Below are the 6 most recent journal entries recorded in rbowlsmu's LiveJournal:

Friday, August 18th, 2006
12:05 pm	Fall Saturdays are for Father's and Son's I remember the Fall Saturday mornings of my youth spent growing up in Seattle. The morning would start very early for us with a trip down Elliott Avenue to the Pike Street Market.My dad liked to get there early before the stalls opened and have a cup of coffee at the Venetian, or Lowell's. We then would check out the stalls, pick up the produce, meats, and be back home around 8 AM. Usually we would then have to head over to the neighborhood field if there was a soccer, football, or baskeball, game going on that I, or my brother was in, then immediately over to Husky Stadium for the big game if the Huskies were in town. Luckily many of the games we were in were on Sunday so we didn't have many scheduling conflicts. If the game was on the road we would listen to it on the radio doing some yardwork, or if the weather was bad in the living room. I learned my passion, and love for Husky football in those years. We were just riveted to the radio. I was alive during the early 60's Rose bowl games, being born in 1958, but I really didn't become a conscious football fan, or understand what was going on till around the mid 60's. That time period was very similar to today. The program was down, the team wasn't good, and the program was only supported by the serious Husky fan. Win, or lose we didn't care because we were Husky fans, and there wasn't any other way we would rather spend our Saturday then topping it off with the big game. A highlight of every week was watching the Jim Owens show with either Keith Jackson, or later, Bruce King. That was always a night the TV trays came out and we had dinner in front of the TV. It was tradition not only for us, but for many Northwest families in the days of an antenna and 3-4 TV stations. It was there that you learned the game in JO's TV class room. The big felluh seemed like he was a part of the family, and in those days there wasn't any bigger icon in the state then JO. During the late 60's we hung in there through the losses, and the unrest. We were solid supporters who hoped JO would get it, and become a little more flexible. Just when it seemed it would never get better Sonny Sixkiller took the field and the games were never more exciting. We took turns in the street pretending we were Bo Cornell, Sonny, and Cahill. Being Bo of course meant you had to stay home and block. We were also big Seattle U fans so in the Winter we changed our allegiance to the Chieftains, and were even in attendance when they beat Texas Western (UTEP) who went on to win the national championship. We went to the first Sonic's game in 1967, and I remember seeing guys like Rick Barry, Elgin Baylor, Wilt the Stilt, and of course Bill Russell. Still UW, and Seattle U were passions, the Sonic's were something we did to fill in the space. We ready for a change when Don James arrived, and it seemed the outsider from the Midwest just didn't get it. How could he bench Chris Rowland in favor of some guy named Harold Moon who was just terrible as a sophmore? The 78 Rose Bowl of course just pushed it over the top, and forever from that day DJ became the most respected man in the state. My dad, and I continued those rituals till the late 80's when he passed away early in life due to cancer. I remember the last days as he had to take the Dawgsled up to our seats high on the South deck, and finally when we just watched the games at home. He missed the national championship, but at least he saw some great seasons, and the new North deck. Husky football is a tradition that is handed down from father, to son. It is ownership in a special event that bonds a young man, and his father together, and it is meant to be handed down through generations of Northwest families. I don't know if the new administration gets exactly what Husky football is, and what it has meant in the past to the community. The new administration doesn't want the fans, boosters, alums, media, or anyone around except for a few hours on Saturday. I think that is a shame because Husky football is traditionally more than that. It is a birthright we all share in, and until they get that again over at Montlake it just won't be quite the same. Still we all remember having the same feelings about this guy from Ohio who was our fourth choice to be football coach because nobody else wanted the job. Hopefully they grow on us, as we grow on them. (Comment on this)
Friday, August 11th, 2006
