Blue Jays Win State Soccer Championship

Just got back from watching the Blue Jays pull a come-from-behind victory against St. Paul's, in a rematch of last year's state championship, which St. Paul's won 2-1.  This year, the Jays prevailed with a score of 3-2, with two goals in the last 10 minutes of the match.

And to top it off, in the Division I girl's state soccer championship game, the Mount Carmel Cubs defeated the St. Scholastica Academy Doves by a score of 2-1.

Some considerations: (1) Each of the Championship matches involved teams representing all Catholic Schools from the Greater New Orleans Metropolitan Area.  That says something in itself.  (2) More importantly, though, the two Southshore Catholic Schools from Orleans Parish took it to their Northshore rivals from St. Tammany Parish in good, healthy competition.  And I have to say, as a Blue Jay alum and a huge partisan of Orleans Parish culture over St. Tammany Parish culture, I take special relish in having schools from the oft-maligned "sin city" of New Orleans prove to the suburbs of the Northshore that much good does reside in and come out of New Orleans proper.

Congrats Blue Jays and Cubs!  (And I do tip my hat to St. Paul's and St. Scholastica, too.)  Congrats to the Catholic League of High School Sports for fielding an all-Catholic Schools Division I boys AND girls state championship soccer matches!

Also, a special thanks to that good samaritan, whoever you are, for chipping in a dollar to help cover my ticket.  Some misinformation about the ticket prices left me a dollar short at the ticket booth, and this wonderful lady in line behind me just gave me a dollar to make up the difference.  And even if she was rooting for St. Paul's, this lady's generosity was the best thing about the night for me.  That's what the Catholic League is REALLY all about!  Thank you, thank you, thank you!  You were an angel tonight and God is surely blessing you for your kindness!

Blue Jay Soccer

The Jesuit Blue Jay soccer team has won its semifinal state tournament soccer match, which means the Jays will be heading to the State Championship game.  Way to go, Blue Jays!

Superbowl Prediction

Patriots 38, Giants 17.

This is gonna be a blowout. The Giants have gotten pretty lucky up to this point. The Patriots are solid all around. And the Patriots are gonna remember how the Giants ruined their perfect season and give a little playback. It's gonna be a game with a lot of emotion coming from the Patriots side of the bench. Oh, and Gronkowski's da bomb!

Thoughts on the Tebowing Phenomenon

Much has been made recently of Tim Tebow's spirituality on the field, particularly his religious genuflection as a testament to his Christian faith.  Sally Jenkins wrote an article in defense of Tebow's expression of faith and wonders why so many people are bothered by it.  Here's a fairly lengthy quotation from the piece that gets at the crux of the issue:

What’s more interesting is why Maher, and other political commentators from Bill Press to David Shuster, feel compelled to rip on Tebow simply for kneeling.

“I’m tired of hearing Tim Tebow and all this Jesus talk,” Press said, adding a profane suggestion that Tebow should shut up. They act like he’s trying to personally strip them of their religious liberty, manipulate the markets, and take over our strategic oil transport routes.

What is so threatening about Tebow? It can’t be his views. Tebow has never once suggested God cares about football. Quite the opposite. It’s Maher and company who stupidly suggest a Tebow touchdown scores one for Evangelicals whereas an interception somehow chalks one up for atheism. Anyone who listens to Tebow knows he doesn’t do Jesus talk, he’s mostly show and no tell. His idea of proselytizing is to tweet an abbreviated Bible citation. Mark 8:36. He leaves it up to you whether to look it up. When he takes a knee, it’s perfectly obvious that it’s an expression of humility. He’s crediting his perceived source, telling himself, don’t forget where you came from. On the whole, it’s more restrained than most end-zone shimmies.

So why does Tebow’s expression of faith make people so silly-crazy? Why do they care what he does?

Because he emphasizes the aspect of his talent that is given, not earned.

