It's The World I Know

For those who aren't on AIM - my away message = my thoughts on SUPER BOWL XLIII

Mon, 02 Feb 2009 07:47:18 GMT

Here are ten remarks on what I thought was a fantastic game between Pittsburgh and Arizona!!!

Super Bowl XLIII
One for the Other Thumb by Two Toes
Holmes's diving TD with :35 left gives Steelers 27-23 win over feisty Cardinals

Ten Remarks:

1.) Damn, that was a nice catch by Holmes. Thoroughly deserving of MVP honors.

2.) Credit to the Cardinals D - it could have been a blowout, but they held tough in every situation they needed to ... except one. Too many mental errors, though.

3.) Refereeing = not that great. That was NOT a roughing the passer penalty that kept the 2nd Steeler FG drive alive. Very marginal calls went against Arizona all night.

4.) James Harrison - kudos for that INT return - a 14 point swing right there ... then again he should have been thrown out of the game for that blow to the neck in the 3rd (?) quarter.

5.) Why wasn't Warner's fumble at the end of the game reviewed? I know it was going to be tough to overturn, but that at least deserved a second look.

6.) Larry Fitzgerald is fast.

7.) Why didn't Mike Tomlin mention his William and Mary education in the postgame remarks? Obviously the coaching in this game was right out of the Tribe playbook - big play offense and lucky at best on defense.

8.) That Ed McMahon / MC Hammer ad was freakin' hilarious!

9.) My pregame prediction: PIT 28 ARZ 23 - Moral of the story: listen to me if you're going to Vegas!

10.) Congratulations to the Steelers! If there's any franchise I don't mind winning 6 Super Bowls, it's you guys - doing things the right way.

Where does it rank among the all-time great super bowls? Not #1 - that probably goes to Super Bowl III (NYJ 16 BAL 7) just for its sheer upset value and significance for AFC football in its infancy. In terms of drama, then, it ranks up there with Super Bowl XLII (NYG 17 NE 14), as well as Super Bowl XXXIV (STL 23 TEN 16), Super Bowl XXXVI (NE 20 STL 17), Super Bowl XXXVIII (NE 32 CAR 29), Super Bowl XXIII (SF 20 CIN 16), Super Bowl XXV (NYG 20 BUF 19) - just a bit above Super Bowl XIII (PIT 35 DAL 31) and Super Bowl XXXII (DEN 31 GB 24).

Bowl Predictions & Comparisons

Sat, 10 Jan 2009 04:07:35 GMT

So I'm back in St. Louis! I've pulled up my bowl predictions that I made before the bowl season began:

EagleBank: Navy vs. Wake Forest
* Rematch from regular season in old RFK - fun ... not.
NAVY 30 WAKE 17

New Mexico: Fresno St. vs. Colorado St.
* I'm sure Albuquerque is pretty this time of year. Beyond that, no attraction to this game.
FRESNO 24 COLO ST. 13

St. Petersburg: Memphis vs. So. Florida
* Are bowls just glorified engineering projects to see how to reconfigure baseball stadia for football? That's what I want to see in this one.
USF 31 MEMPHIS 13

Las Vegas: BYU vs. Arizona
* My gut says BYU wins running away, but my gut's been wrong about them all year, so it should be close.
BYU 38 ARIZONA 30

New Orleans: So. Miss vs. Troy
* There's some regional flair to this one, so it could be fun; Troy's a good team.
TROY 31 USM 24

Poinsettia: TCU vs. Boise St.
* One of the best bowl matchups this year hands down - this one should be a fascinating matchup.
BOISE 24 TCU 20

Hawaii: Notre Dame vs. Hawaii
* Nothing like riding a 9-game bowl losing streak and 2 bad losses to Syracuse and USC into a game in Hawaii - against the home team. The plane ride back will be deathly silent.
HAWAII 27 ND 21

Motor City: Florida Atlantic vs. Central Michigan
* QB Matchup: FAU's Rusty "Knife" Smith vs. Dan "Disco" Lefevour - yeah, this matchup needs some spice, though it could be high scoring.
CMU 48 FAU 34

Meineke Car Care: North Carolina vs. West Virginia
* Always an interesting regional bowl game, a UNC win could usher in both their meteoric rise and WVU's precipitous fall.
WVU 20 UNC 17

Champs Sports: Florida State vs. Wisconsin
* It's a bowl game, it's in Florida, it's between two decent teams - eh, it's okay.
FSU 23 WISC 13

Emerald: Miami vs. California
* Last time the 'Canes were on this coast, they were winning the Rose Bowl and a National Championship; how times have changed - rough matchup against a homestanding Cal.
CAL 34 MIAMI 21

Independence: Northern Illinois vs. Louisiana Tech
* Why?
LA TECH 35 NIU 14

Papajohns.com: Rutgers vs. NC State
* Two of the hotter teams in the country - RU's won 5 straight, and NCSU's won 4 in a row.
RU 38 NCSU 17

Alamo: Northwestern vs. Missouri
* Could be high scoring, but I have a feeling it will resemble NU's last trip to the Alamo (Nebraska 66, NU 10)
MIZZ 51 N'W 28

Humanitarian: Maryland vs. Nevada
* I know there's a legit reason why it's called this (and I know that reason), but still - isn't it odd that there's anything humanitarian about sending someone to Boise for a bowl game?
NEVADA 24 UMD 23

Holiday: Oklahoma St. vs. Oregon
* Always one of the most intriguing bowl matchups, this year's edition promises not to disappoint; tune in just to see what uniforms Oregon wears.
OK ST 45 OREGON 41

Texas: Rice vs. Western Michigan
* Could be some offensive fireworks here, but no one will probably watch it.
RICE 41 WMU 38

Armed Forces: Houston vs. Air Force
* Irony: Houston will likely air it out more than Air Force.
HOUSTON 37 USAFA 24

Sun: Pittsburgh vs. Oregon St.
* If Quizz Rodgers gets healthy, it'll be an intriguing matchup between him and Pitt's LeSean McCoy.
ORE ST. 30 PITT 27

Music City: Boston College vs. Vanderbilt
* The over/under for total points in this game might be less than the over/under for total punts.
BC 14 VANDY 7

Insight: Kansas vs. Minnesota
* Back to the scene of the crime: last time Minnesota played here, Texas Tech pulled off the greatest comeback in bowl history on them and it cost Glen Mason his job.
KANSAS 44 MINNESOTA 35

Chick-fil-A: Georgia Tech vs. LSU
* One of the more interesting matchups of the bowl season; can the Ramblin' Wreck keep on running against LSU? Odds are, yes, but you never know.
GA TECH 34 LSU 27

Outback: Iowa vs. South Carolina
* Matchup of 2 coaches who were 'it' coaches - and are no longer.
IOWA 16 SO CAR 13

Gator: Clemson vs. Nebraska
* The unbridled enthusiasm of Dabo Sweeney vs. the unbridled rage of Bo Pellini. I think Bo would want to choke Dabo if they were in the same room for 5 minutes.
NEB 26 CLEM 20

Capital One: Michigan St. vs. Georgia
* Javon Ringer vs. Knowshon Moreno = one of the best individual matchups of the bowl season.
UGA 23 MICH ST 17

Cotton: Ole Miss vs. Texas Tech
* Houston Nutt vs. Mike Leach - forget the players, this battle of wit and wits could be fun.
TTU 45 OLE MISS 24

Liberty: Kentucky vs. East Carolina
* Actually looks like an even matchup, but it should be brutally defensive.
ECU 24 UK 17

International: Buffalo vs. UConn
* UB gets a well deserved short trip for their bowl and a matchup they can win if they can limit UConn's RB Donald Brown.
UCONN 24 BUFFALO 16

GMAC: Tulsa vs. Ball St.
* Another nice under the radar non-BCS matchup. Both QBs had horrible outings in their last games, so be sure they'll be looking to atone on some suspect D's.
TULSA 48 BSU 38

Rose: USC vs. Penn St.
* Expect a grind-it-out, field position battle that USC wins in the 4th.
USC 21 PSU 13

Orange: Virginia Tech vs. Cincinnati
* Cincy's got a 3rd string QB with a broken arm - and he's probably better than anything VT can put out on the field. Fortunately, the Hokies play D.
VA TECH 20 CINCY 13

Sugar: Utah vs. Alabama
* Once again, a team from a non-BCS conference gets to experience the joys of playing a real defense (see Hawaii vs. UGA last year).
BAMA 28 UTAH 17

Fiesta: Ohio St. vs. Texas
* Mack Brown, better stop your pouting before Terelle Pryor and James Laurinaitis sneak up on you; OSU needs to control the ball to win this game.
TEXAS 28 OHIO ST. 20

BCS Championship: Florida vs. Oklahoma
* Complain about the BCS all you want, this one's a good one. It all depends on which defense shows up. OU's never seen a defense like Florida's. But UF's never seen an O like OU's.
FLA 34 OKLA 30

The overall record? 20-14 - just picking winners - not too bad, but not that great.

