Surprising Victories, Bookish and Non

Waiter? Whatever Georgia, Michigan and West Virginia ordered - I'd like that, please.

What an interesting week it's been for college football fans. Georgia absolutely manhandles a Hawai'i team many thought would be this year's Boise State, Michigan defeats Florida when many thought they didn't belong on the same field, and last night a West Virginia team I thought was severely overrated put a behind-the-woodshed thumpin' on the Sooners. (Memo to the Oklahoma marching band - Boomer Sooner doesn't sound any better the 467th time than it did the 466th when you're down 20 and your defense has all the stopping power of wet paper towels. Knock it off, already).

What gets old really fast is the "we think we're #1" quotes from every last player on each of the teams winning this big this late in the season. Yes, Thumpy McNoseTackle, you did play well tonight - but you also didn't make your conference championship game, sport: you might want to make sure that happens next season before you put in your claim for the title shot. I am aware, of course, that my Huskers made this precise argument for the 2002 Rose Bowl after the infamous 62-36 thumping administered by Colorado in the last game of the regular season, denying the Huskers a Big 12 title. I'm willing to concede that my Huskers were the wrong choice for the BCS that year, especially here in Duck Country where folks still wish (rightly so) that Joey Harrington had gotten his title shot against the Miami Hurricanes.

The other reason this gets old is the complete unwillingness of the NCAA Division I-A (no I will NOT call it the Bowl Subdivision or whatever the hell they call it now) presidents, conferences and ADs to sack up, forget the money involved and get a playoff system together to crown an actual, undisputed, won-it-on-the-field champion. Maybe Georgia, USC or West Virginia could have won it all this year - we'll never know because there's too much filthy lucre tied up in maintaining the present, unhealthy system because (say it with me now!) we've always done it that way (sound familiar to you churchy folks?). At any rate, it's been an ugly, confusing mess of a postseason, enough so that I'm considering dropping my allegiance to the lower divisions, who actually play for a national championship. Unless Nebraska makes a comeback under new coach Bo Pelini, that is.

Since we're in Oregon visiting my in-laws, I've taken advantage of my father-in-law's extensive historical library and read 1776, a book I've wanted to read for a few years now. Good stuff for sure - author David McCullough is a good writer who keeps it dry enough that he doesn't intrude on the action but interesting enough that it doesn't read like a textbook. Personally, I was unaware of how little military action actually took place in that fateful year: the logistics of transport and recruitment and navigating what was at that time a largely undeveloped wilderness required a lot more ingenuity and time than I had thought. On the whole, I enjoyed the book, but I would have liked more information on what the Continental Congress was doing in that year: 1776 is largely about Washington's campaign against the British in Massachussets, New York, New Jersey and Delaware. A good read, especially the last few pages, which describe Washington's victories at Trenton and Princeton and the state of mind in the colonies following such surprising victories.

Now I'm off to read the morning paper and hit the trails for my morning run. A blessed day to you all!

Pax,
Scott