11:26 am	Around ACC Nation sponsored by Mad About U The Pac 10 and Big Ten ... Around ACC Nation sponsored by Mad About U The Pac 10 and Big Ten have the Rose Bowl, the SEC has the Sugar Bowl, now the ACC has the Orange Bowl. The ACC football champion will play in the Orange Bowl every year unless they have a chance for the National Championship (or of the Orange Bowl is hosting the National Championship). The ACC media has announced its picks for this year's football race. Florida State and Miami are the choice to play in Jacksonville this December. Coach K has his 15 players. Now the question is, are they the right 15? And the ACC's male and female athletes of the year were announced yesterday. Purchase "Mad About U" for a limited time and received a $10 discount off the cover price. (Comment on this)
Thursday, August 3rd, 2006
6:21 pm	VINCE YOUNG Milking a Cow on The Best Damn Sports Show - VIDEO Apparently Rodney Peete shot off his mouth and guaranteed a USC win in the Rose Bowl. He swore he'd wear a Texas jersey if the Trojans lost. Well, the Trojans lost. So Vince Young appeared on the show shortly after the Rose Bowl to collect on the bet and talk about his future in the NFL. Peete wore Vince's #10 jersey, but got the last laugh by making Vince milk a cow on national television. I truly believe Vince could outrun your average cow, but he sure seems a bit lost trying to milk this one. He would have gotten more milk out of a bull. (Comment on this)
Monday, July 31st, 2006
10:19 pm	SMQ's Take on USC I know I’m a little late on this one, but I’d thought I’d comment on SMQ’s assessment of USC for the coming season. Heck I didn't even have the blog yet when he wrote it.. The Obvious: The whole backfield is gone, as is most of the front line and a pretty good TE. There are a lot of questions here. Without actual game time I find it difficult to fathom that SC will pick up where it left off, sans Rose Bowl loss. The biggest thing for me is chemistry. I don’t care how much talent the collective team has if they can’t play together they won’t go far. As SMQ states: Several hundred pounds of hardware is gone en route to the NFL, most notably from the prolific backfield that got most of the attention during the team's 34-game win streak. Most teams suffer noticeably from the departure of a Heisman winner; the Trojans will be the first team ever to try to replace two, along with five other all-Americans. As usual after the kind of three-year run by Leinart, Bush and Co., this squad seems strictly partitioned from the awe-inspiring continuity of the past three, which really felt like the exact same team from year to year. Well, if I understand him correctly SMQ feels that USC will kind of pick up where they left off. I would agree that Pete Carroll has picked up some great talent in his recruiting. But talent gets you only so far. Team chemistry is important and the only way you build true team chemistry is on the field. My concern is that with all the new faces are there enough veterans on the team to keep it together. Last years question was the defense but this years question is the offense. SMQ’s take:CRY ME A FUCKIN' RIVER, FAUNTLEROY: Only four starters are back on offense, but it's tough to complain when all four - receivers Dwayne Jarrett and Steve Smith and linemen Sam Baker and Ryan Kalil - will be getting deserving all-America love from preseason mags, or when there are 46 career starts spread among offensive returnees officially listed as backups last year. You gotta love the line about Fauntleroy! With all the big game experience returning the SC defense should be able to contain some of the high powered offenses that it will see. The linebacker corps is solid and it will be interesting to see how Shareece Wright fits in at CB, though I’m still not a fan of Ting at safety, hopefully Pinkard can pick up the slack. RB/TB, well SC is definitely stocked here but there are some major questions. First, will Washington stay eligible? With Dennis out with another ACL tear who steps up? I don’t think we’ll ever see Dennis in a Trojan uniform again. We’ll see if the loss to Texas has any lasting effect. There are some guys on this team who have something to prove and a lot of new ones who have yet to fully grasp the mystical spell that only Pete Carroll can produce. Ok, maybe him and Phil Jackson (Big Chief Triangle). Maybe Scott Ware can take some time out of his busy schedule to educate the yougins’. What do you think PB? Great historical reference here. Where does he get this stuff? IF THIS TEAM WERE ANY POP CULTURAL, HISTORICAL, POLITICAL, LITERARY OR OTHERWISE NOTABLE FIGURE, IT WOULD BE... Clearly, Napoleon, rising from Elba: not altogether evil but dashing, formidable, aggressive