The money picks (winner AND points really close):

St. Petersburg: USF 31 MEMPHIS 13 (Actual: USF 41 MEMPHIS 14)
Armed Forces: HOUSTON 37 USAFA 24 (Actual: HOUSTON 34 USAFA 28)
Gator: NEB 26 CLEM 20 (Actual: NEB 26 CLEM 21)
Capital One: UGA 23 MICH ST 17 (Actual: UGA 24 MICH ST 12)
Orange: VA TECH 20 CINCY 13 (Actual: VA TECH 20 CINCY 7)

The Black Friday picks (winner and points really wrong):

New Mexico: FRESNO 24 COLO ST. 13 (Actual: COLO ST. 40 FRESNO 35)
Hawaii : HAWAII 27 ND 21 (Actual: ND 49 HAWAII 21)
Chick-fil-A: GA TECH 34 LSU 27 (Actual: LSU 34 GA TECH 3)
Cotton: TTU 45 OLE MISS 24 (Actual: OLE MISS 47 TTU 34)

So I'm still a good bet to take to Vegas - but I need to lose weight before I fit in your suitcase.

The Bowl Recap!

Fri, 09 Jan 2009 07:23:16 GMT

Congratulations to all the bowl winners and especially FLORIDA for its 2nd national championship in 3 years! Here's how I rank the bowls - even though I didn't get to see most of them - but hey, if people can vote for the National Champion without seeing all the games, I sure as hell can do this.

My predictions are on my computer back in St. Louis, so I'll post how well they did / how much you should listen to me when going to Vegas.

5 Stars: Cream of the Crop

1. Fiesta Bowl: Texas 24 Ohio St. 21 - An all-timer in the end and tense throughout. What a finish for McCoy, and what heartbreak for Boeckman and the Bucks.
2. Meineke Bowl: West Virginia 31 North Carolina 30 - This one was one heck of a show early, then exciting down the stretch - a winner.
3. Holiday Bowl: Oregon 42 Oklahoma St. 31 - Close throughout, the shootout aspect of it came through late.
4. Sugar Bowl: Utah 31 Alabama 17 - That Ute 1st Quarter was a thing of beauty; their D for the 2nd half was as well.
5. Alamo Bowl: Missouri 30 Northwestern 23 (OT) - Props to the N'W D for showing up, but Maclin and Daniel went out fittingly as winners.
6. Poinsettia Bowl: TCU 17 Boise St. 16 - If you tell me you didn't think BSU might still pull it out with :06 left, I'll know you're lying.
7. Liberty Bowl: Kentucky 25 East Carolina 19 - I stand corrected; looked like it'd be a dog of a game, but it turned out allright. That stiffarm by UK on that fumble return was killer.
8. New Orleans Bowl: Southern Miss 30 Troy 27 (OT) - Any OT game is worth seeing again, though a gruesome injury in this one is a comedown.

4 Stars: I'd Watch These Again

9.  BCS National Championship Game: Florida 24 Oklahoma 14 - Didn't live up to the billing, but it was close enough to merit "good" status. 10. Cotton Bowl: Mississippi 47 Texas Tech 34 - Gotta say, this one was fun, though TTU not showing up consistently in the game was disappointing.
11.  Armed Forces Bowl: Houston 34 Air Force 28 - Falcons had a chance late, but Cougars get revenge for regular season loss.
12. Gator Bowl: Nebraska 26 Clemson 21 - Tight throughout the second half, but only because Nebraska couldn't close out drives.
13. New Mexico Bowl: Colorado St. 40 Fresno St. 35 - No one really cared about this one, but it turned out to be a nice shootout.
14. Las Vegas Bowl: Arizona 31 BYU 21 - At least one Stoops won a bowl game this go 'round; nice upset to close out the year for U of A.
15. Humanitarian Bowl: Maryland 42 Nevada 35 - Only because no one else probably cared about this one, but Da Rel Scott's 2nd Half was something else.
16.  Emerald Bowl: California 24 Miami (FL) 17 - Canes hung in there in a de facto road game, but Cal made the big play when needed - and only when needed.
17. PapaJohn's.com Bowl: Rutgers 29 NC State 23 - Like the entire year, RU rose in the second half to meet the challenge; decent game from NCSU.
18. Motor City Bowl: Florida Atlantic 24 Central Michigan 21 - Shootout never materialized, but nip and tuck throughout.

3 Stars: Okay

19. Rose Bowl: USC 38 Penn State 24 - Few will note how Penn St. actually did come back in this one - because honestly they had no chance.
20. Capital One Bowl: Georgia 24 Michigan St. 12 - In the end a relatively dull affair but for a few flashes of why NFL scouts are drooling for Matthew Stafford - and no one will remember (except me) the 3 quarters of crap he put up.
21. EagleBank Bowl: Wake Forest 29 Navy 19 - A mediocre game for the Nation's Capital, unfortunately.
22. Hawaii Bowl: Notre Dame 49 Hawaii 21 - Well, at least the bowl jinx is taken care of ... whoop de doo.
23. Insight Bowl: Kansas 49 Minnesota 21 - Like their season, the Gophers started red hot, then got ice cold in the end.
24. Orange Bowl: Virginia Tech 20 Cincinnati 7 - Boy it sure did start out nice for Cincy, but the rest was a pure lunch pail effort from the Hokie D.
25. International Bowl: UConn 38 Buffalo 20 - Five turnovers helped stake UB to the early lead, but 261 from Donald Brown sent the Huskies over the top; decent game.

2 Stars: Football - Nothing More, Nothing Less

26. Music City Bowl: Vanderbilt 16 Boston College 14 - I love that Vandy won, really, but come on - it was one of the ugliest close games ever.
27. St. Petersburg Bowl: South Florida 41 Memphis 14 - Tigers were overmatched and playing a true away game; at least they showed up for a half.
28. Champs Sports Bowl: Florida St. 42 Wisconsin 13 - As with most blowouts, they're only made worth it since at least one team showed up to play.
29. Chick-fil-A Bowl: LSU 38 Georgia Tech 3 - Angry and Fast Defense vs. Somewhat Surprising Offense; you know who to take in this one now.
30. Outback Bowl: Iowa 31 South Carolina 10 - Suddenly, the Ole Ballcoach doesn't look like a genius any more.
31. Texas Bowl: Rice 38 Western Michigan 14 - Good for Rice, but this game overall was a major disappointment
32. GMAC Bowl: Tulsa 45 Ball St. 13 - Again, a Tulsa wipeout win in this bowl game. Yippee.

1 Star: What's on VH1?

33. Independence Bowl: Louisiana Tech 17 Northern Illinois 10 - No one cared before, during, or after.
34. Sun Bowl: Oregon St. 3 Pittsburgh 0 - I don't care that it was windy, this was quite simply one of the most boring and poorly played football games I've ever seen in my life.

it's here ...

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 04:49:31 GMT

CHECK IT OUT!

http://chanderbracket.livejournal.com/2846.html

Please DO NOT VOTE on this LJ - go to chanderbracket to vote!

Of all the years that it must be done ...

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 19:44:27 GMT

Ladies and gentlemen,

It has come to my attention that 2008 is the 50th Anniversary of the release of Crayola's first box of 64 crayons.

I believe you know what this means.

Come on, one more time - for old time's sake! The bracket will be posted on chanderbracket.livejournal.com as soon as it is finished.

Get your crayons out one more time :-D

Some Scattered Thoughts on New Orleans

Sun, 23 Mar 2008 18:32:33 GMT

My thoughts on the NCAA Tournament will come after the second round is completed.

My thoughts here on New Orleans are a mere sketch of what I felt and what I want to write about. I'm hoping this might actually become a bit of a project, if only for my personal edification.

This year, again, I spent Spring Break doing service work in New Orleans. Eight of us went from SLU, took a 10 hour jaunt down the Mississippi, passing Cooter, MO (the subject of MUCH discussion), Arkansas, about 10 minutes in Tennessee, and Mississippi. Upon entering the vicinity, one thing was clear. Not much had changed. New Orleans East and Gentilly were still much as I had remembered leaving them last year. I was under the impression we'd be doing more reconstruction work, but that presupposition was ill-founded. As it turns out, we gutted 3 houses (with our friends from Maryland, Wisconsin, Arkansas, Seattle Pacific, and a couple from the state of California). We also did yardwork for another lady, whose deck had been ruined by the hurricane and whose backyard was in need of sprucing up.

Before all this, though, we did get out to explore the city, somewhat. The first night, we ate dinner near Tulane - authentic po-boys and fries - and saw some beautiful houses and neighborhoods around the area. Never mind the shoddy roads, it was beautiful to see the flowers and the architecture. The next day, we made it to Palm Sunday mass at St. Louis Cathedral in Jackson Square. Archbishop Hughes gave a memorable homily, encapsulated by the words, "Suffering can either destroy us or we can let it transform us." Every word of it seemed to speak to us - the volunteers - and afterward he thanked us very much as we shook his hand after mass. It was a brilliant and moving homily coming from a man who seemed to genuinely care for the flock with which he was entrusted.

