500 after 1989. Gonzalez is more realistic and could move Kotchman to DH.

Quick Fixes

The Texas Rangers (1st in the AL West, 14-12, — GB):

The Rangers have led in all but two games this year and were tied 6-6 in one of those two games, yet they stand at just 13-12.

My Lone Star Solution: don’t over medicate, stop sacrifice bunting.

Manager Ron Washington has no problem with bunting early in games and in late innings with a lead–sure fire ways to kill big innings from your offense–even though his team doesn’t put the ball in play (13th in the AL with 192 strikeouts). Ranger hitters see the third lowest amount of pitches per plate appearence (3.76) in the AL, and Wash is choosing to bunt most often with one of his best and most patient hitters right now, Elvis Andrus, who is seeing more pitches per appearance than anyone on the team (4.13) other than the injured Nelson Cruz (4.26), the recently activated Ian Kinsler (4.33), and the Rookie Justin Smoak (4.46)–none of whom have played near as many games as Elvis.

The Chicago Cubs (2nd in the NL Central, 13-13, 5 GB):

The biggest problem with the Cubs is that they are too good.

My Cubbie Concoction: stop treating the symptoms, get rid of the aging parts while they still have value.

At 13-13 and second place in the division, most people would suggest they contend, but this is where the Cubs seem to be every year–if not, usually in better shape, and they always fall flat in the playoffs. Derek Lee and Ted Lilly are free agents this winter and Aramis Ramirez and John Grabow will be free to walk in November of 2011; Ramirez and Lee could garner huge prospects, especially if they deal Ramirez this July as he will have 15 months with the acquiring team.  This team is not going to win championships; new prospects could join a resurgent farm system for the Cubs which has 5 players in Baseball America’s top 100 prospects, and ranks as high as fifth in respected circles for best farm system. Build around catcher Geovnny Soto, outfielders Marlon Byrd, Kosuke Fukudome and Tyler Colvin and future stars in shortstop Sarlin Castro, third baseman Josh Vitters, and a boat load of high-ceiling arms are on their way in.

The Los Angeles Angels (of Anaheim) (3rd in the AL west, 12-15, 2.5 GB):

I don’t know where this team is. Anaheim isn’t in Los Angeles…I can never find the stadium.

How to Get Angels Back in the Outfield: it couldn’t even happen in the movies, Anaheim is in Orange Country, Scrap the “Los Angeles” part…

there is only one team in LA, which brings us to…

finally,

The Los Angeles Dodgers (4th in the NL West, 11-14, 5 GB):

Rotation is a disaster and Owner Frank McCourt can’t increase payroll while in a divorce battle.

My Miracle for Mannywood: say your goodbyes, rebuild.

The most ready starting pitching prospect, Scott Elbert, who has pitched 26 innings with the big club over the last two years, is struggling in ’10 in AAA Albuquerque–strikeout totals (22) are good, but 14 free passes in 18 innings is not going to get you back to the majors. Vicente Padilla is hurt and isn’t good anyway, and Charlie Haegar and John Ely are not going to get anyone to the playoffs. Time to let go of Manny, Casey Blake, Rafael Furcal, and Russell Martin.

The Doctor is out — give us your second opinion!

Editor’s Note: This sports column is a regular feature from “The Nightcap” crew,  made up of Ari Zyskind, Nathan Barnett, Dan Campbell, and Kevin Shuai, a group of 5Cers who air a weekly radio sports talk show on KSPC. You can listen in online at KSPCstream.com or KSPC.org (click “Hear us Online via Live365”) every Monday from 8-10 PM. Want to join the radio show next year? We are looking for new people! Email us at nightcapKSPC@gmail.com!

Better than new year's.

But this is what Opening Day is about. As I prepare for my personal new year, I know I will jump to similar conclusions about my Texas Rangers in just nine innings of play Monday afternoon. It is part of the beauty of Opening Day; five months of built-up excitement has to escape somehow.  Granted we all settle in with the other five games our teams play the first week of the season, but in that first loss or (hopefully) first win, everything is bigger, every home run glorified, and every meltdown exaggerated.

