The Cup, The Cars, The Lies!

Association Football (Soccer)
Have to start on the sad note that the US Women's National team did not win the Women's World Cup this afternoon. That honor went, instead, to Japan. Clearly the United States suffered from the two things that will kill the chances for success in a tournament match: missed opportunities and "preservation mode". Really, I guess there isn't much you can do about the first one except that you have to finish the chances you're given. Football is a fickle game and you only get a few chances. Except...the US got 27 chances! However, 27 chances were enough to produce a 2-1 lead late in extra time when they switched into preservation mode. Let me tell you something, if you play football on Xbox, the back yard or a professional pitch, DO. NOT. DO THAT! It never (well, rarely) works. Sitting back to preserve your lead with one player up front and ten back causes you to make bad decisions, it makes you think back toward your own goal when the better pass may be forward. And it ends with you allowing an inferior team to stay in a match and shock you in penalties. 

The Japanese Women's National team celebrates
winning the 2011 Women's World Cup

That being the case, I can't say I hated that Japan won. I mean, I was disappointed. And as I tweeted, I never call for moral victories, but I felt like while the United States wanted it more than Japan, Japan NEEDED it more. After everything Japan has been through, a World Cup Championship can bring a smile to a stricken nation, and that, is okay with me.

NASCAR

Race winner Ryan Newman (black suit) is
congratulated by car-owner and second place
finisher Tony Stewart

The Lenox Tools 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway today was the 19th race of the NASCAR Sprint Cup season. The race turned into a quite literally a perfect weekend for Stewart-Haas racing. Both of the teams cars driven by Ryan Newman and Tony Stewart (yes, the Stewart of "Stewart-Haas" for those of you who don't know) started the on the front row, 1-2 and that's where they finished. Only seven races left to the Chase. 


Point Standings:
1. Carl Edwards
2. Jimmie Johnson
3. Kurt Busch
4. Kevin Harvick
5. Kyle Busch
6. Matt Kenseth
7. Jeff Gordon
8. Ryan Newman
9. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
10. Denny Hamlin
     Tony Stewart


As you can see, Ryan Newman's win was vital today, vaulting him into 8th place in the standings so he is, as of now in the chase. Denny Hamlin and Tony Stewart are tied in 10th, 82 points back of Edwards. It also means that if the Chase started tomorrow those 11 drivers would be joined by David Ragan as the second wild car driver on the basis of his win two weeks ago at Daytona (Stewart would be the other wild card). 


Sometimes I hear things...


Yesterday on ESPN Radio's Dari and Mel the show reported that this week more allegations of withholding information from the institution surfaced against former Ohio State head football coach Jim Tressel. These allegations were linked back to 2005-2006 where he was docked in performance reviews for not reporting violations in a timely manner. 

Jim Tressel resigned on May 30th

Look, there's not much to say about this. It still feels odd to say former Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel. It seemed like he was a really great guy, but it looks like he really wasn't. However, this is what was an interesting concept. On the program yesterday they asked this question, "What if you could hire Jim Tressel tomorrow and in four years your school would win a National Championship but then be on probation for eight years after that, would you do it?"


Naturally, the initial response is no, but as I began to think about it, it's quite the opposite. Oh, now, not for everyone. Naturally any top tier school (Alabama, Auburn, Texas, Oklahoma, Florida, Nebraska, Oregon) wouldn't take the deal. Not even any second tier school (Virginia Tech, Michigan [for now], Georgia, Missouri, Utah, Michigan State, Miami, Cal) would either. But after that? Talking about first and second tier, we're talking about what? Twenty-schools. Twenty-five? 25 out of 120! 20% for those of you on a MacBook like me and can call up a calculator with the push of a button. If you begin to think about some of the "other" teams, who wouldn't jump at that?

"The Coaches' Trophy"
awarded to college football's
National Champion

Take the lowly MAC conference, do you think colleges like Ohio, Akron or Buffalo wouldn't race to the front of the line at the chance to win a National Championship in four years? That's an easy trade for eight years probation. Trust me. Why? Because of what the trade-off actually is, it's trading off being irrelevant since your school started playing football for a National Championship, only to return to irrelevance: back where you were, just with a pretty trophy to go with it. Not just MAC teams though, this proposal would be just as mouth watering to the Washington States, Idahoes and Vanderbilts of the world. 


What does all this mean? In the "win now" world in which we currently habitate, Jim Tressel will be back on a college sideline, even though he "retired". I just wonder if another Big Ten team, say a Purdue, might try to hire him, just to stick it in Ohio State's ear. Truth is it's a sad commentary on the way our world works when the guy that was the gold standard for morals, values and coaching excellence is now the ringer that you hope can bring home a trophy without getting it too dirty.


-More to come,
XoXo
Joshua.


Links:
Tressel Report
World Cup Wrap-Up
NASCAR Standings

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