The rest of the day was spent in and around the French Quarter, though we did get to go to the Superdome and tour around there. While I went with Brian, one of the grad students on the trip who is doing his dissertation in American Studies on Katrina and the Superdome, to take pictures, some other met some New Orleans VooDoo fans (yes, the Arena football team there - they had just won a game) to share some beers and such. The fans said some unsettling things, such as: "All they help is the black people. The white people don't get a damn thing." Turns out, we'd later find out, that's somewhat true. Unfortunately, though, the unsettling part of it was when they turned that into a launching pad for a racist invective against blacks in general. It seems to be an oddity, since, as we learned later, racial tensions seem to have died down after the storm. Whether that's because of the great diaspora of New Orleanians or a notion of shared trauma, I know not.

The next day began work. We were first sent to a community center where we were supposed to help out. We were greeted by a pastor (I believe, Baptist) who gave a quasi-sermon to us, which also was unsettling. Aside from the place's general lack of organization and vague idea of what we were supposed to be doing, we heard him very surreptitiously lump homosexuals into the same category as rapists and murderers. Not quite the comment for the average intelligent person ... much less the modern college student. It made me wonder what happens when people are spiritually fed with this. Perhaps this is an intellectual bias, but I cannot help but think that without conscientious thought simply beating people over the head with quotes from the Bible is like feeding people with empty calories. There is no richness or depth behind it all.

[Personally, I think it is an abomination to cast homosexuals in the same category as rapists and murderers. I also think that we all are meant to live chastely. The issue of gay marriage is not a clearcut issue because of its numerous political and economic entanglements. Insofar as I consider a true marriage a sacred religious institution, I am against it. In terms of civil unions or some such thing that is a legal equivalent, I am not against it (I have yet to consider whether I am an advocate for it; I'll claim an agnostic stance for now. It depends, ultimately, on the role of legislation in shaping the character of a state's citizenry and the manner in which legislation may contribute to overall human flourishing. I fear that we may have a bad idea of what actually constitutes flourishing that may be built into our laws and the ethos of our contry and thus we are caught in somewhat of a bind.). Nevertheless, returning to the original point of this aside, all life deserves the utmost respect.]

The pastor, I should note, soon drove away. In a Hummer (H2). Something smacked of hypocrisy in that scene as he left.

We were relocated later, and would be working on a few houses in the Lower 9th Ward through Wednesday. Some still have not been touched. I could hardly believe it. On Tuesday, we entered a house and began to take things out of it. I could start to piece together the life these people had. I saw pictures of the person who owned the house, her kids, and so many artifacts that gave me a glimpse into what life was like perhaps before the storm. The mother was a nurse. She had, I believe, 2 or 3 kids. One was a boy, who loved football. He had a whole album of football cards - some good ones too! - and Ricky Watters (PHI) and Jim Everett (NO) jerseys on the wall. I saw someone take out his football shoulder pads. The baby's room was particularly hard to gut. The crib, the Winnie the Pooh dolls, everything signifying the start of a life - now being discarded. In another house, we saw some X-Box games and a small motorcycle, as well as several tapes and some good sound equipment. You can oddly see the life being pieced back together in those piles. In a few days, those piles would be discarded. Those lives will be lost but for our memories and theirs.

Patrick was one of the first responders to the disaster and he took us on a tour of the city and told us stories, some of which were horrifying (Six Flags ending up reflooding a dry part of town when they decided to break their own levees, the shoddy work of the Army Corps of Engineers to repair the 17th Street Canal, the city's incompetence) and some of which were hopeful (the banding together of people from different races, the efforts to rebuild, the stories of people willing to sleep on top of levees after 48 hours of rescuing the stranded). I cannot begin to speak of what he said and what we saw and felt. I cannot begin - at least not here.

We saw the REAL New Orleans - not the parodied French Quarter view - but real jazz bands, including the fusion-ish band Rebirth. They were one of the first to get to raising money and awareness of Katrina with their shows. It was a rocking atmosphere in the Maple Leaf Bar. Toes were tapping and people were toking (you can't miss the smell, I suppose), and we listened late into the night. We also saw jazz at Preservation Hall, near Patty O'Brien's pub in the French Quarter. We tasted real New Orleans cuisine, from those po-boys (which I might actually go and make for myself right now) to Patty O'Brien's to a fantastic small restaurant named Ignatius. They give you the beer (Dixie is one of the local brews you can hardly find anywhere else; you can almost taste a bit of the brackish saltiness of the water in the beer) in a paper bag - so you can take it outside!

I would be remiss if I did not mention and thank all the people at the house and, in a special way, all of the people who accompanied me on this trip: Angela, Fr. Peter, Deb, Tina, Jonathan, and Brian. From our total inappropriateness ("cooter" and "douchebag" were spoken more times than probably any other time in history in one trip :-p) to our equally inappropriate games of catchphrase (pussy willow?), to your openness, candor, and insight in reflection time, to your conscientiousness and care, to your hard work and leadership - I for myself enjoyed this trip and found it edifying spriritually and personally. Thank you for your friendship. More than what I will say on this public forum, this trip has helped me to grow. Thank you all again.

There is much more to say, but I won't take any more time now. Much moreso than last year, I felt immersed in the culture. I felt a lot more connected to the people. I felt that I gained a ton of new friends - both those working with Katrina Corps and those with whom we shared the house. Unfortunately, one of the neighbors has taken offense to the volunteers shuffling in and out of the house. He went so far as to get several (30ish) signs made to put up around the community to "stop the illegal boarding house" that Katrina Corps was running. You spent upwards of $900 for signs like that - could you not have spent that on food, or something to fix your own house up - or to help the relief effort if only so slightly? There is still so much that needs to be done. I entreat you, my friends, to keep New Orleans in your thoughts and prayers. If you can, help them out with your time. I don't know if money will get there easily or will make it into the right hands, but help out. Even if you don't help out in New Orleans, as the gospel says, "You always have the poor around you." Help them. Serve.

We live in a world of infinite need and finite resources. If we do not believe we can make a difference, we will never act. By contraposition, logically it follows that if we act we will believe we can make a difference. Funny how logic can work for you once in a while. And if we believe we can make a difference, we will put our hearts and souls into our work and follow where it goes without fear.

Therefore, friends, I urge you: act.

Sat, 23 Feb 2008 07:21:54 GMT

As for the Lenten exercises, for various reasons I may have to suspend that practice. I do not like giving up on something, but the work is piling up and their benefit for my spiritual well-being is not clear to me now. After having a good talk with one of my best friends, Erin, I think I need a refocus in that regard.

However, on a lighter note, I have started a new LJ for my whimsical bracket postings. And lo, there is a tournament there ... CHECK IT OUT!!

64 Away Messages ... One Dream

It's here ... the 64 "UNMATCHED WISDOM" AWAY MESSAGE BRACKET!

Check the rules and matchups at: http://chanderbracket.livejournal.com/

VOTES DUE SATURDAY MARCH 1, 2008 by 11:59:59 CST!!!

Lenten Exercise #13

Thu, 21 Feb 2008 07:31:14 GMT

Again, apologies for getting behind.

*****

Monday of the Second Week in Lent

Readings: http://www.usccb.org/nab/021808.shtml

The readings today have a sort of call and answer dynamic. In Daniel and in the Psalm, there is a pleading for mercy - an acknowledgment of sinfulness, a profound sense of contrition, and a prayer - more like a desperate cry - for the mercy of God. In turn, Christ answers not merely with an assurance but an antidote.

"Stop judging, and you will not be judged. Stop condemning, and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven. Give and gifts will be given to you." While we may be reliant on the grace of God and His mercy to emerge from our sinfulness (i.e., we cannot make it on our own), we are also not to be merely passive. What we do, how we act, shapes who we are. It disposes us well to receive the grace, mercy, and forgiveness of God.

Note again that the tone of the reading from Daniel is markedly penitential, but at the same time hopeful. It is not asking for punishment; rather, it is looking towards the compassion and mercy of God. The point is this: to err in the sight of such a good God is even more woeful, and this leads to genuine and heartfelt contrition. It is not merely contrition born of fear. It is just like the feeling you get when you've let someone down - which is worse, I take it, than when you feel you've simply broken a rule. Thus, contrition takes on a positive tint in that it is not simply fear of retribution, but it is disappointment with self that cannot be shaken but that will be met with mercy and forgiveness.

In this light, we can also look again at the Gospel. It is the response of a loving and generous father who admonishes but charges us to do better. It is the response of "I understand, you are forgiven, but go and sin no more." The command is to be merciful "as your Father is merciful." That is a tall order, and alone we fail, but by aiming at it and by our works we dispose ourselves to receive the grace in its fullness. We dispose ourselves by setting the bar high (i.e., the mercy of the Father) so that by striving we are always reaching for what is best with the support of a good, generous, and gracious God. When we do fail, we then feel a depth of disappointment in ourselves. We then turn to God for forgiveness, and having been well disposed receive the grace to again pick up our cross and follow Christ.