and dangerously close to conquering the known world under a power-mad, authoritarian fist before a crushing defeat. Which makes Vince Young...who, class? If you said Lord Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington - or even the Furst von Wahlstatt, Gebhard Leberecht von Blucher, since SMQ is being so super generous - give yourself a gold star, and maybe try to get out a little more. I won’t be as generous as SMQ though. I see 3 losses; Arkansas, Arizona and Cal; too many new faces, unproven team chemistry and history. …It was a nice run, Kev. Had to close out someday. Nobody wins them all… Now that I've chopped up his whole assessment, you can read the whole uninterupted post here. All in all a great bit of work. (Comment on this)
Saturday, July 29th, 2006
5:10 pm	AN ABSURDLY PREMATURE ASSESSMENT OF: UCLA AN ABSURDLY PREMATURE ASSESSMENT OF: UCLA - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - SMQ spins the wheel for a hastily-rendered, too-soon look at a random school's prospects for the fall, sans inevitable academic and criminal suspensions, sudden transfers, debilitating injuries and other miscellaneous misfortunes of the long summer Today: UCLA - - - - - 2005 was a leap forward for previously middling Karl Dorrell - unless winning ten games was preparing his own noose PAST FIVE SEASONS: 37-24 (22-18 PAC Ten) - 2005: 10-2 (6-2 PAC Ten), Won Sun Bowl STARTERS BACK, ROUGHLY: 10 (4 Offense, 6 Defense) WHAT'S CHANGED: Just as he matured and produced the Bruins' first truly elite passing season since Cade McNown's senior effort (and the same 10-2 record, too, though no one was comparing last year's Bruins with the 1998 Rose Bowl/near-mythical championship team), three-year starter Drew Olson graduates and takes all-America-caliber early departures Maurice Drew and Marcedes Lewis along. That duo combined for 6,259 career yards and 60 touchdowns. On defense, linebacker Spencer Havner's tackles were down in '05 from previous sky-high totals, but he leaves third on the school's career tackle and tackle for loss list since 1975. WHAT'S THE SAME: The Drews and Lewis were the face of the top notch offense the past two seasons, but a good amount of mostly anonymous talent is back. SMQ has never heard of Chris Markey, Khalil Bell, Joe Cowan, Marcus Everett, Brandon Breazell, Gavin Ketchum or Ryan Moya, but combined they had 2,500 yards and 20 touchdowns last season in the shadows of their more hyped teammates; that group does not include Junior Taylor, injured early in '05 but back for a run at the go-to receiver designation. A lot is going to depend on the new quarterback, sophomore Ben Olson, but the overall production returning is quality and deep, and even if it can't match last year's 39-point average, shouldn't be far behind. MORMONS IN HOLLYWOOD: Olson (Ben) reportedly almost beat out Olson (Drew) for the starting job after doing the Mormom mission thing and then transferring from BYU, but wound up only throwing four passes in relief duty. This inexperience makes him an unknown commodity, but reasons for hope include his size (6-5, 227) and obvious pro-style physical ability on top of his prep hype, which made Olson (Ben) the highest-rated quarterback among non-Vince Young recruits in 2002. And 'inexperience' does not necessarily equal 'immaturity' - Olson is 23, which makes him the second-oldest active Bruin (he's a month behid senior fullback Danny Nelson) and a candidate for Weinke-level creepiness in two years. In the meantime, Karl Dorrell will settle for Weinke-level results. THEY ARE BROUGHT DOWN, EVENTUALLY: Telling stat: four of the top five tacklers last year were DBs. Now, no defense looks good in the PAC Ten - SMQ agrees to an extent with Heisman Pundit, who has argued that it's really the success of West Coast offenses more than the incompetence of defenses out there that's responsible for the numbers, though probably only a little bit more - but the Bruins were especially atrocious by any measure on that side of that ball, and specifically didn't come close to considering stopping anyone on the ground. The number 116, as in the national rank of the run defense, was bad enough, but the details were horrifying: three PAC Ten opponents ran for 300 yards, and USC had way over 400. The reasons for this, for one like SMQ who didn't get a good look at UCLA last fall, are hard to fathom, given that the Bruins are appropriately proportioned on the line, above-average in the speed/athleticism category and had a couple very highly regarded linebackers patrolling around (Havner and Justin London, both now gone). So we're talking about some scheme and maybe - this