The Kind-Hearted Smart Aleck

Earlier today, it appeared as if some ESPN commentators thought the playoff committee wasn't showing the Big Ten enough respect with their latest rankings. On Tuesday night, the committee released their second batch of top 25 rankings, which included the following Big Ten teams: 8. Michigan State (7-1) 13. Nebraska (8-1) 14. Ohio State (7-1) 25. Wisconsin (6-2) Michigan State was leapfrogged by Kansas State on Tuesday, Nebraska and Ohio State are behind two-loss Mississippi, and outside of Duke, the Cornhuskers and Buckeyes are the lowest ranked of the one-loss teams. So, do the ESPN talking heads have a point or is the playoff committee right in not giving the Big Ten as much respect as most other major conferences? Well, I'm sorry to disappoint the ESPN "analysts," but there's a very good reason why the playoff committee isn't displaying much respect for the Big Ten conference; they're a power 5 worst 5-11 against the other four major confere...

Is it just me or is this the worst time of year in sports? The two days after the all-star game, I was so bummed without any major sports to watch, a bunch of guys and I met up at a local pub because we didn't know what to do with ourselves. Hockey and basketball are officially over. Baseball is just past the midway point. There's still a month left until football season starts, and until that point, sports commentators will spout about stories (or non-stories) they wouldn't even think about discussing during the course of the season. In recent days, I've heard talk show hosts speak about the following topics: 1) Johnny Manziel wearing his hat backwards - Have I ever been one to wear my hat backwards? No, because I think it's kind of silly and defeats the purpose of showcasing a team I'm rooting for, but others disagree, and see it as a fashion statement. Do most professionals whom regular appear in front of the camera typically wear their hat backwards? No, b...

Former Washington Redskins quarterback Joe Theismann once said that when things are going well, the quarterbacks receives too much credit and when things aren't going well, the quarterback receives too much blame. Given all of the talk leading up to the Super Bowl and the immediate commentary (and memes) following it, I'd have to say that quote is often times true, especially with regard to Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning (at least as far as blame goes). For the two weeks leading up to the Super Bowl, the two dominant conversations surrounded Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman's post-NFC Championship game comments and Peyton Manning's legacy. It seemed like not a day passed when a sports talking head asked, "Does Peyton Manning's legacy rest on this game?" My response? No. For the game, Seattle was 7 for 12 on 3rd downs. The Seahawks galloped for 135 yards rushing on 29 carries (4.7 per). Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson posted ...

I've been slightly perplexed since the start of the NCAA Tournament last week. Following the four play-in games last Tuesday and Wednesday, we were down to 64 teams, as has been the case for quite some time. As the games were being played on Thursday and Friday, many college basketball analysts and commentators referred to the games as 2nd round action, and Saturday and Sundays games as 3rd round action. I'm sorry, but until the brackets are expanded further and every team has to play another round of games, I'm not going to refer to these four play-in games as the first round. What, does that mean 60 teams have byes that round? That's quite the playoff system right there! I imagine the genius behind the format was thinking, "Okay, you know how in pro football, each conference has six teams in the playoffs, with the two best teams having byes in the first round? Let's times that by fifteen, where we have eight teams play in the first round and give sixty team...

Former Florida Gators quarterback and subject of the "reality" television show "The Bachelor," Jesse Palmer has been in the booth the last couple years announcing college football games. I really didn't want to like the guy. The fact he was on "The Bachelor" made me a bit squeamish. He's pretty good looking, has perfect hair. Yeah, he's the kind of guy other guys love to hate. Unfortunately, I have to give the guy props. He's a very solid announcer. The guy does his research. He rolls numbers off his tongue like Charlie Sheen rolls doobies. He reminds me of myself, well, minus the hair and the money and, well, I'll stop there. With all the homer announcers whom utilize emotion over statistics and logic, constantly illustrating bias toward a certain team (their alma mater perhaps) or a conference, Palmer just seems to call it like he sees it without the before-mentioned biases and that's very refreshing. With Craig James having slept...

I really wish the Broncos' defense would cut it out. For the fourth time in Tim Tebow's six starts with the club this year, the Broncos yielded 15 points or less, in holding San Diego to 13. But, of course, it was Tim Tebow and that explosive Broncos offense which was the main reason for the team's 16-13 overtime victory. I'm sure the defense is getting a little tired of Tebow being heralded so much, as they've hardly gone noticed in the team's recent victories. Excluding the 38 points the Broncos scored against Oakland, they have put up the following point totals with Tebow under center: 18, 10, 17, 17 and 16. Yup, that's it. Can we please just tell it like it is? Tim Tebow is not losing games for the Denver Broncos. That's it. He's been a more athletic version of Trent Dilfer when he was with the Baltimore Ravens. Tebow isn't the fastest guy in the league, but is a big, powerful runner, who has turned the ball over just one time in his six st...