Lenten Exercises #11 & #12

Wed, 20 Feb 2008 06:40:31 GMT

So much for getting back on track quickly. I hope to catch up at some point ...

*****

Saturday of the First Week of Lent

Readings: http://www.usccb.org/nab/021608.shtml

Once again, the theme of following the law of God is prevalent in the readings of the day. These admonitions are in keeping with the spirit of Lent - a time when obedience should be at the forefront of our consciousness. The Gospel, however, forces us to probe deeper - to look behind the law. Jesus' command to love our enemies seems to undermine the assumption that all the laws of the Lord that apply to interactions with our fellow human beings ... who treat us nicely.

After all, what about treating others as we would have them treat us? If others are jerks to us, does that not give us the right to be jerks right back at them? This retributive way of thinking, though, fails to capture the spirit of the golden rule. This is timeless - it has no exception. It extends even to those who act poorly towards us - who are seemingly undeserving of our good treatment - our enemies. Loving the law for the sake of the law could lead us to discount the humanity of the lawbreaker. Treating people legalistically dehumanizes them - we fail to treat them as humans worthy of our respect.

The question is a difficult one: what constitutes uniquely human rights, and how far should government step in to ensure they are enforced. Opinions on this are varied. Taking the perspective of this Gospel, in the spirit of Lenten obedience to the law, we can understand that loving our neighbors as ourselves entails the treatment of every human - even insofar as they fail to live up to their end of the bargain - as human. Breaking even the golden rule does not dehumanize them such that we are to treat them without the same regard. It is a challenge, but one that, as we mature and grow in our worldly experience, we can grow into.

*****

Second Sunday of Lent

Readings: http://www.usccb.org/nab/021708.shtml

Amidst the starkness of Lent there comes the Gospel of the Transfiguration - a vision of transcendent glory and unutterable blessedness. Is this simply placed here by the Church to inspire some sort of hope? It it just a more pleasant reminder of the reason for the season? It's much deeper than this, I feel, and for two reasons: first, the symbolism of the Transfiguration and, second, the fact that the Transfiguration takes the form of a vision and its implications for what constitutes ultimate happiness.

The symbolism of the Transfiguration is rich, but I want to emphasize in particular the presence of Moses and Elijah. They represent, respectively, the law and the prohpets. Recall the discussion of the Golden Rule - at the end, Matthew adds, "This is the law and the prophets." The Tanakh refers to the Hebrew scriptures. It is an acronym of three parts: Torah (the law), Nevi'im (the prophets), and the Ketuvim (the writings: Psalms, Proverbs). By appealing to "the law and the prophets," our attention is to be drawn to the Old Testament and the parallels that can be drawn. The vision of Christ, then, takes on some deeper meaning - with Moses and Elijah at his side (thus, symbolically, subjugated or of lower rank), Jesus is the fulfillment of the law and the prophets - in Him the law has been perfectly exemplified and in Him have the words of the prophets come to pass. Can we say that this vision actually happened or should we say that the Gospel writers fashioned Christ so as to ensure he fulfilled the prophecies of the prophets and was the embodiment of the law? I think not, for various reasons (e.g., relative historicity of scriptural writing / possible sources and motivations for Gospel writers, the departure from a legalistic adherence to the law (as far as I can see it)), but by realizing that this vision portrays Christ as the fulfillment of the law and the prophets, we are drawn into its majesty at a level far deeper than just how grandiose such a vision seems to be.

Second, the fact that the Transfiguration is a vision can reiterate the point of Lenten sacrifice - our true hope, where all blessedness will lie, is not in some earthly pleasures or goods. The beatific vision is that at which we aim. Aquinas does not believe we can reach it in this life, and Augustine does not think that we can make it on our own (presumably, even if it were available in this life). This is not to say that life on earth is pointless - things we do (or allow God to do through us) on earth matter, but they are not ends in themselves. Placing this Gospel here can serve as a reminder of the ultimate end of our human striving. This is the aim of our striving. We also see what happens even after the privileged apostles see this vision. Need we be reminded where Peter was while Christ was dying on the cross? On this earth, much is fleeting; we must strive to hang on to that which is lasting, lest it be loosed, lost, and we with it. And when we fail, we must humbly acknowledge it, firmly resolve to do better, pick up our cross, and again follow Christ.

As the voice from heaven thundered: "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Listen to Him." Christ, the fulfillment of the law and the prophets, the wisdom from on high, is the end of our human striving; seeing Him will be our final joy. We see Him today, and catch but a glimpse of perfection - and we know that this is fleeting - but let this Gospel be a glimpse of hope that is deep in its meaning - not just inspiring in its ostentation. Let this (hopefully) deeper understanding of the vision of God inspire us through the final weeks of our Lenten practice.

Lenten Exercises #9 & #10

Sun, 17 Feb 2008 07:02:10 GMT

I hope to get back on schedule after another double helping tomorrow.

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Thursday of the First Week in Lent

Readings: http://www.usccb.org/nab/021408.shtml

The first line of the first reading sums the sentiment of the day up well: "Queen Esther, seized with mortal anguish, had recourse to the Lord." When there seems like there's nothing left, there's God. There's a sense in which this sentiment is misused. Either never depending on God for anything until something catastrophic happens - see the spike in church attendance after a personal disaster or a national disaster, such as 9-11-01 - or depending on God for everything and never developing your own God-given talents to work your way out of situations.

The point is that we can do a lot as humans, but we are not the be-all, end-all of things. We are powerful, but not all-powerful. We are wise, but not all-wise. We are capable of much, but not capable of everything. It's tempting to take either horn of the dilemma presented. If God's in control, I can switch it to cruise control. Never mind that God might be using YOU as his instrument. On the other hand, I can do everything and be stubbornly independent and attribute everything to my own doing. Then you get puffed up with a false sense of pride.

God is a source of strength and effective cause, through grace, of good works, whose providence is there to see for anyone willing to look for it. You'll be amazed, though, at how things went with Him behind you and when He was the goal of your pursuits. Esther feared for her life, going to King Ahaserus (sp?) but knew that she must do what she could for the sake of her people. She asked for the means necessary to fulfill the end as ordained by God. Note that she did not ask God to make all things right without her. He asked Him to work through her. "Help me, who am alone and have no help but you."

In the Gospel, Christ assures, "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you." A blanket statement, yes, but not meant to say that God is the giver of gifts on a whim. God gives what is good - to us for us to use - to be the good for others. We can ask for a bushel basket of $100 bills, but we probably will not see such a basket falling from the sky anytime soon. Rather, while we are dependent on God, it is not like God is going to take control of our limbs and make us move as if we were guests in our own body. God does not rob us of our minds and whatever control we may seem to have over ourselves. But we cannot simply be our own bosses, living for ourselves, else, paradoxically, we will be unsatisfied.

Ask for, seek, and knock at the door of God. Be open to being agents of grace in a world in desperate need of it by following the law that all great prophets in the history of the world have offered: "Do to others whatever you would have them do to you."

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Friday of the First Week of Lent

Readings: http://www.usccb.org/nab/021508.shtml

Doing good really can be its own reward - at least in this life. It seems that throughout the Gospels - even in our reading from Ezra today - God gives no special favors to those who are righteous. We remember the parable of the one lost sheep - while the 99 are left. And who could forget the parable of the prodigal son? Our Gospel today speaks of a man with a debt with his brother, whose sacrifice is not acceptable until he has paid his debt. Those who claim to be righteous but fall away or have baggage have to let go - or else theirs is an even less worthy faith. God will not let you get a sense of entitlement.

Those who are righteous may have come to some settled rest in God - but may become restless from being in that rest. Sure, sin looks very attractive. There are the promises of earthly pleasures and gains. The life of virtue is not flashy and the gains are not even empirically verifiable. In fact, even though we might stand better odds on Pascal's Wager of living a virtuous life, on our deathbeds, we may well have a couple lingering doubts about not having indulged a bit more. Still, though, restlessness while at rest is something that is common to the human condition. We're creatures that want constantly to be on the move; it is hard to stay on something without diverting our attention or being tempted in some other way. It takes a lot of strength of will and effort - with little earthly reward from God sometimes.

Meanwhile, God is constantly on the lookout for those who have strayed. Look at the treatment of the wicked man who repents, as opposed to the righteous man who sins. What joy and peace and rest he has found! The key is, as I see it, that the man who has sinned has been humbled - no longer feels self-righteous in his own deeds - like he was before ... or even the self-proclaimed righteous people. Those who follow the law, have found rest, and are restless for a reward or who suddenly stray are guilty of some sin of pride should they call into account their clean record, so to speak. We must be humbled, like those whose lives were so distant from God, and who see and are reminded of their limitedness.

Again I will quote one of my favorite priests, Rev. Becket Soule, OP, who said in a homily, "The Gospel is like a two-edged sword that both comforts the afflicted and afflicts the comfortable." The message is clear, and in this Lenten season of prayerful practice, it would do us well, whichever category into which we fall, to follow the message of this day. To the proud, haughty sinners who indulge in the goods of this world almost exclusively: there is something so much more, there is something that can fill the infinite hole in your souls, be humbled and seek the highest good. For the righteous, well done and keep up the good work, but do not rest in the bed of your own self-righteousness - for that will be violently turned over. Now that you have found the narrow path, it does not get any broader. In fact, it gets narrower, so do not rely on yourself - keep looking to God and do not forget to still humbly pick up your cross and follow God.

