Following last years Orange Bowl victory over Georgia Tech, fans of the Iowa Hawkeyes football team thought they had finally seen the Hawkeyes become one of the nationally elite teams. A team ranked right up there with Alabama, Oklahoma and many others.

 

Sadly Iowa fans, you are not there yet. And, if your current trend keeps up you never will be.

 

Last year Iowa took an undefeated record into a game with Northwestern. This game was played at Kinnick Stadium and appeared to be just a pit stop on the road to a epic showdown with Big Ten power Ohio State. Iowa thought they were in for a easy victory and Northwestern proved they were anything but that by defeating the Hawkeyes and ending their national championship hopes.

 

Now, flash forward to this year and the Hawkeyes faced Northwestern once again and once again had a showdown with Ohio State on the horizon. This time was the same as the last, the Hawkeyes lost and struck down any chances of a big bowl game in January.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The problem with the Hawkeyes is this, THEY PLAY DOWN TO THEIR COMPETITION. Now, this something nationally elite teams do not do. Look at Alabama, they play teams that do not belong in the stadium as them and the final score shows that. Often depicting beat downs of 30-40 points. That is what nationally elite teams do, they prove they are the best by destroying anything less than them.

 

Case in point two weeks ago Iowa destroyed a top five, undefeated Michigan State team. This victory created a four-way tie at the top of the Big Ten and made me think Iowa had finally turned the corner. Then they barely beat an underwhelming Indiana team (that Big Ten leading Wisconsin beat 83-20) and lost to Northwestern. If this is not playing down to your competition than I do not know what is.

 

This is not indicative of a team that is a national power. Teams that are national powers love having the target on their back, Iowa tends to shy away from it. This is evident by the way they have played since dismantling Michigan State.

 

Now, I will give Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz credit, he has built a very good program from the ground up and made them perennial Big Ten contenders year in and out. Sadly, that does not translate to national championship contention. That is the expectation for any team that is a regional power, to become a national power and I just don’t see that killer instinct in Iowa.

 

Now, I will state that I’m not a fan of the Hawkeyes. But, it would be nice to see them live up to expectations. The expectations are now that they have become a regional power, they must become a national power. Playing down to the competition is not the way to get there. Playing to your level is and sadly Iowa has not done that. It is something they must do before their window of opportunity closes, if it has not already.

 

In 1960, Dallas was awarded a National Football League (NFL) franchise. Now 50 mostly successful years later America’s Team has been given a disastrous birthday gift, mediocrity and disappointment.

Currently, the Dallas Cowboys sit at 1-6 and are in line to gain the third pick in the NFL Draft in April. Now for many this is a shock, this was a team that was supposed to compete in a Super Bowl in their billion dollar home stadium and roll over the competition with 4 losses being the maximum.

Sadly, that fourth loss came two weeks ago.

Now, being a fan of the Cowboys I will admit I could have been biased by saying they were the best team in not just the NFC but the entire NFL as well. But, on paper there is no reason they could not have been successful.

They had the second most pro bowlers last season, all of which were returning; had a winning record in December and won a playoff game for the first time in 15 seasons. It looked as if the ‘Boys had turned the corner and became a prominent team once again.

Then the 2010 season began and mistakes have riddled the Cowboys. From a holding call that erased a game winning touchdown in the first game (a loss to hated rival Washington), to an excessive celebration penalty against Tennessee that led to the game winning touchdown the Cowboys have often shot themselves in the foot. But, then came the death blow for the season.

On Monday Night Football on Oct. 25 the Cowboys took on the hated Giants in a must win game. Pro-Bowl quarterback Tony Romo was in the game and had the Cowboys holding on to a 13-7 lead, then disaster struck.

On a pass play, Cowboys rookie fullback Chris Gronkowski missed an assignment on blitzing linebaker Micheal Boleyn and the result, Romo was drilled into the turf breaking his clavicle and thus ending his season.