This is Opening Day. Embrace it. Find your special tradition for Opening Day, for it is not just the first of 162 games, but a day when everyone starts in first place, and half of the teams finish the day in last place. The stakes are high. Me? Well, I continued a relatively new tradition this year; watch Major League and let it lead into the Opening Night Game. Nothing breeds hope in a fan of an inept franchise like Charlie Sheen and Tom Berenger turning a loser into a lovable champion–after watching that film, even Washington Nationals fan might be able to claim, “We’re contenders now.” Whether it is throwing a baseball around with a friend, watching your favorite baseball classic, donning as much team regalia as possible, if you’re lucky, heading out to the park for the game, or simply sitting down and watching the game from the first pitch to the 27th out, make sure you don’t let Monday pass like any other day.

Opening Day also means the end of the beginning. Spring is over and the season is under way, which means it is a reasonable time to look ahead to the end of the season and how things will shape up. Here’s my two cents:

Division Winners:

AL West: Texas Rangers

Sure I am a bit biased, but with Cliff Lee already on the shelf for the Ms and the Angels looking vulnerable, it might finally be the time for Texas to retake the western crown in the American League.

AL Central: Chicago White Sox

They have to be better this year, right? With two guys capable of Cy Young seasons, John Danks and Jake Peavy, and no real holes, the bullpen is lights out and look for the offense to be energized by the addition of Juan Pierre, the comeback of Carlos Quentin and the emergence of Gordon Beckham.

AL East: Tampa Bay Rays

This is bold, but I think the Rays add a real big player at the deadline. The owners of Baseball America’s best farm system will have the young prospects to add a big-time July piece to outlast the Yankees and Red Sox–why do they make the deal? All-Stars Carlos Pena and Carl Crawford are eight months away from free agency.

NL West: Arizona Diamondbacks

This is a true four team race, and I keep going back and forth on this one. I really have no idea. I think the Dodgers finally fall and the Rockies can only recreate “Rocktober” so many times. The Giants? I guess they lack the bats. Then again, the back end of the Dback’s rotation is atrocious. Loaded with young talent though, I think it finally all comes together in the desert.

NL Central: St. Louis Cardinals

Simple–everyone is really flawed. Cards have the best player in the game, maybe the history of the game. Long live King Albert, as long as he remains healthy.

NL East: Philadelphia Phillies

Not even close. No one else has a chance. Even if Reyes, Beltran, Bay, and Wright all play 150 games the Mets have no chance. Phils are too good, and only got better in the offseason, adding Placido Polanco and the best pitcher in baseball, Roy Halladay.

Individual Awards:

Everyone picks the MVP, Cy Young, and Rookie of the Year, so I thought I would mix it up a little bit.

The Who-is-this-guy?-that-then-becomes-household-name Award: Kyle Blanks of the San Diego Padres

Playing in San Diego will hurt his chances to really get national media coverage but this guy can absolutely rake. He hit 10 homers in just 148 ABs last year and hit .400 this spring. At 6’6″ 270lbs, the current left fielder and first-baseman-in-waiting for the friars can also really move–Gold Glove quality defense at first, one of my favorite players to watch in the game. Oh, AND he had the coolest afro in baseball until he cut it.

The Why-Did-We-Forget-this-Guy-was-amazing Award: Grady Sizemore of the Cleveland Indians

One of the most exciting five-tool players in baseball tore up March-ball and seems poised to return to his top-10 form.

The Please-Retire Award: Pedro Martinez (Free Agent)

We remember you as one of the best. Don’t tarnish your career anymore than you already have, and end it.

The causes-the-biggest-Tim-Kurkjian-freak-out Award: Jerry Hairston and Scott Hairston of the San Diego Padres

Well, Kurkjian picked NFL player Antwaan Randle El against a bear in a memorable freak-out over the hypothetical question that swept the nation a couple of years ago, but Kurkjian’s finest moments are always over some ridiculous thing that happens in baseball. This year? The Hairston brothers will hit back-t0-back homers for the San Diego Padres and Kurkjian’s head will actually explode as he compares the unprecedented event to the unlikely father-son back-to-back home run feat by Ken Griffeys Jr. and Sr.