Lenten Exercise #8

Fri, 15 Feb 2008 07:25:02 GMT

Wednesday of the First Week in Lent

Readings: http://www.usccb.org/nab/021308.shtml

We are told the story of Jonah preaching to Nineveh today - how Jonah's prophecy and instruction turned the Lord's wrath away. All sorts of meaning can be read into that - literal, figurative, metaphorical, etc. But what is interesting to me is the way in which Christ preaches this in the gospel.

"This generation is an evil generation; it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it, except the sign of Jonah. Just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation."

Ominous. In this Lenten season, it is very easy to have a sense of foreboding with this Gospel. What does it mean that the Son of Man is a sign to this generation? He certainly does inspire fasts and the wearing of ashes. He preaches a Gospel that challenges us, one that can comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable. It is a destruction of the status quo - a radical change in outlook - loving your enemies, doing good to those who hurt you, and the like. He is preaching a somewhat dire word (even if hopeful). He is "something greater than Jonah."

The people who hear Him, though, remain intransigent. Nineveh listened to Jonah. This generation, to whom Jesus spoke, listened not to Him. Nineveh - a wicked city - was spared by listening to a lesser man. This generation does not listen to God Himself - and for this, the consequences are dire. This speaks to our generation as well. God speaks through the Word in Scripture, through nature, through his preachers, even through those from whom we'd least expect a divine word. God speaks - greater than Jonah - but cannot effect the change. So hardened are the hearts and blocked up the ears of man.

It is a call to repentance. It is a call to prayer. It is a call to be like Nineveh and undertake our penances in Lent for the sake of perfecting ourselves in what matters and for love of God.

The generation that remains stiff necked is doomed. I fear I see it all around. Today, with the events at Northern Illinois University (campus shooting), this week with the events at William and Mary (president resigning, ensuing instability and unrest), and this year with the election and the failing economy and a government that's more concerned about talking about steroids in baseball - a game, I just do not get a good sense about the character of our country. Maybe it's just my perspective or the way in which I have carved up reality, but I have a great sense of foreboding. I feel we are like the evil generation. Not because we are not listening to the word of God to the letter and so we are all doomed - that would place me in the camp of the Westboro Baptist Church, and they should be tested for clinical insanity. Rather, I honestly think, it could be a loss of character - a loss of clear vision for the whole state - and it is NOT simply the Bush administration's fault. There are a lot of people at fault. It may take a fall for this country to regain itself. Nevertheless, this loss of character and lack of appreciation of goodness (and the ultimate end that is God) lead me to think in the words of the oldie: "There's battle lines being drawn; nobody's right if everybody's wrong." I will pray for NIU, for our country, and for you - and in a spirit of Lenten penitence, I urge that we let go of any excesses of human pridefulness, lest we become the evil generation of which Christ speaks.

Lenten Exercise #7

Thu, 14 Feb 2008 05:50:34 GMT

(Sorry I've gotten behind. I had to write a reflection for the SLU liturgy website last night. I will post two when I can.)

Tuesday of the First Week of Lent

Readings: http://www.usccb.org/nab/021208.shtml

Why do we pray? Does prayer actually make a difference? Is trying to dictate what God does a presumptuous thing to do? What kind of goodness and love does God have for his creatures if prayer does not move Him at all?

I have no easy answers at all for these sorts of things, but in the context of Lent, we can meditate briefly on the concept of prayer - especially as it is given in these readings. First, we are told in Isaiah that the word of the Lord will not return void. It shall do the will of God, "achieving the end for which [God] sent it."

Let's challenge this - put it a broad context. So are the people who say that Katrina was a punishment for the poor in New Orleans right? After all, it happened, so it had to have been willed by God. It will achieve the end for which it is sent. Presumably, we take God's willing things for us to be for the greatest good - but how could God impose such miserable suffering on so many scores of people? Even more pointedly, how could God make man such that he could possibly brutalize and murder his fellow man and bring fear and hatred into the world? Need we be reminded of Virginia Tech? All such acts are willed by God, right? If God is powerless to stop this, He is not omnipotent. If he chose not to do this, He is not omnibenevolent. What kind of God wills this? What does He will this for?

I reply, first, that none of these things is pure evil. Even the acts by which people are instantly or unexpectedly killed - they are not pure evil. Suffering is largely a consequence of our limitedness - both mental and physical. We may suffer physically a great deal - but recalling the spirit of Lent, it is not in the flesh but in the spirit that we are to build up true worth.

Are natural disasters and catastrophic events, then, a harsh reminder of this? Not in themselves - but they can be. I also take it that, adapting the old dictum, the Lord never gives you what you cannot handle ... with His grace. Constantly, we are reminded that we are imperfect and that we are not the be-all end-all of existence. We are dependent on God for life and we reach for him in our minds for our fulfillment. The physical goods of this world are means to that end (if used properly) The physical challenges of limitedness give meaning to our lives and strengthen us insofar as we do not simply try to do things without seeking it for the right purpose. Our limitedness gives us a sense of urgency; it's like a deadline for a paper, to put it crudely. Perhaps giving humans unlimited time to find Him, God knew that humans never would get around to it! It makes every breath we take and move we make meaningful as we seek. We know that we will never reach the end of our search in this life, but, perhaps, at least we have the will to hope.

Could God have willed the ill effects of every natural disaster or human action? Ill effects of human choosing are one thing - insofar as we can readily identify with our will, then that action is ours. (I'm currently reading Augustine, which may explain a bit of pessimism on will, but I think there is wisdom there - I'm trying to work it out - my own spirituality and philosophy is most definitely a work in progress)

Why is the evil so disproportionate? I believe there are two positives that are of infinite importance, so as to trump evil: first, the fact that we are even alive at all; second, the fact that God lies not in the realm of the physical.

Man seeks to know and understand - and by that I take it to mean that man seeks to find out what is going on in the world and what will happen in the world - in his or her own life and in others'. Man was either created limited, merited limitedness, or has evolved limited. I have yet to square thoughts on original sin, evolution, and human nature yet, so I apologize. In God, though, man finds an ultimate end - an end beyond all human knowing and experience. It is up to man to do the best he can on earth being open to the help of God, yet not insensitive to the human needs of others. Physical death is simply the end of our physical existence, but it will not be feared if we keep our minds as much as we are able on the prizes of the mind. Physical suffering may be almost insuperable and care must be taken of physical goodness, but always with a mind towards the ultimate end of it all.

We return to prayer. Prayer is not just humans hoping after God. Prayer is not telling God what to do. Prayer is asking that God's will be done and for the grace and strength to do good, to forgive, to act as best we can always in this life, and to apportion to us what we need to live - materially in some sense, but most definitely physically. Prayer is faith seeking understanding aloud, which is not too hard to begin to think about, so long as we not consider man the be-all end-all of all existence.

The problem of evil, which I scattershottedly wrote on here, admits of no easy answer, and, again, I do not think my own thoughts are terribly well formed on this yet (80 page thesis and all). But with faith and humility, I keep searching and pray that God's will be done - and that I may know, love, and rest in that will.

Lenten Exercise #6

Tue, 12 Feb 2008 06:40:21 GMT

Monday of the First Week of Lent

Readings: http://www.usccb.org/nab/021108.shtml

The coming of Christ does not really change the content of the law. The thought that "Love God with your whole heart, soul, mind, and strength, and your neighbor as yourself," is a novel breakdown by Jesus is quickly corrected by reading the passage from Leviticus today.

What does change is that (or who) in which (whom) the law is grounded. In Leviticus, every series of laws is punctuated with the phrase, "I am the Lord." This indicates that it is a command from on high - its repetition a reminder of this fact so that we should not forget from whom this command is coming and why we should listen. It is as we heard on Saturday in Isaiah: "For the mouth of the Lord has spoken it." As such, its justification seems grounded in the fact that it is a command from the almighty and all knowing God.

The sentiment, "Be holy, for I, the Lord, your God, am holy," remains in the Gospel today - in fact, it is echoed elsewhere by Jesus as well: "So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect." (Matthew 5:48) But listen to how the sentiment is grounded in Jesus' speech: "Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me." Whenever we fed the hungry, clothed the naked, or visited the imprisoned we fed, clothed, or visited Christ. The command has been slightly altered from "Love thy neighbor ... for I am the Lord," to "Love they neighbor ... who IS the Lord." It is not removing morality from its place in God's being, but it seeks to ensure that each person with whom we interact is treated as we would treat Christ as a man.