All I could muster was the thought “How Fitting!”

How fitting it was to have a team that had the third ranked defense and fourth ranked offense lose their franchise player on a mistake. Because that was what has killed the Cowboys all this season… mistakes.

A team with such high rankings should be the best team in the league. But, in looking at the stats one can see the Cowboys missteps. The Cowboys have the fourth highest penalties per game average with 6.9 and the eighth highest penalty yards per game with 66 per game.

These are things that cannot happen if you wish to contend. These are things the worst teams in the league do, no ones that want to win championships.

Now, to me the problem is a lack of leadership. This is something that can be solved by starting over. Owner Jerry Jones needs to realize that this team deserves better coaching than what it has now. This team has lacked focus, intensity and discipline and last time I checked this can all be attributed to the coach.

So, Mr. Jones: do us Cowboys fans a favor and stop serving us mediocre birthday cakes year after year when we deserve more. Because if you don’t the Cowboys might not make it another prominent anniversary as a distinguished franchise

 

“Touchdown Jesus, his divine arms are no longer raised in celebration,

They are thrown up in disgust.

Frustration Jesus hear our prayer.

Somedays when the sun shines and the crowd roars it feels like the collapse never happened.

So much looks the same, the white of the collar, the green of the shirt and the gold of the helmet.

Spring still carries the clack of pads and the blooming promise of dominance.

Only, autumn no longer delivers, the echos have gone quiet.

Something has died here in South Bend.

Only relics remain, mosaics and statues

Awaiting stadium, a shining dome, like the gleaming sousaphones of the band

and the black flocked priests rubbing rosary’s on the sidelines.

These famous pieces cannot mask the slow fall.

But, a bit more every year they stand as something different,

not proclamations as to what is, but monuments as to what once was

Here lies a dynasty.

There is no more Rockne, there is no more Gipper, no more Hornung, no more Holtz

they are gone, ghosts.

Kept company by reminders of a time passed and a grotto that flickers with unanswered prayers.”

~Poem By Wright Thompson, Broadcast on ESPN College Gameday Sept.4^th , 2010

That introductory poem was broadcast on ESPN College Gameday on Sept. 4^th. With a somber, angelic tone this poem was read over video of Notre Dame’s historic campus. It was supposed to signal the end of Notre Dame has a college football power.

But, to paraphrase Mark Twain, “Rumors of Notre Dame’s demise have been greatly exaggerated.” As a matter of fact I would like to add that instead of a death, Touchdown Jesus might have been resurrected and the pride of the Fighting Irish is back.

That was no more apparent than this past weekend.

Taking on bitter rival the University of Michigan, Notre Dame found themselves down 21-7 at halftime. The Irish fought back to take a 24-21 lead after a magical 95 yard touchdown pass from Dayne Crist to Kyle Rudolph. For Irish fans it was the rebirth of Notre Dame magic, but it was short-lived. Michigan scored a touchdown with 27 seconds left to win the game 28-24 and leave the Irish faithful broken-hearted.

However, being a member of the Irish faithful, I was not broken-hearted, I was optimistic. Here is a young team that fought back from 14 points down in the second half to take the lead against a big time rival, using nothing more than pure heart, determination and will. This was a reason for optimism.

It was this lack of fight, heart and will that was not apparent over the last five years. These five years will be referred to as the dark ages in Notre Dame football lore. For this was the rule of Charlie Weis and the rule of mediocrity.

When Weis took over the Notre Dame program he had just won a Super Bowl as offensive coordinator of the New England Patriots. Following that he was billed as the savior, the

man who would save the Notre Dame legacy and take the program back to the glory days of old. Sadly, that did not happen.

In Weis’ first two-years Irish fans were treated to two-consecutive ten win seasons and invitations to Bowl Championship Series  bowl games, although they lost both games by a combined score of 75-34, the future looked bright.