Finally…

The Willy Mays-Hays Award: Julio Borbon of the Texas Rangers

Awarded to the best unknown yet prolific base-stealer, the under-the-radar Borbon will steal at least 60 bases this year. He may or may not hang a pair of batting gloves in his bedroom for each base he steals, nor will he later star in action films like Blade, but the comparison is still worthy.

Happy New Year Everyone. Play ball.

Editor’s Note: This sports column is a regular feature from “The Nightcap” crew,  made up of Ari Zyskind, Nathan Barnett, Dan Campbell, and Kevin Shuai, a group of 5Cers who air a weekly radio sports talk show on KSPC. You can listen in online at KSPCstream.com or KSPC.org (click “Hear us Online via Live365”) every Monday from 8-10 PM.

First– the sunny city of Surprise, spring home of the Kansas City Royals Texas Rangers (full disclaimer: big time Ranger fan here) and the first of three games I would see over spring break. My friend and I arrived in the middle innings, having already missed Vlad Guerrero and Michael Young’s hacks for the day, and had to endure rough outings by non-roster pitchers Luis Mendoza and Pedro Strop. A 12-2 Rangers beating at the hands of the Cleveland Indians was well in-hand, but this little mental checklist helped.

• 75 degrees — CHECK
• Not a cloud in the sky — CHECK
• Ballpark dog in hand (well, not the dog itself, rather the bun with the dog in it) — CHECK
• Buddy next to me ready to talk about the insignificant players on the field and their fantasy baseball value — CHECK

(Speaking of which, want to join a free fantasy league with a chance to win a free t-shirt and your own 90-second rant on anything sports related on Claremont’s very own sports talk show, “The Nightcap”? Click here. League ID# 564908, Password: kspc OR email me @ nathansbarnett @ gmail.com)

How much can I complain? Things only improved when I saw Chris Perez, I mean Kenny Powers, warming up in the Indian Pen (Don’t believe me? Check the pictures below). Sure he was pitching for the “enemy,” but I was as excited to see him as any Ranger that day.

The Rangers would go 0-3 while I was in the desert, dropping from 6-8 to 6-11 and now sit at a Cactus League worst 6-14 with 9 games remaining. It’s important to remember that Kansas City finished fourth in the Cactus League last year though. KC 2009 regular season result? An American League worst 65-97.

Spring Training results don’t really matter–at least not the results that show up in the win and loss columns. Would I be saying the same thing if the Rangers were 14-6 instead of 6-14? Probably not, but it’s important to remember what really matters in March in Arizona (and Florida, where the other half of the teams play their preseason ball).

Rangers starting pitcher Colby Lewis warming up before his start Saturday against the Los Angeles Dodgers

For the average fan it’s a warm-up, both for the players and for themselves. Guys like Derek Jeter, Albert Pujols, and Ichiro– these guys are getting their timing back, getting ready for big league games, and remembering what it feels like out on the field after four months off. Players swing at pitches they wouldn’t swing at in the regular season because they are working on fundamentals. Guys like Josh Hamilton, who hits some of the longest home runs anyone has seen, bunt the ball. For the fans, a spring game can remind them of their favorite baseball superstitions: watching for the players not to touch the chalk of the foul lines, not to talk about a no hitter, etc. It is a time to remember you need to wear sunscreen at the park. It is even a good place to work on the heckling skills; I know the Padres’ fans I saw Sunday could use some practice after hearing cunning jeers like “Swing and miss, batter!”

But to the 25th man on the roster, the 5th starter, the 7th man in the bullpen, and all the guys below the Major League level, which numbers over 100 players, spring training is everything. As a fan, I cannot recommend more trying to soak in that feeling. It may be thrilling to see your favorite stars up at the plate when you haven’t seen them swing since October, but the real drama is in the routine grounders, the sacrifice bunts, the stolen bases, and the induced ground outs from guys most fans haven’t heard of. Outside of the local beat writers and die-hard fans like myself, most people won’t make a big deal out of a throwing error like the one Rangers utility candidate Matt Brown made and they wont fuss over the laced single Rule-5 draft pick Travis Snyder gave up to Padres first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, nor will they gawk over the forty or so minor league pitchers I saw gathered together on the Rangers back fields, but these are the things that really matter in the spring. These are the things that decide whether a player finally gets his big league shot, if his time in “The Show” is over, and if the organization even has the desire to keep him around.