We no longer obey out of fear or simply duty, we obey out of mutual respect for our sisters and brothers. The law is not to be lived at all times looking at the sky towards God - to live that way could be (if not rightly oriented) presumptuous and could cause us to undervalue God's creation and the goods therein that can help us on our journey to God. The law also cannot be lived when treating the goods of this earth to be ends in themselves alone. Rather, the law is to be lived looking towards God and His perfection through our interactions with others. Through perfecting our interactions with our sisters and brothers on earth, we dispose ourselves well and attain to the blessedness and vision of God promised to those who are faithful to His statutes.

Lenten Exercise #5

Mon, 11 Feb 2008 08:15:02 GMT

First Sunday of Lent

Readings: http://www.usccb.org/nab/021008.shtml

Christ's fast in the desert depicted in the Gospel today is the model after which the Church fashions Lent. For forty days and nights, Jesus fasted, and then was tempted by the devil. Why Jesus had to be tempted is a very interesting question, and rife with theological implications, so I will reserve extensive discussion and my judgment on the significance of Matthew's addition of this in the annals of our Lord's life.

There are parallels here, though, to be made. Lent is to be a time of desert for us as well - a time to strip away the amenities and niceties of life to get down to the basics in order that we may come to appreciate what is truly good and what is real. And, of course, while making the conscious effort to avoid near occasions of sin and resist temptations, the strength of the temptations are much greater. It seems like we are acting contrary to our nature, in some sense. We feel a very strong pull away.

We are denying ourselves physical pleasures. We are starving our physical passions in a natural sort of training and habituation. It is our passions that get enflamed and irritated when we fail to satisfy their ends. Our equilibrium (or, perhaps as Aristotle put it, homeostasis) is lost. And, just like with an addiction, withdrawal brings with it physical circumstances.

However, we take it that we are endowed with the power to reason and know what is best for ourselves - our physical well being (so, for example, we try not to gorge ourselves while eating and exercise the virtue of temperance) and our mental well being (in exercising the intellectual virtues). This picture breaks down if we view man as simply in search of a constant serotonin high. Merely physical pleasures are fleeting and often accompanied by a physical crash that hinders both mental and physical activity, or at least so my limited understanding of biology and psychology tells me. There are artificial means by which to produce that high and "feel good." We can even say that the best life on this account could be limitless use of hardcore drugs and wanton and orgasmic sex - then blowing one's brains out the moment one has any hint of a negative repercussion.

We know better. That's just it - we KNOW. There is a greater power in us, and while it may not be the way that will make us FEEL good, at least it is to be accounted for. It is not infallible, though. Studies show that the more you think about something, the less actual pleasure you get out of it. Another study or two shows that longer deliberation on a particular decision does not necessarily imply that one arrives at the right answer more often. In fact, it works to one's detriment. What is often said about typically naturally gifted athletes who are struggling? They're thinking too much. Conscious effort is an energy consuming undertaking - energy that can be best reserved for other places. However, reason is still indispensable. We must remember that the reasoning parts of the brain are the last, evolutionarily, to have developed, so naturally they are not as adept as our rear brain in terms of efficiency. Still, though, its fallible corrective nature allows us to get along in a world with other forebrained humans. As a wise friend once told me, "Life is the strange mixture of chance and choice."

It can be a matter of habituation - to train the passions, so to speak, through education and practice of virtue. Thus, the physical effects of undertaking the privations of physical goods can become less painful and one's life may be more closely oriented towards goodness not only for the sake of this world (i.e., in physical things) but for the sake of ultimate reality (i.e., in the non-physical realm). In aligning by reason's best lights, one can come to approximate and approach a life that is both physically satisfying and intellectually edifying - a life that perfects the whole person and for the right reasons.

Without grace, the full turning is impossible, as the Church teaches, but at least some steps may be made in that direction it seems. Insofar as we seek the good and our ultimate end is our happiness as human beings, we can search and try to find what we are looking for. We know that our fulfillment and happiness consists in more than just our physical happiness - and thus we undergo the physical penances and privations of Lent especially to perfect ourselves.

Of course, this is not to undercut the theological significance of the season. Wtih regard to this idea of habituation and penance, in Christ we have a companion - one, as Paul writes to the Hebrews, "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has similarly been tested in every way, yet without sin." (Heb 4:15) We will sin. We will fail. It is ingrained in our human nature as physical beings as told in allegory in the creation story of our first reading. [Well, perhaps. I will bracket for now a lengthy discussion on the doctrine of original sin, since I have yet to reconcile myself fully with the Church's thoughts on this, so before I shoot off at the hip, I'll hold my tongue.] But in Christ we have someone who was tempted - who, after having purged himself of his physical needs as a man, was tempted most insidiously.

It takes a choice - an act of will - to satisfy what the passions present to us as their ends. He said no. Hard as it may be, so can we. Owing to the lights of our own reason, but more aptly to the light of God that illuminates the right path through revelation and inclination, we press on and strive for holiness and wholeness.

Lenten Exercise #4

Sun, 10 Feb 2008 08:35:56 GMT

Saturday after Ash Wednesday

Readings: http://www.usccb.org/nab/020908.shtml

"Those who are healthy do not need a physician, but the sick do.
I have not come to call the righteous to repentance but sinners." (Luke 5:32)

This line is both profoundly humbling and challenging at the same time. For those of us who, like the prodigal son's good brother and the (truly) righteous mentioned here, keep to the good path and walk with our God as best we can, it can seem like the rewards are lacking. The presence of Christ can be lacking. Meanwhile, he visits the tax collectors, the worst of all sinners, and associates with those who are outcasts and hardly friendly to him in their lives at the time he comes to them.

I see it in my own my experience. The most enlightened and spirited Catholics I've met have been converts to the faith. They come in having experienced another tradition (or other traditions) - have wandered and come to find a firm base in truth, much more intellectually rich and well grounded. Christ seems more alive in those whom he has called later - well, called from birth, but whose journeys of providence have taken them on many and diverse winding paths. The most apathetic, lackadaisical, cafeteria Catholics I know are "cradle-Catholics." Makes sense, I suppose - you grow up in it, there really isn't a point of comparison. Catholicism can seem like an overly rule-driven religion whose norms are hopelessly arcane and its high theology too detached from experience. There's something to be said for how it's taught, I'll grant, too. The energy to be expended on searching deeper in the richness of the tradition and philosophy is too much for some to consider. Catholicism is nothing more than the set of rules and law that were drilled into you on Sundays.

There is also something genuine in realizing that following the law for the sake of the law is not in the spirit of law - but to abandon the law is to give up all hope of finding the spirit of it. It's nothing more than some laziness and pride in their own perceptive ability, as far as I can see it, but, naturally, I do not know that my perceptive ability is much better, so in my humble position I cannot truly pass univocal judgment. As a cradle Catholic, personally, I have tried in my study to look a little deeper - past the rules and past the regulations in and of themselves for reasons and philosophy behind them. That is why I have found the study of philosophy, hardly a detriment, but a great blessing to faith in general. It is now, actually, that the building blocks are starting to fall into place for me, I feel.

But I digress - the point is that Christ seems closer to those who have strayed from the path but come to Him rather than those who have been exposed to Him from birth in His church. A contingent fact of human psychology, perhaps, but even for those who earnestly seek God, even having been born into belief, there is a distance that can be disconcerting.

For the truly righteous, the joy and blessedness promised in readings like Isaiah today are sometimes nowhere to be found. We can become jealous or angry (like the prodigal son's brother), and we invariably turn our eyes towards God, looking for him to reward us. We then see him reaching out in a tangible way to those who, by our lights, "don't deserve it as much as us." We want to cash in our chips and get the rewards of the beatific vision - but in so thinking, we gain an unhealthy sense of entitlement, wherein our finite work is somehow enough to merit greatness.

"Well, at least it should merit something better than that guy over there," we might say. The problem remains, though; we have translated the value of our good works into our terms. We look for how they fit into our lives, our plans, rather than looking at how they fit into the plans of God. As the theme has been running in these reflections, we stop loving the good deeds for what good they bring ALL the world and for love of God, but for love of our own self-righteousness.

Besides, if we are working towards God's kingdom well, there is no reason to think that God will abandon the work of His hands and simply turn the cold shoulder to us. It is, however, a natural instinct, I feel, to conceive of ourselves as being slighted. But, with Christ's words today, we see that He comes to those in most need of his presence in the place of their greatest need - if only they seek him honestly. How is the work of God most visible in our lives? In hindsight, of course. That is how the work of providence is measured for many of us. But, it is still possible that God enters and makes Himself known profoundly in the present - and it is likely in the areas where we are in most need of assistance and where we earnestly seek his help and guidance.

His call extends to sinners most directly - else why would he dine with tax collectors and prostitutes - but not simply in virtue of their sinning. He will not even be present unless you open your ears, mind, heart, and soul to Him. It raises the old "faith seeks understanding" problems again. Perhaps we go on the scientific assumption that there's something there and go with it? No - that will not do. Faith is hypothetical there. There is some sort of belief in something that grounds even very foundational thoughts. If that faith is directed towards Christ in some way, the door remains open for him to enter and it is somehow possible for our souls to be turned towards Him. If our souls are turned away (and I find it hard to think our souls can ever be completely turned away and inimical to God - for it seems like a natural yearning) and cannot be brought to seek after truth meaningfully, then Christ remains a distant and unreasonable entity. So, these sinners were not incontrovertible - there was something there in those tax collectors which found its end in Christ. His words, simple as they are: "Follow me," resonated in them.