Looks were deceiving. Notre Dame went 15-21 over the next three years. These years included losing to Navy for the first time in 43 years, epic beat-downs at the hands of hated rival USC and sub-par performances against sub-par teams and only managing one bowl win in three trips, led to the much celebrated end of the Weis reign in South Bend.

Now, the Irish are run by Brian Kelly. Unlike Weis press conference, Kelly held no illusions of what the team was. He knew they were bad and he knew things needed to change and that is what he did. Kelly began installing a new work ethic, realizing he might not have the most talented he made them be the hardest working and the Michigan game showed it is paying dividends.

For the first time in five years I have hope for the Fighting Irish. I hold no illusions of grandeur and national championships, at least this year. However, I have hope and that is something I did not have three-years ago. So Irish fans give Kelly time, in four-years we will be talking about much more than a little win over Michigan, we will be talking about a possible dynasty.

So, in closing ESPN save your poem for programs that need it, us Irish supporters have our faith and hope back and that is the first step towards resurrecting the Notre Dame legacy.

Okay, I must admit I have been drawn in by one of the most compelling stories of the summer. This story is not the the B.P. Oil Spill or the World Cup. No the reason why I’m compelled is wondering where will NBA superstar LeBron James play next season?

James, who currently plays for his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers, has become a superstar in his home city and put basketball on the map in Cleveland. James has also become one of the most sought after free agents in the history of the NBA, if not professional sports.

When the Cavs selected him with the first overall pick in the 2003 NBA draft they knew they had something special. This something special had not been seen since the days of Micheal Jordan; and James did not disappoint.

James became a six-time NBA All-Star, two-time league MVP and won numerous scoring titles. James also became Cleveland’s favorite son, he however, did not deliver the one thing Cleveland fans yearned for a world championship.

This takes us to our current situation, James is a free agent and has the sports world sitting on edge wondering where he will go. As I write this we sit at t-minus seven and a half hours away from finding out where James will land, on a live one-hour special on ESPN titled “The Decision.”

But after hearing the so-called experts weigh in on where he will go I decided it is time for me to weigh in. So I will look at the top four teams in the James chase and if the will sign him or not sign him. So, lets get this started.

CLEVELAND CAVALIERS: The Cavs have the advantage of being James’ hometown team and the only professional team James’ has known. His track record there is well documented and he has had success there, having three 60+ win seasons, a trip to the NBA finals and a short reign as the best team in the Eastern Conference. But to me this is all for not. James wants to win now. In my opinion the current pieces the Cavs have in place are good, but not great. They will not get James a championship ring. Also the Cavs have been restructuring their staff. They have a new General Manager and a new coach. James also did not have any input on new coach Byron Scott and has no familiarity with this staff.

Also, Cleveland does not have the ability to sign another top of the line free agent or get LeBron the sidekick he desires to take off the scoring load. These factors put James’ chances of re-signing with the Cavs at not very good.

NEW YORK KNICKS: For the Knicks years of failure for the once storied franchise have led up to this summer. The Knicks have the salary cap space to sign two top of the line free agents and have already signed one in former Phoenix Suns forward Amare Stoudemire. This signing is rumored to have ruffled the feathers of some of James’ advisors because it was not discussed during the meeting the Knicks’ and James had last week.

James has stated his desire to become recognized worldwide and New York would give him that platform to do just that. Also, James has to be compelled by Knicks coach Mike D’antoni’s run and gun offense and with James and Stoudemire this could be the rebirth that Knicks fans have been looking for. Sadly, for Knicks fans I do not see this happening as there are teams more primed to win now then the Knicks that also want James’ services. But Knicks fans can take solace in the fact they will be improved and will have a chance at Carmello Anthony next summer.

MIAMI HEAT: The heat have already created a big splash this summer by re-signing there best player Dewayne Wade to a new contract and adding All-Star forward Chris Bosh to the mix, the Heat on paper look like the team best positioned to sign LeBron. However, looks can be deceiving.