is tough to put a finger on, and much easier for us fly-over folks to levy against a team wearing powder blue in Los Angeles, but a persistent and valid charge nevertheless - heart/toughness issues. If you can still win ten with all that dysfunction, what can you do by improving to just near-competence? OVERLY OPTIMISTIC POST-SPRING CHATTER: Double-digit victories was not enough to sate the persistent Dorrell-haters at Bruins Nation - not a surprise, really, for guys late of the subtly-named Fire Karl Dorrell - who seem to consider success built on a string of wild comebacks against the league's bottom dwellers and interrupted by the most stunning blowout of the decade somewhat illusory. But in the arena of illusion, that's nothing compared to the Nation's own forecasts of the new Olson - who they call here and elsewhere, seriously, the "Southpaw Jesus" - impact on the program, especially in relation to certain other Los Angeles-based mega schools: If KD cannot get it done this year with this kid, a 23 year old, redshirt sophmore (who is supposed to be light years ahead of Weinke), who is supposed to be the most talented QB talent to come into Westwood since HOFer Aikman, he will never get it done. Here is to hoping for Ben/KD getting it done - winning 9 games and beating SC. [...] Lack of talent at QB - the most crucial position of a football program will not hold up as an excuse in 2006. We have a program savior type of talen in BO. It's up to KD to harness the talent, take advantage of it, and produce results (9 wins and a win over SC). The nine-win barometer makes sense - hell, that's one fewer than last year, when no one could accuse Dorrell of working with "lack of talent at QB," and with an extra regular season game to get there - but the comparison with USC, right now, does not, and if Dorrell's job is said to depend solely on reversing the accumulated momentum of the past five years between these schools by November, nobody worth a damn will be lining up in the winter to fill britches that are probably too big for them, too. Remember, Southern Cal most recently beat UCLA 66-19, and it wasn't that close; with a young team built to win a good bit now and a ton down the road, wouldn't just being reasonably competitive with the Trojans again be enough of a leap for one year? Not for some folks... REASON FOR HOPE: Olson (Ben) has all the physical tools and experienced surrounding talent to meet all most reasonable expectations. The defense couldn't possibly wind up ranking with Sun Belt teams again. REASON TO BE AFRAID, VERY AFRAID: How much was '05 success, for lack of a more precise term, "lightning in a bottle"? Big Ben is not emerging from the bench fully formed. The defense has been a consistent albatross and hit a low that a lower-octane offense will have a much tougher time overcoming. Skill guys may be adequate, but will they be able to pick up slack for the departed Olson's experience, Maurice Drew's versatility and Lewis' all-around, big play freakosity? IF THIS TEAM WERE ANY POP CULTURAL, HISTORICAL, POLITICAL, LITERARY OR OTHERWISE NOTABLE FIGURE, IT WOULD BE... Captain Ahab in search of more than a hide in his great white whale, for quite obvious reasons. - - - - - All that most maddens and torments; all that stirs up the lees of things... all the subtle demonisms of life and thought; all evil, to crazy Ahab, were visibly personified, and made practically assailable in Moby Dick. HONESTLY, WITHOUT LOOKING AT THE SCHEDULE, SMQ'S THINKING... Nine wins is certainly not out of this world, though SMQ thinks this looks like an 8-4 kind of team. That may sound like a step back, but given the chips-in-the-right-place way UCLA clawed to last season's success, overall progress - especially in the all-important SC affair - might not necessarily lead to more wins in the short term. - - - - - Previous absurdly premature assessments: April 3: Central Michigan...April 4: Brigham Young...April 6: Kentucky...April 7: Bowling Green...April 8: Southern Cal...April 11: Rutgers...April 12: Marshall...April 13: Florida State...April 15: San Diego State...April 17: Alabama...April 19: Oregon State...April 20: Buffalo...April 22: NC State...April 23: Arizona ...April 24: Memphis...April 26: Louisiana Tech...Apr il 28: Iowa...April 30: Toledo...May 2: Ohio State...May 3: Mississippi State...May 5: Southern Miss...UL-Lafayette...May 11: Akron...May 13: Michigan State...May 15: Air Force...May 17:Stanford...May 18: Georgia Tech...May 21: Connecticut...May 23: Purdue...May 25: Navy - - - - - Permalink (Comment on this)
Thursday, July 27th, 2006
11:14 am	It is a small world after all… (Comment on this)