March is their October. It is their baseball lives. Their chance to survive, thrive, and impress. For 16-year-olds like Dominican Ranger prospects and million-dollar-signees Jurickson Profar and Jorge Alfaro, March is the time to soak up the knowledge of the players they idolize as much as the fans do. There is something uniquely beautiful about capturing this feeling of intensity in a sea of relaxed people who think nothing is on the line. All of this doesn’t make it any less cool to see known quantities like up-and-coming young Derek Holland warm up in the pen before trotting out to hill. But it does make losses like the three I saw that much easier to stomach.

Editor’s Note: This sports column is a regular feature from “The Nightcap” crew,  made up of Ari Zyskind, Nathan Barnett, Dan Campbell, and Kevin Shuai, a group of 5Cers who air a weekly radio sports talk show on KSPC. You can listen in online at KSPCstream.com or KSPC.org (click “Hear us Online via Live365”) every Monday from 8-10 PM.

With just twenty-five ticks left, on Zach Parise’s beautiful goal off of a rebound, US Hockey tied our neighbors to the north in the gold medal game for men’s hockey only to be outlasted by the Canadians in overtime . I think I am finally coming out of my gold-medal-game coma, but it is probably only because of a certain vandal. Sidney Crosby’s stick and gloves “went missing” after the celebration– something tells me an American pulled off this cunning heist. Nothing like stealing priceless memorabilia to avenge a loss. Even if it wasn’t a patriot who managed to steal the dreaded Canadian’s gear, the Olympics were not a complete loss for the American skaters.

No, I am not talking about the silver lining of the second place medal or even the moral victory of doing better than expected (Team USA was a long shot to medal at all). No. I am talking about how cool USA goaltender Ryan Miller looked in that mask of his. Featuring a tatted and ripped Uncle Sam and a menacing bald eagle, the words “Miller Time” (which, the IOC made him cover up because they claimed it was advertisement) and “Matt Man,” a tribute to Miller’s cousin Matt Schoals, who died from bone marrow transplant complications in 2007, Miller’s mask was easily the coolest of the Olympic masks, with honorable mention to Swiss goaltender Jonas Miller’s for looking like someone taped on some pictures printed on computer paper.

Miller, the goaltender for the Buffalo Sabres, is only one of many who seem to be expressing themselves in between the pipes these days. NHL goaltenders tend to have a little more style than their Olympic counterparts…or at least what they lack in style they make up for in…creativity? Most goalies have illustrations related to the team or town in which they play (perhaps this is contractual?), but some are more expressive. Avalanche goaltender and Slovakian Peter Budaj has a Slovakian version of The Simpsons character Ned Flanders on the backside of his mask. Marty Biron’s mask is an odd tribute to Canadian lumberjacks. Antero Nittymaki of the Philidelphia Flyers earned the nickname Frank from former coach Ken Hitchcock after the mobster Frank Nitti–his helmet: Frank Nitti shooting a tommy gun and smoking a cigar. Carolina Hurricane John Grahame displays his love for NASCAR and scantily clad women on his mask. And then there is Kari Lehtonen. One of his masks contains two cartoon characters with swords and a picture of Lil Jon on the back. Another one displays female characters from the video game Final Fantasy X. I mean, really?

Expression is hardly limited to hockey. College football players have recently been in an embroiled battle with NCAA over eye-black expression. Former USC running back and current New Orleans Saint, Reggie Bush, was the first well known eye-black artists. He used to put his area code, 619, in silver ink in his eye-black. Former Florida Gator quarterback, Tim Tebow, displayed biblical quotes under his eyes over the last four seasons.

The NFL, widely dubbed by players as the “No Fun League,” has managed to limit player expression. They have cracked down on post-play celebration and any sort of organized display of attention-grabbing not related to things going on the field of play.