The Heat have only four players under contract currently. The aforementioned Wade and Bosh, Micheal Beasley and Mario Chalmers. Also, Beasley is rumored to be in talks of a sign and trade with the Raptors for Bosh, if that happens that would only have three players under contract, not including James. The Heat did have a strong draft this year and would be able to sign a couple veterans to the league minimum but to me that is not enough for the Heat to win.

Let’s face it in pro sports injuries happen and the Heat would not be in a position to handle that well, especially if the injury was to Wade, Bosh or James. Also, the fact has been ignored that this would not be James’ team. He is used to being the guy, the man and unquestioned leader. On the Heat, LeBron would not be any of those. Those titles belong to Wade, as they should. Wade led them to a championship and has been the rock for the team during rough times, including a 18 win season. The question to me is could LeBron handle playing second fiddle to someone else to win a ring? I would think not, but I have been wrong before and so I put the chances James signs with the Heat at high.

CHICAGO BULLS: The last team is the one that makes the most sense to me, the Chicago Bulls have reigning Rookie of the Year Derrick Rose, forward Joakim Noah who is on the verge of becoming a top tier talent in the NBA and Luol Deng. The Bulls have also signed All-Star Power Forward Carlos Boozer from the Utah Jazz. These pieces already make the Bulls one of the top teams in the East. If they were to add James to the mix they would be the favorite to not just be the best team in the East, but the league.

The Bulls also have a nice mix of role players that will take the burden off the top tier stars if they should fail and a strong defensive minded coaching staff that is important to James. The one thing working against the Bulls is this, his entire career James has been trying to get out of the shadow of the greatest player of all-time Micheal Jordan. By going to Chicago he would not be moving out of Jordan’s shadow, he would be moving smack dab into it. Also, up for debate is the fact that Chicago might not be a large enough sports market for James to shape is name into a worldwide brand.

But, this does not inhibit the Bulls from being one of the favorites to sign James. If James is as serious about winning a championship ring as he says he is he will go here. I would put the Bulls chances at being high to going to the Bulls.

THE CONCLUSION: For some reason I have to disagree with the experts and say James signs with the Bulls. Just for the fact that they are in the best position to win now and have everything James has wanted to succeed. But, will James sign there only time will tell. Let the nerve racking wait begin.

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Here we go again. It is that time of the year when the movies for the past year are honored for being great or snubbed and leaving so-called “experts” or film buffs, such as myself complaining to anyone who will listen, yes it must be Oscar season.

The Academy Awards are March 7, 2010. I have decided to take this opportunity to analyze the major categories. Those are Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor/Actress, and Best Supporting Actor/Actress. I will analyze who or what I feel should win, who will most likely win, and other gripes will cover my complaints and look at what I think overall.

This year is particularly special because there are ten nominations for Best Picture. Since this category is the most talked about and has the most material this is what I will preview first.

THE FILMS (all summaries courtesy of oscar.go.com)

“AVATAR” –With Earth an ecological disaster, a corporation sets its sights on the distant planet Pandora, which possesses a mineral that can be used as a valuable energy source. To overcome the resistance of the planet’s indigenous population, the Na’vi, former Marine Jake Sully is sent to infiltrate the society as a part-human, part-Na’vi avatar who can operate on Pandora while Jake himself remains in a twilight sleep.

“THE HURT LOCKER” – As the war in Iraq continues, Staff Sgt. William James carries out one of the most dangerous of all military assignments: bomb defusing. While James thrives on the job’s risks, the head of his support team, Sgt. JT Sanborn, becomes increasingly worried by what he feels is a growing recklessness in James’s behavior.

“THE BLIND SIDE”- African-American teenager Michael Oher has been in and out of the foster care system throughout his difficult childhood. When suburban mom Leigh Anne Tuohy, whose children are Michael’s schoolmates, discovers him living on the streets, he gains a home with the Tuohy family and receives the stability and encouragement he needs to develop his talents as a football player.