I've been thinking about this a lot, because the Tim Tebow phenomenon bothers me, too; but I can honestly say that Jenkins' explanation in my case is completely false. My discomfort with "Tebowing" is not that he's emphasizing "an aspect of his talent that is given, not earned." I really have no issues at all with that. What bothers me is that Tebow has always consciously played into the Christian culture wars, and I don't see his Tebowing as an innocent gesture of his faith. It may not be a spiritual proselytization, but I think it is clearly a political commentary on the idea of pushing faith in the public square.

In fact, that's why it's his particular gestures of faith on the playing field, as opposed to the hundreds of other gestures of faith that athletes regularly display on the playing field, have resonated so powerfully not only among the likes of Bill Maher, but also among the likes of Pat Robertson. There are hundreds of baseball players who make the sign of the cross as they come up to bat. There are basketball players who emblazon Christian symbols on their bodies (i.e. Jamario Moon). In NASCAR racing, Christian symbolism is extensive.

So why does Tebow elicit so much attention concerning his expression of Christian faith? To get the answer, all one needs to do is to remember how Tebow and faith became so prominent an issue. Remember the anti-abortion Tebow commercial that was supposed to air on Superbowl Sunday? This happened while Tebow was still a quarterback at the University of Florida. And there was no question that this was a politically motivated culture war sortie.  Moreover, Tebow himself supported and promoted it.

What bothers me is that Tebow himself has very much played a part in politicizing his faith; and any subsequent expressions of his faith on the field in full public display must be taken in this context. My discomfort is with that.

I really and truly don't care that Tebow has a strong faith and is confident to express it publicly. And it wouldn't even cross my mind as anything bothersome if he were to do in on the field without the politicized context that he himself has shrouded it with. And the simple fact is that I get uncomfortable when I know that anyone has politicized his faith and then foists that faith on me against my will. I don't watch football as a political statement in the culture wars. And Tim Tebow, unfortunately, has made his expressions of faith into political statements. That is why it bothers me. And that is why I think Andrew Sullivan is on to something about why Tebow's faith on the field should be problematic for Christians.

Saints Dirge

It's quite a thing that the Saints could turn the ball over 5 times and still be a hair from winning the game.  In fact, they should have won the game.  But San Francisco played the game of their season; and they deserved to win.  So congratulations to the 49ers.  The Saints will have to wait until next year to make a run for it again.  Now, on to Mardi Gras.

Thoughts on LSU vs. Bama in the BCS Championship Game

We Green Wave fans have no real standing to mock the LSU Tigers for last night; but it remains true that the embarrassment suffered by the Tigers was so complete and so profound that it unfortunately diminishes the whole rest of the season.  That was one of the most pathetic displays of football that I've ever seen.  The coaching was atrocious, the decision-making questionable, the enthusiasm and spirit lacking, and the play (especially by the QB) tentative and skittish.

What should be remembered fondly as an impressive undefeated season leading up to the BCS Championship game, will now be remembered as the season of the most historical and ugly collapse in LSU history.

I don't know of any LSU diehards who will speak of this year's 13-1 record with any amount of positive feeling.

This is the way the season ends, not with a bang but a whimper.

Roll Green Wave!

Saints Running Up the Score on Atlanta: Classless?

Well, I guess it's to be expected that some Atlanta Falcons fans would be complaining about the decision by Sean Payton to let Drew Brees gun for the record on Monday night football by driving for another score with only 3:22 minutes left in the game and the Saints holding an insurmountable 22 point lead.  Was Payton's decision unsportsmanlike?  Not in the least, if you ask me.

First off, I never understood why at the professional level there would ever be something unsportsmanlike about scoring whenever possible.  I mean, these guys are getting paid to play to score and to win.  They have an obligation to their paying fans to play 100% all out for the entire 60 mintues.

Second, putting up points can make a difference to the team in all sorts of ways.  It puts other potential competitors on notice.  It can just suck the life out of the opponent which can give a team a psychological advantage the next time the two teams play.  And the fact is that there's a really good likelihood that the Saints will play the Falcons again in the playoffs when it really matters.  Getting that psychological edge is good strategy for that eventuality.

