Tuesday Thoughts

Psssst! Ohio State? Your plane for the BCS Championship Game left without you!

I don't know what happened, but the #1 team in the nation all year long got to feel the pain of the Gators chomping on their arteries last night and boy did it hurt! The seven point favorites started falling early when their star receiver, Ted Ginn Jr., left the game with an injury and Heisman trophy winner Troy Smith couldn't do anything to lead the Buckeyes past a faster, hungrier Florida Gator squad. Hats off to Florida coach Urban Meyer, who campaigned for his team to get the BCS title chance nod as the regular season drew to a close. Thumbs down to usually great BCS gameday coach Jim Tressel. I don't care what the circumstances are, you NEVER go for it on 4th and 1 on your own 29 yard line in the first half. Second half is a different story, but NEVER in the first half. I don't care if you're trying to pump your team up. That move right there really did the Buckeyes in for good I believe, as Florida, already up 24-14, went into halftime with a 34-14 lead. Perhaps Tressel was giving the "Charlie Weis" method of not waiting for halftime to make adjustments a whirl. We all know how well that turned out.

So Florida is the national champion. But I say Boise State is the national champion. Using the old "Slippery Rock" logic, Boise State beat Wyoming, who beat New Mexico, who beat Colorado State, who beat Fresno State, who beat Southern Methodist, who beat Tulsa, who beat Navy, who beat Connecticut, who beat Pittsburgh, who beat Cincinnati, who beat Rutgers, who beat Louisville, who beat Kentucky, who beat Georgia, who beat Auburn, who beat Florida. Who needs the BCS? Who wants a playoff?

Meanwhile in baseball world, the Hall of Fame formerly announced two new inductees; Tony Gwynn and Cal Ripken Jr. These two guys may possibly be the last two inductees who are not already on the ballot, who played for only one team his entire career. Are there any more out there? It is a darn shame that Mark McGwire's controversy is overshadowing the induction of two of the absolute most positive influences baseball has had in a very long time. The other shame is the fact that neither of the two were voted for unanimously. Ripken I could understand, but if you don't vote for Tony Gwynn you fall into two categories:

1. You never vote for a player his first time on the ballot, which to me makes no sense. What makes a player that much great one year later, five years later etc.? If he is great enough to be voted for at ANY point in time, he deserves the vote the first time.
2. You are a moron.