“DISTRICT 9”- The arrival of an enormous disabled spaceship over Johannesburg, South Africa, has led to the establishment of a refugee camp on the city’s outskirts for the ship’s starving, stranded aliens. Leading an attempt to relocate its inhabitants to a more remote location is security expert Wikus van de Merwe, whose lack of knowledge about the visitors will undergo a dramatic change when he becomes infected with an alien substance.

“AN EDUCATION”- When Jenny, a 16-year-old English schoolgirl, finds herself the object of a calculated seduction by a charming older man, she is by turns wary, flattered, and disarmed by his interest. As their relationship develops, Jenny is drawn deeper into a sophisticated world of wealth and style that may be too good to be true.

“PRECIOUS”, BASED ON THE NOVEL “PUSH” BY SAPPHIRE- Sixteen-year-old Precious Jones is overweight, nearly illiterate, and the victim of horrific physical and verbal abuse at the hands of her mother and father. Facing a seemingly hopeless future, Precious transfers to a new school, where a dedicated teacher and fellow classmates offer the unhappy young girl a chance for a new life.

“INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS” – Shosanna, a resourceful young movie theater owner fighting to stay one step ahead of the Nazis in occupied France, plots her revenge on the man responsible for her family’s death, the flamboyant Col. Hans Landa. Her plan soon draws the attention of Lt. Aldo Raine, who leads a group of Jewish soldiers known as the Basterds in a savage campaign behind enemy lines.

“A SERIOUS MAN” – In a series of escalating personal catastrophes, physics professor Larry Gopnik finds himself facing an unfaithful wife, ungrateful children, a troubled brother-in-law and poison pen letters at work. But Gopnik is a fundamentally decent man, and he tries, with increasing despair, to respond rationally and fairly to trials befitting a modern-day Job.

“UP”- Carl Fredricksen, a gruff, lonely old man, thwarts an attempt to force him out of his home by launching it into the air with hundreds of helium balloons. As he sets his sights on South America, however, Carl discovers he has an inadvertent stowaway: a Boy Scout named Russell who was trapped on his front porch.

“UP IN THE AIR”- Ryan Bingham is a corporate down sizer who spends his days in hotels, airports, and airplanes as he travels around the country laying off other companies’ workers with polished finesse. His pursuit of a life without emotional connections is called into question, however, by his interactions with two women, one a sophisticated fellow traveler and the other an inexperienced young colleague.

THE RUNDOWN OR THE OPINION OF ERICH:

WHO SHOULD WIN: In my opinion there are several good, quality choices for who should win. Those include “District 9” and “Inglourious Basterds.” I thoroughly enjoyed both of these films and both fit the mold of what best picture should be. They both were great, well done films and had no weaknesses to them. However, they will not win because the Academy goes more for flash, buzz and pop then substance as of late, so of course this eliminates those films from consideration. My personal favorite of the nominees and the film I think should win is The Coen Brothers opus “A Serious Man.” This film was amazing and it’s story was new and fresh, something that Hollywood has had trouble doing with films as of late. But it will not win because there is no way the Academy allows an unknown film to win two years in a row. So sadly…..

WHO WILL WIN: It is hard to say this but it will come down to James Cameron’s “Avatar” or “Hurt Locker.” If I had a preference I would choose “Hurt Locker” over “Avatar,” but alas I do not see this happening. “Avatar” will win, if for nothing else it generates the buzz, pop and other superlatives I used to describe above why my favorites will not win. It just saddens me that the Academy has fallen to the MTV culture of wowing special effects needed to keep veiwers attention span’s instead of a film with a predictable plot, no character development and a lack of great acting. The fact that “Avatar” is one of the favorites for Best Picture just shows how dumbed down the movie industry has become, that a film which is built on flashy special effects, big time budget and ignores classic hollywood conventions could win best picture of the year is very disturbing and saddening.