Third, it does great things for team morale, for fan morale, and for the players to be associated with a history-breaking performance by the team's QB on a Monday night football game with serious divisional and playoff implications.

All that said, I disagree with Duncan on one point.  At the end of his article, he calls for yanking the starters next week once the 49ers outcome is known, all in the interests of protecting the players for the playoffs and for the Superbowl run.  Again, the fans pay good money to see their starters play all 16 regular season games.  Only injury should keep someone out of the lineup.  And the Saints as a team could really rack up an historical season by playing aggressively, with their best talent, and putting up some great team offensive numbers.

Who Dat!?! Geaux Saints! King Brees!

Congratulations to the NFC South Division Champions!

Congratulations to Drew Brees for setting the single season passing yardage record, passing the great Dan Marino, who held the record for 27 years since 1984.

Congratulations to the Who Dat Nation for cheering the Saints on to another outstanding season.

It needs to be said, though, lest it gets lost in the shuffle, that the MVP of this game wasn't Drew Brees, but Darren Sproles.  Congratulations to Sproles and to the Saints Coaching Staff and back office for bringing Sproles to the Crescent City.

Geaux Saints!

The Saints move to 11-3 with two games remaining.  If the 49ers lose to the Steelers tonight, then the Saints will control their own destiny.  If they win their last two games, it's a first round bye and a home playoff game.  Now that we know that Green Bay is not invincible, it's very possible that Green Bay could lose its first playoff game.  If that were to happen and if the Saints win, then we'll have the NFC Championship in the Superdome, too.  That's what I'd like to see.

But ... a bit disturbing still is the fact that the Saints could actually lose their Division to the Falcons.  So much rides on the Saints/Falcons Monday night matchup this coming week.

Regardless, Drew Brees will shatter the single season passing yardage mark.  All he needs is some 300+ passing yards over the next two weeks and he'll have the record.  And I think it's a good likelihood that he'll get that record this week in the Superdome against the Dirty Birds in front of a national audience on Monday night.

Saints Path to the Superbowl: One Can Hope!

My ideal scenario is that the Saints secure the second spot in the NFC, which would give them a first round bye and a second round home game to propel them to the NFC Championship game, which will also be at home because Green Bay will lose their second round game.

Then the Saints play the Steelers in the Superbowl so that if the Saints lose the Superbowl, I won't be all that upset because I'm a Steelers fan, too.

But if the Saints make it to the Superbowl, and if their opponent happens to be the Steelers, I'm still going to don the Black and Gold Fleur-de-Lis come Superbowl Gameday.

How Have the Saints Clinched a Spot in the Playoffs?

The New Orleans Saints (10-3) have clinched a spot in the playoff, even if they lose their next three games.

Here's how it breaks down.

The current NFC standings are as follows:

Green Bay Packers (13-0) - NFC North
San Francisco 49ers (10-3) - NFC West
New Orleans Saints (10-3) - NFC South
Atlanta Falcons (8-5) - NFC South
Detroit Lions (8-5) - NFC North
Dallas Cowboys (7-5) - NFC East
Chicago Bears (7-6) - NFC North
New York Giants (6-6) NFC East

Every other team in the NFC has only five wins and so none of them can catch up to the Saints to displace them for a Wild Card spot.  So of the top 8 NFC teams, six will make their way to the playoffs with either a Wild Card spot or a Division Title.  All the Saints have to do is to beat out two of these teams under any scenario and they are in the playoffs.  So let's see how it works out.