And as for the truly righteous, the plea is not to become self-righteous, and to keep working for the kingdom and to take every return of a lost sheep to the fold as an occasion for rejoicing. It is a humbling call - Christ is not just meant for you because of your works and goodness - like you deserve Him moreso than any other. He is with you in a different way. It is a challenge - to see Christ working in you and through you and never to place the worth of your work on your terms, but rather, paraphrasing St. Ignatius, to give without heeding the cost, fight without heeding the wounds, toil and never seek for rest, labor and never seek a reward, save to know you are doing Christ's will.

For Christ came to call (and comes today to) those whose lives are an endless search for true happiness and rest who are looking in the wrong places, but whose souls may yet be turned to him - in those souls where a spark of hope remains. The work of providence is best viewed in a rearview mirror, but we have to make sure that God isn't in our rearview mirror as well.

Lenten Exercise #3

Sat, 09 Feb 2008 06:27:42 GMT

Friday after Ash Wednesday

Readings: http://www.usccb.org/nab/020808.shtml

Lent is a time of purification through self-denial, a time to particularly devote more effort and time towards heavenly pursuits for the sake of instilling an appreciation not for the works we do in themselves, but for the manners in which these works help us look past worldly affections to some sense of the divine. It is a time when our passions, which arise from our nature as physical beings, are to be checked. In so doing, we may be able to start the training of the soul to be passionate for higher goods, or at least be passionate for lesser goods in the right ways.

It is a common problem, I take it, to engage in mortifications for the wrong reasons, thus losing a clear idea of the real goods to be attained by engaging in these Lenten penances. Thus, since they are improperly aimed, they cannot reach our aim, and we end up with unexpected consequences.

In our reading from Isaiah today, we see such consequences of a poorly reasoned penance. The people engage in the fast ritualistically. It has been written in the law, and what the law says must be followed.

A (less than) brief aside on the law: recall yesterday the statement Moses made of how the Israelites could choose life by following the law of God. However, the danger of losing the spirit of the law lurks. Human laws can be guides for human behavior, but what they express in a codified manner seems to only represent a portion of what creates a harmonious society. Moses' law was given by divine right - and surely God would not deceive or give anything less than that which would ensure salvation. But over time it became clear that people who were legalistic loved and followed the law for its own sake. The law became and end-in-itself, and thus the reality of the law's purpose was lost. The good towards which the laws of Moses were aiming must have been a character that displays reverence and aims towards the soul's purification. It had social utility as well, of course.

Granted, some of the laws of the Mosaic tradition are arcane - some are downright ridiculous by today's standards - and perhaps I am reading too much of a New Testament mind into an Old Testament world, but, as my father said once, "I cannot believe in a bean-counting God." Recall the words of Mark 2:27: "The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath." Rules and laws have their purpose, but their ultimate goal is to promote the well-being of each and every person by developing best human character. Being fallible and fallen, we will invariably fail in various ways, and the law will challenge us with situations of application and the like, but we always look back to the words and laws of God for guidance - but we ought not engage in them just to engage in them, else they become sterile.

We pick up the story in Isaiah here. Listen to what the people lament against God: "Why do we fast, and you do not see it? Afflict ourselves, and you take no note of it?" Recall as well the hypocrite from Ash Wednesday's readings - and those who wish to save their lives instead of losing them from yesterday's Gospel - they too give only lip service to the spirit of the fast. In fasting, we feel the emptiness of physical hunger - a representation of spiritual hunger, or a reminder (as we still live even after this experience) that our lives need not be so dependent on the physical but on the eternal. These people engaged in the fast because they were told they had to and had bargained with God - quid pro quo: we fast, you reward us. It is also doubtful that these people were not after inappropriate earthly rewards or gains. "Yes," the Lord might say, "but you're missing the point. I'm not going to come and drop a sack of gold in your window tomorrow." Fasting helps us appreciate the goods that really matter - or at least it should, if we approach it in the right way. It is exceedingly difficult, because the pull of physical hunger and desire is terribly strong, but it is possible with the help of grace. It requires we be humbled, as the Psalmist implies, to understand that sometimes we cannot make it on our own.

In Isaiah we also see the kind of fast the Lord wants. Beatitude, virtue, good deeds - appreciating the Good - through the right appropriation of the goods that matter. Not self-serving Pharisaic piety for the sake of piety alone and the rewards of pride - but piety for the sake of the greatest good, for others, and the rewards of humility.

Again, in Matthew's Gospel reading today, this is reiterated - or, at least, so I think it can be interpreted. Why do the Pharisees and disciples of John fast much while the disciples of Christ do not? Indeed, God in Jesus, God the source of being and truth, is with them. Beatitude, blessedness, goodness Himself is present. Christ's disciples have direct and immediate access to God. They have no need to fast in order to come to appreciate lasting goods and truth. They are alive in the time when that truth is being revealed before their very eyes.

Alas, as it is human life, His would soon be taken. Then, left without their master, they too would fast. They too would undergo penances in order to train themselves for life without a direct perception of God in their midst.

The point of penance is to cultivate proper traits of blessedness and appreciate, if done with a rightly directed mind, our dependence on eternal goods and external goods only for the sake of our honest ability to seek after higher goods. We seek the best for ourselves, yes - and this is, to some, selfish, yet it is hard to conceive of when at all we do not do this in some regard. It is crucial, though, that we aim at what is truly best - that we aim at highest virtue - the imitation of Christ, through the power of the Spirit, for the glory of the Father.

Lenten Exercise #2

Fri, 08 Feb 2008 06:35:23 GMT

Thursday after Ash Wednesday

Readings: http://www.usccb.org/nab/020708.shtml

The choice is yours. Life or death? In this daunting dilemma, we can see the essence of the readings today. In the spirit of Lenten penitence, we are also called to reflect upon the times we have chosen death and seek to refine our characters through a crucible of penitence so as not to be so strongly inclined towards it. But before we can embark on this purgation, we should seek what each horn of the dilemma actually is.

Moses, having just expounded on the laws of God (the Decalogue, followed by Leviticus and Numbers) to the Israelites, writes in Deuteronomy, "Today I have set before you life and prosperity, death and doom. ... I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse." Life consists in following the law of God and "walking in His ways," and the particular evil that Moses wishes to warn against is idolatry. It is difficult to maintain belief in that which we cannot see or in a purpose we cannot fully discern. It is hard to believe that there is a law to govern us and a way things ought to be given the plurality of ways in which things are. But at what cost? The Israelites, the story goes, had already broken the law and made the idol while Moses was up on the mountain. It is no wonder that one of the original commands forbade idolatry, for, if improperly directed, it can lead one to worship the idol rather than God.

Following God's law ensures us of right action and allows us to afford the right amount of affection and passion in the right proportion, in the right way, etc. to any particular object of desire. We see all things properly - in the light of God; we do not love the transient things of this world in and of themselves for themselves. Rather, we see through the idols and we fix our eyes on their inner and lasting goodness given it by God. As such, we attain to life for we affirm our unique, highest, and best human aspects and live excellently in a life of virtue. Following God's law both disposes and directs us towards highest virtue, and, in doing so, promotes a life lived properly to the fullest.

What of death? How do we choose death? Naturally, the answer is, "We choose death by sinning." Aristotle makes the point, and it is taken up by Dionysius the Areopagite and Thomas Aquinas, that good is accomplished in only one way. Evil occurs in a multiplicity of ways. As the good is defined with regard to the mean of all actions and dispositions (relative to us according to what is best for us, but still absolutely defined in itself as a mean), any deviation from the mean, be it by excess or deficiency / defect tends towards evil. There are sins and dispositions that are evil in and of themselves (murder, theft, ill-will, envy, etc.), and the distinctions require a certain view of soul.

But I digress; we fall away from the path by which we walk in the way of God (spectacularly or slightly) very easily. We are limited in that way - fundamentally. Pinning our lives to transience will, in no way, promote our best life. Given the idea that humans have a purpose and/or function in this world and certain potentialities to accomplish said purpose/function, we can say that the life lived for constant transient pleasure is, for all intents and purposes, dead. Yet, we are all disposed to seek certain things out of accord with reason - the animal in us remains. It presents to us an end - far from our best end, in fact likely one of our worst - and we may well choose to attain to it. We are fooled. We choose death. We die unfulfilled.

In the Gospel, Christ Himself offers the same choice Moses does:

“The Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected
by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes,
and be killed and on the third day be raised.”

Then he said to all,
“If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself
and take up his cross daily and follow me.
For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it,
but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it."

A paradox? Losing life one may gain it? Saving life one will lose it? The implications of this passage on the afterlife notwithstanding, in this life we can interpret or view this choice with respect to transience and permanence.