DARK HORSE WINNER: With ten movies nominated it is easy to have a dark horse candidate. My dark horse choice is “Inglourious Basterds.” Since it was directed by Quinton Tarentino, who will never win an Oscar it has an outside chance of winning and it is a slim chance at that. I did debate putting “A Serious Man” here but dark horse institutes they have a chance of winning and sadly that film has none.

GRIPES, SNUBS AND OTHER THOUGHTS:

• Three film’s I feel were major snubs are “Moon,” “The Informant!” and “Public Enemies.” I feel that these film’s were better and more deserving of nominations than film’s such as “Avatar” and “The Blind Side.” All have particular reasons why they should have been nominated, that I will not get into here, but they deserved the consideration none the less.

• I do not like having ten film’s nominated for Best Picture. While it does allow for more of a scope of film’s to be nominated, including lesser known film’s, which I do enjoy; it also allows for film’s that do not deserve to be nominated to gain an un-deserved honor.

• A few of the films nominated deal with many social issues, either directly or indirectly. From the war in Iraq, (“Hurt Locker” and “Avatar”) A group invading another groups area are un-wanted, (“District 9” and “Avatar”) to the recession (“Up In The Air”) these film’s serve as a constant reminder to viewers to the troubles awaiting them outside the theaters. While most of these film’s were exceptional, I feel it is a disturbing trend that is taking place when film’s, which are supposed to be an escape of the troubles in the world are cold hard reminders of those problems. Hopefully, film’s become more upbeat in the coming months.

Alright, there are my observations regarding best picture. Coming up is Best Actor and Best Actress predictions and observations, STAY TUNED!!!!!!!

You know it goes without saying I’m a film buff. I love all types of film, so much I work at a local video store and have a Netflix account. But enough about my love of film now onto my current situation.

I was in a class at Mount Mercy College and the subject of “ It’s A Wonderful Life” was brought up and my instructor was talking about how everyone cries when the line “Every time a bell rings an angel gets his wings.” This was prompted by my response of, “I didn’t.”

Now, I must say that I do respect this instructor and I know he was just kidding me when he stated my lack of a heart, however this got me thinking, what movies have I cried in. now, granted these most of these are sports movies and my subject me to psychological evaluation, more humiliating than losing my “man card,” but here it goes.

HOOSIERS- Yes the story of a small town basketball team with a penchant for losing finally starts to win under their new coach, played by Gene Hackman. Now there are several tear-jerking moments such as when the team simpleton makes the game winning free throws in a state playoff game, or when Dennis Hopper, who plays the town alcoholic give a angst given speech from his hospital bed. This movie sends the tears flowing.

FORREST GUMP- Come on, who did not cry when Forrest, played by Tom Hanks has a final bedside conversation with his dying mother? Or who did not have kleenex by standby when Forest talks to his beloved Jenny’s grave? I mean seriously this film even gets the tears flowing for me to this day.

RAGING BULL- When one sees the downfall of Jake LaMotta played by Robert DeNiro it evokes a great deal of sorrow. However, the part that did it for me was when LaMotta in desperate need of money, tries to pry the jewels of his Heavyweight Championship Belt to take to a pawn shop.

BEAVIS AND BUTT-HEAD DO AMERICA- Oh god why can’t they “score,” why god? WHHYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Help these sex depraved teens, this should be done just based on comedic merit alone.

E.T.- Come on, I know I’m not alone here, when E.T. Leaves Elliot and say be good, or how about when E.T. Gets lost from his family, those are tear-jerking moments throughout this story. Seriously when I was a child I could not watch this movie without bawling like a baby.

Now, after humiliating myself by stating these movies and the fact that I do cry, I hope we can get past the fact that I just don’t get why “It’s A Wonderful Life” is so sad? Now onto watching Twilight and crying, because it is so horrible and saddening that it is a movie. However, that is a subject for another blog at another time.