The Chicago Bears' loss today to the Denver Broncos was the critical piece of the puzzle for the Saints. The Bears are in the NFC North Division, so they have no chance to win their division, which is locked up by the Packers.  The best the Bears can hope for now is a Wild Card spot.  But the Bears' loss puts their record at 7-6.  So even if the Bears win out their last three games, that will put their record at 10-6, which would tie the Saints if the Saints lose out their next three games.  But, the Saints beat the Bears in Week 2, and this head-to-head victory gives the Saints the edge over the Bears according to the tie-breaker rules.  So, even if the Saints lose their final three games, they would go to the playoffs ahead of the Bears no matter what the Bears do over the final three weeks.  That eliminates one of the contenders.

The Dallas Cowboys (7-5) and the New York Giants (6-6) are currently playing and are vying for the NFC East Division title.  If the Cowboys defeat the Giants today, the Giants fall to 6-7.  That puts them four games behind the Saints.  So they can't get in the playoffs over the Saints as a Wild Card.  The only chance they will have to get into the playoffs is to win their division.  And the best record they can hope for is a 9-7 records.  If they win their division with a 9-7 record, it will mean that they have won out their last three games and that the Cowboys have lost at least two of their last three games to give them an equal or worse record.  If that's the case, then the Saints will win a Wild Card spot over any team in the NFC East because, even if the Saints lose out their last three games, they will still have a 10-6 record.  Now if the Giants defeat the Cowboys today, the Cowboys would fall to 7-6 and the Giants would rise to 7-6.  That would leave both the Cowboys and the Giants tied for the NFC East Division title, but each would still be three games behind the Saints.  So, in order for either the Giants or the Cowboys to claim a Wild Card spot over the Saints, the Saints would have to lose out their last three games and both the Cowboys and the Giants would have to win out their last three games.  But here's the kicker: the Giants and the Cowboys play again in the final week of the regular season, so it is impossible for both teams to go 10-6!  One team will go 10-6 and win the division, the other team would go 9-7 and fall behind the Saints for a Wild Card slot, even if the Saints lose out their final three games.  Thus the second team of the 8 playoff contenders affecting the Saints chances goes away. And even if the Giants and Cowboys win their next two games and tie in their final regular season matchup, they both would end up with a 9-5-1 record.  One of them would win the division and the other would fail to have enough wins to supplant the Saints for a Wild Card spot, even if the Saints lose their next three games and end up with a 10-6 record, for a Wild Card spot.  So, under any scenario in the NFC East, the Saints advance over one or the other of the Giants or the Cowboys no matter what the Giants or the Cowboys do.

Of course, that reality is likely to be much different than the worst-case scenario I painted above; but even in this worst-case scenario, the Saints still will go to the playoffs.  Geaux Saints!  Who Dat?!?!?

The Honey Badger Mathieu

For the sports blogging tri-fecta today, I have to comment on the presence of LSU defensive back and punt returner Tyrann Mathieu (a.k.a. The Honey Badger) in New York as a Heisman Trophy finalist.

As a lukewarm LSU Tigers fan, I don't really care all that much for what Mathieu's status as a finalist means for the football program overall; but I am really happy for Mathieu individually.

He's a local New Orleans guy who prepped at St. Aug high school.  Anyone from the New Orleans Catholic League who makes it to Heisman finalist consideration makes all the rest of us who played in this league feel proud.

But outside of that, the young man just simply deserved the recognition for his amazing play over the season.  Frankly, his one-man show against Georgia in the SEC Championship game last week, a show which really turned the game around in LSU's favor, was enough in-and-of-itself to warrant a Heisman nomination.

But above all, the fact that he has earned the nickname of the Honey Badger just takes the cake!  I love his exposure at the national level and as a Heisman candidate just for that:



And the YouTube that sparked it all from the beginning:



Heh! You go, Honey Badger! Get that Heisman!

The Hornets and the Chris Paul Trade

Another big news item in the Sports world is the hoopla surrounding the proposed and then nixed trade of Hornets star guard Chris Paul.

My reaction: meh!