This sort of expressive censorship is dangerous, however. Ryan Miller’s mask was nearly banned by the IOC. Apparently “Matt Man” was a major point of contention. The NFL would not grant an exception for Chad Ochocinco, who wished to wear the number of Chris Henry, a teammate who passed away this year. Major League Baseball has done a great job finding the right time and place for exceptions to uniform rules, allowing pink bats on Mother’s Day and entire teams to wear number 42 on Jackie Robinson Day.

I understand why the NFL does what they do. Most of the time, player expression is not about something important or worth protecting.  Enough is enough. Expression is one thing, but so many players in professional sports have made things about themselves. The team should be above the players, especially considering how much these players are role models for young people.

Editor’s Note: This sports column is a regular feature from “The Nightcap” crew,  made up of Ari Zyskind, Ned Schooler, Nathan Barnett, Dan Campbell, and Kevin Shuai, a group of 5Cers who air a weekly radio talk show on KSPC. You can listen in online at KSPC.org (click “Hear us Online via Live365”) every Monday from 8-10 PM.

Perhaps it is just the advertisements. There is nothing quite like sharing a bag of Doritos while an ad for the pre-dipped tortilla chip fills the big flat screen small campus-lounge screen. I was satisfied, especially since this ad was my personal favorite last year (be sure to check it out in HD!):

You can check out more ads with this sweet feature from Hulu:

Yet I am torn over the diversity of Super Bowl watching parties. Don’t get me wrong, I still engage in them and plan to host my own this Sunday, but there is something sacred, ritualistic, and uniquely satisfying about yelling at my TV with true fans alone every Saturday and Sunday in the fall and early winter that is only completed by the stark contrast of my roommate’s watching “So You Think You Can Dance” and listening to atrocious 80′s R&B. Super Bowl Sunday brings an entirely different atmosphere, and I am not quite sure I like it.

This odd day in sports got me thinking: everyone loves the Super Bowl, but is that a good thing for hardcore sports fan like myself? Should I like that I get to watch the game with a big, excited audience, even if that audience might not understand or care about the game? Do I have the right to enjoy the most important day of the sports year without the casual and less than casual fans defiling my holy day? I don’t expect Super Bowl XLIV to be much of a game, so as Peyton Manning and the Colts steamroll the new “America’s Team,” the New Orleans Saints, I urge you to ponder whether this American tradition is a good thing (feel free to add yours below!). Here are some of my thoughts on the issue:

Pros

• That special someone of yours might actually listen to your rant on whether both feet were inbounds or whether the NFL should change to the college rules. This is probably the only time, so embrace it.
• There’s nothing like a room full of people, split on the team they are cheering for, jeering each other about a topic they know little to nothing about. It’s like your very own US Congress.
• Super Bowl watching parties are like potlucks, and the less the people care about football, the more likely they are to have actually made their contribution. Homemade cookies go a very long way to making anything bearable.
• The illusion of interest. I love thinking, even if it is just for a day, that people around here actually care about sports.

Cons

• The boisterous audience during play which hushes only on a break to commercials. Really? I mean I understand that the commercials are funny, but at least during the GoDaddy.com ad, let me talk about what just happened during the game — we all know no one is trying to listen to that ad anyway.
• With such a big crowd, the networks feel obligated to have some absurd, usually bad, and sometimes raunchy half time show instead of actually breaking down the game. Must they always pander to the lowest common denominator? They should reward the true fan for a dedicated season of watching and have a full halftime of analysis.
• Snack free-riders
• “No. The tight pants are not to show off their muscular legs.”
• It’s all a lie. Next September I will be watching my Florida Gators and Dallas Cowboys alone.

But even after weighing the pros and cons, there’s still glory to be had by at least one person after the game is over — check out the poll below:

[poll id="11"]

Editor’s Note: This sports column is a regular feature from “The Nightcap” crew, a group of 5Cers who air a weekly radio talk-show on KSPC. You can listen in online at KSPC.org (click “Hear us Online via Live365”) every Monday from 8-10 PM.