Really, I couldn't care less.  For some reason, I've never taken to the professional basketball world.  I don't follow Hornets basketball.  My interest in the NBA is only a passing interest.  And so, frankly, I really don't care one way or the other if Chris Paul stays or goes.  In fact, I really don't care one way or the other if the Hornets stay or go.

So upchucketh the Huck!

Tulane's New Football Stadium

The end of the fall semester and the crush of grading always means a little bit of a drop in the regularity of blog postings, but I do need to catch up to keep up with my blogging "self-nudge".  The good thing is that there are some really interesting things happening.  One of these was the recent announcement by the higher-ups at Tulane of plans to rebuild an on-campus football stadium.  What do I think of this?

I have mixed feelings, but on balance I think I support the effort.  The pros outweigh the cons as I see it.  Let me review my thinking here.

1. PRO: Having a football stadium on campus will undoubtedly go a long, long way to reviving school spirit and a festive campus culture.  That it takes a varsity football program with an on-campus stadium to do this is just the way it is.  But it will do the campus community some good to have a re-invigorated school spirit.

2. CON: There will be a much greater emphasis on football and the athletic program in general which will cut into the attention that much of our academic programming needs.  On the one hand, we keep admitting more and more students, while we also keep thinning the academic resources needed to support the students in both their education and their campus social/living environment.  It is a shame, at least to me, that we can easily raise $40 million for a stadium, but raising a fraction of that for academic programming is like pulling teeth.  This is especially troublesome because Tulane is not a school that turns a blind eye to higher academic standards in order to accommodate a vibrant and competitive Division I athletic program.  And with the hopes that this new stadium will bring for success on the football field, I do believe that there will be significant downward pressure on maintaining high academic standards for the top athletes that having a football team worthy of the stadium will require.

3. PRO:  Again, the unfortunate fact is that the $40 million raised for the stadium is not $40 million that could have been raised for any other purpose.  Some donors and alumni are willing to open their pocketbooks for a stadium and won't do so for other things.  I find this a sad commentary, but it is what it is.  However, where this is likely to make a difference is in the residual fundraising effects.  That $40 million may help to generate more interest in the university as a whole, which might improve fundraising and development prospects in other non-athletic environments down the road that wouldn't have materialized otherwise.

4. CON: No question that the stadium will only be a net plus if it draws people to campus for gameday and other events held there.  This inevitably means a great big headache for the campus and the neighborhood that is already starved for adequate parking space and is already subject to heavy traffic congestion.  The area of New Orleans around Tulane will just not be an easy place for motorists to navigate on game days.

5. PRO: The stadium is also being made available to support high school football and other community events.  Uptown New Orleans and its public schools, not to mention the City's Recreation Department, will really benefit from the use of the new Tulane stadium if access to the stadium will really be as available to them as the university administration has promised.

These are just some of my thoughts.  But I guess it boils down to the fact that I am a football aficionado, and so I can't help but have a soft spot for anything that will make Tulane football more appealing and enjoyable.  The next question is whether or not I'll take the plunge and get season tickets.  I'm thinking yes.

That Other Football Situation

Oh, yeah.  I should probably say something about LSU and the BCS fiasco.

Before I declare my position here, let me just note that I have no real dogs in this fight.

Sure, I'm from Louisiana, so one would expect me to lean in favor of the home state's team.  However, one must remember that I have long-time loyalties to Tulane University, and so my passion for the LSU Tigers is somewhat tempered.

I think it's also noteworthy to mention that I grew up idolizing the "Bear" Bryant at the University of Alabama and was a huge Crimson Tide fan in my younger years.  Though my passion for the Crimson Tide has also waned over the years.  I think it's probably that as the SEC has become so dominant in College football, and as more of the local folks here have become obsessed with SEC football, I've gone somewhat contrarian.  I just think there's something unhealthy about the kind of obsessive attachment to college football that seems to be so pervasive in the South.

As for Oklahoma State, I really have no particular feelings one way or the other.

Anyway, all this is to say that my take on the constitution of the BCS College Championship game has to be understood in this context.  In fact, I think I probably have a pretty dispassionate and somewhat objective opinion.

What I think is that Oklahoma State should be playing LSU for the National Championship, even though I think Alabama is probably the better team when stacked up against Oklahoma State.

I say this because there's something not right about a rematch game when Oklahoma State hasn't had the chance to play either Alabama or LSU.

In conclusion, I think the solution should be some kind of a playoff system at the college level.  I've thought this before and this current BCS fiasco is yet another unexpected and certainly not ideal outcome.

Saints Update

A couple weeks ago, I took Squirrelly Girlie the Younger to the New Orleans Public Library Children's Resource Center Branch and bumped into Jeff from the Library Chronicles, who happens to work there.  As we were checking out SG the Younger's book selection, we conversed a bit about the Saints and I asked him what his prediction for the Monday night game with the Giants was.  He demurred and said he was likely going to make a game day call.

I expressed how confident I felt in the Saints' performance and how good I thought it looked for the Saints going into the final stretch.

Jeff wasn't so sanguine, even though he hoped that I was right.

Well, so far, it turns out that my optimism wasn't misplaced.  The Saints walloped the Giants that Monday night; and won pretty decisively, albeit somewhat ugly, against the Lions this past Sunday.  That's two Conference victories, which will help the Saints should they catch up with the 49ers for 2nd place in the Conference and a first round bye.  At least the Saints are keeping pace with the 49ers and have put some distance between themselves and the Falcons in their own NFC division.

If the Saints win against the Tennessee Titans on the road this coming week, their lock on the Division title will be pretty much secured (even if not a hard lock certainty).

In any case, I hope Jeff is feeling a bit more sanguine about the Saints!  I know I'm feeling pretty darn good about the Black and Gold!

Blue Jays State Football Title Hopes Dashed

The Carencro Golden Bears were just too big, too strong, and too fast on offense for the Blue Jay defense. No knocks against the Blue Jays. They played fabulously and admirably. In fact, the Blue Jays played well above what anyone would have expected of them. Hats off to Carencro, and three cheers for the Blue Jays who had one hell of a season and who have nothing at all to be ashamed of.

Go Blue Jays!

The Jesuit Blue Jays square off in the state quarterfinal playoffs against a big Carencro team.  I had the chance to spend Thanksgiving yesterday with my nephew who is a starting offensive lineman for the Blue Jays.  And he went over the Blue Jays game plan with me.  I think it's a winning game plan, but I won't reveal it!  Good luck to the Jays and I'll see them tonight at Tad Gormley Stadium for the 7pm kickoff.

The JHS Class of '86 (my graduating class) is occupying a section of the stadium seats to support the team as an alumni group.  I'm expecting a fine class alumni turnout and showing.  Go Blue Jays!

College Football Playoff System

John DeShazier has a great article in today's Times-Picayune about the logic behind instituting a College Playoff series.  All of the scenarios involving the next few weeks of games in the SEC basically lead to a less-than-ideal outcome for the BCS Championship game.  It could even be that two teams will be playing for a National Championship without even having won their Conference Championship game.  The fact that this is even possible is absurd on its face.  Anyway, check it out.  And then get on the College Playoff bandwagon with me.

Ingram, Ivory, Thomas, and Sproles

All four are super-talented running backs and specialty playmakers, and all of them are healthy for the first time this season.  This is a great problem for the Saints to have.

I feel really good about the Saints at this point in the season.  They are one game ahead of Atlanta in their Conference, and have the edge over Atlanta in a tie-breaker having beaten the Dirty Birds earlier in the season.  When they play the Giants on Monday night in the Superdome, they will have come off of a bye week that will have afforded them more than two weeks worth of rest.  Four of their last six games are at home.  They are in the best position to make a sustained run not only for their conference title, but also to challenge the 49ers for a bye week, especially since one of their home games is against the 49ers.

When it comes to the probability of post-season play, the Saints are in a good place.