[Granted, this interpretation may turn on an equivocation on the referent of "it" in each horn of the dilemma Jesus offers, but it fits the thematic point I wish to expound on and there likely is a relationship between the two "lives," so to speak, such that this analysis still may be sound. I offer no guarantees - I humbly accept my limitation in this regard, but I simply offer my thoughts.]

There are two courses to take. First, we can shed a life that is intimately tied to material things (and, thus, to mortality) to aspire to the higher human life offered in the person of Christ (having been God incarnate, in rightly imitating Christ we aspire to the perfection of God - in whom resides the highest virtue). Or, we can hold onto the passionate and almost irresistibly physical rewards and benefits for their own sake - receive them - and, as they pass away, watch as our souls, even our very selves, pass away.

[Again, I bracket the implications of this for the afterlife, as I wish for my thought to inspire any reader to seek after the best life here (and in doing so, will likely assure the best life in the hereafter, but about the hereafter I am not sure).]

The final words of the Gospel ring: "What profit is there for one to gain the whole world yet lose or forfeit himself?" This is no egocentric, prideful claim. We might, it seems in this quote, be able to gain whole world in itself - yet still lose ourselves. We may take this as saying that what is material in and of itself counts little, and in this way the parts of our soul yearning for stability and an everlasting love are suffocated. But what is material insofar as it is created by God may be loved properly, passionately, and well.

Moses exhorts the Israelites, "Choose life!" Choose the way of living in which humanity will be most perfectly glorified, to give up loves of this world simply for the sake of this world itself and for the sake of the permanent and lasting - and He who created all this. In this Lent, let us seek to purify our loves and desires in order to more fully appreciate the profundity of the Passion so that we may love all things and all peoples rightly - and thus, choose life.

Lenten Practice - #1 Ash Wednesday

Thu, 07 Feb 2008 08:45:22 GMT

Instead of giving something up, I hope this Lent to do something more proactive for my prayer life. I wish to offer my thoughts on the readings of the mass of Ash Wednesday today. Perhaps, as time allows, I will be able to do this every day and thus create a sort of spiritual journal reflecting on the readings of the mass throughout this sacred season of penitence for the sake of my own betterment and spiritual state (and perhaps for the edification of those readers who so choose to read).

I choose to perfect this more for the love of God is above all things and all other loves.

Ash Wednesday - 6 February 2008

Readings: http://www.usccb.org/nab/020608.shtml

The Gospel of the day speaks about how to conduct oneself while in prayer, the famous distinction between the hypocrites and those who will receive a more substantial heavenly reward. Of particular interest today, as a day of fasting and abstinence from meat, is the line: "When you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites. They neglect their appearance so that they may appear to others to be fasting. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward."

What is their reward? More aptly, whose reward have they received - God's or their own? People who go out of their way to make their state known, be it blatantly or subtly, have one end in mind - attention. Be it attention for the sake of pity or attention for the sake of a sense of importance and significance in the world or whatever, the hypocrites' end is for attention. They may believe that their ostentatious poverty (a contradiction in terms, I feel) is being done for the sake of public acknowledgment of their "faith," but if at root is not a genuine and sincere love of God but a desire to be pointed out and judged well by those who see them, theirs is a mere shadow (if that) of faith. However, insofar as they are the center of attention, indeed it seems that they have received their reward - and nary a penny of it is in any lasting currency. There may be a redemptive sort of desire for attention (for the sake of bringing others to God), but that is certainly not in these hypocrites' mind at all. They cannot really bring themselves to God.

Is there a hypocrisy, then, in wearing (or having worn) the ashes of repentance proudly today? If there is a genuine love of God motivating it, then no. What the Gospel refers to as being that which is "secret," is that which cannot be seen - our character, our heart, our soul. It's not that we should be clandestine in dropping money in the collection plate, or stalk about the streets avoiding being seen. Rather, what is judged is not the external act and its effects alone, but the character with which it is done. The Father, "who sees in secret," knows the intentions and true character of the human heart better than ourselves. He acknowledges our fallibility, but can know if and how one is honestly striving to turn (or return) to truth.

It is not something that can be compensated for in the transient reality of material objects or appearance. It must be grounded in ultimate and absolute reality, and if we are to believe there is anything of permanence at all, I believe it behooves us to hold onto belief in a world beyond our limited and finite comprehension - a hidden world, knowable only to and through the Father, and even so only dimly mirrored to us.

Metaphysical considerations aside, the message I believe we can take from this Gospel is that the rewards of the hypocrites are their own - the ends which they set out to achieve in their sham of piety. Their end, and thus their reward, is couched in the fleeting world of material reality and the fickle praise of man qua just a man. The rewards of those whose prayers, fasting, and almsgiving are done with an honest and sincere heart are God's, for they speak to a permanent reality, and they will have lasting rewards and shape us ourselves more as man in imago Dei.

Super Bowl XLII - Some Thoughts

Mon, 04 Feb 2008 09:20:23 GMT

Super Bowl XLII
New York Giants 17 New England Patriots 14

Some thoughts ...

1.) Congratulations to the Giants! I know I'm a Redskins guy, but the way Snyder is butchering this team, I'm content to root for a fellow NFC East team.

2.) I tuned in only for the last two minutes (honest to God) - I got a lot more work done for it and I got to see the Giants' winning drive. Who can argue with that?

3.) The Eli Manning to David Tyree play in the 4th quarter will go down as one of the most spectacular plays in Super Bowl history. Period.

4.) As classless as Belichick's move not to stay on the field for the kneeldown, it's somewhat understandable. First, he had already greeted Coughlin already, so he's not going to say anything more to him. What's he going to do by staying on the field? Second, who really wants to be on the field when you know EXACTLY what kind of s#!t you'll be seeing. He was already halfway to the locker room, what was the point? Understandable, yes, though not the best sportsmanship; still, I wouldn't crucify Belichick for THAT, of all things.

5.) Eli was a very deserving MVP, no question, but we all know that the EMVP (Even MORE Valuable Player(s)) was the Giants' defensive line.

6.) I kinda have a soft spot for Tom Coughlin - I've ALMOST (but not quite) forgiven him for BC 41 ND 39 in 1993, but to see how he's gone from one of the most pilloried coaches in the NFL to Super Bowl champ - and the ways he changed for his team this year - it's a little endearing.

7.) History will judge whether or not this is the greatest upset in Super Bowl history. But it has to be up there. Especially for the way in which it went down.

8.) Just curious. The best QB never to have won the big game is Dan Marino. In the league right now, though, who holds that distinction? Carson Palmer? Matt Hasselbeck? Donovan McNabb? Drew Brees? Tony Romo? Just goes to show it takes a team effort. Pats did that for all their Super Bowl runs, and the Giants did it here tonight.

9.) Bert, I know you and Larry and Mercury and Bob, as well as Nick and the no-namers, were all popping champagne. Cheers!

10.) New England never had to play a good team twice all year at full strength (thus, the San Diego loss). Meanwhile, the Giants played in the NFC East, which is a crucible. I know the Pats played the NFC East this year too, but still - not twice, and they didn't really play a good team the whole year outside of that until the playoffs.

11.) I saw the Justin Timberlake Pepsi commercial on youtube. Pretty damn funny, actually. Will Ferrell's getting played out. He should go back to being Robert Goulet.

12.) The only nicknames I could come up with:
- Eli "The Other Super Bowl Winning" Manning
- Tom Coughlin-Hackin-Wheezin-Winning
- Lawrence "Will You Be My Valen-"Tynes

13.) Again, congrats Giants - you earned this win today - you were truly the better team for more of the game. As for the Pats, they'll be back. I think both teams came in with chips on their respective shoulders, and it showed in a very gritty defensive battle. As regards Spygate and the cheating thing, really, let's let it rest. New England, this year, was one hell of a talented team. They didn't need that stuff to win any of those games, I suspect. They've got a system and it works. Unfortunately, tonight, one critical element of the system failed to launch - PROTECT TOM BRADY. Unfortunately, on the chain of command, that's priority NUMBER ONE. I've always said that the Pats' success is not JUST much predicated on talent (they have a bevy of role players), but on their ability to keep Brady off his duff. Brady's a good QB. Has always been terrifically efficient with the ball - and that's largely a function of him being able to stay in the pocket and just find open WRs and RBs. They're a good, smart team - but tonight just shows you what pressure can do to a QB ... and what a great (nay, PHENOMENAL) job the Giants did on defense. Eli played efficiently (the one INT wasn't his fault) and in the 4th quarter was ... simply super. That escape and throw was 1/2 of perhaps the greatest play in Super Bowl history, as I alluded to earlier. Tyree's catch was the other half. Burress getting the last TD was fitting, for all he had gone through with injuries and such. This was really a TEAM win. Another way we can say they were like the '01 Pats and the '07 Pats were like the '01 Rams (sorry to my readers here in the Lou ... wait, there are none ... I think ...).

14.) I should really get some sleep. Can't wait for a reaction from Carl (from Aqua Teen Hunger Force, which is BACK, baby!)!

The Bowl Recaps!

Tue, 08 Jan 2008 05:39:48 GMT

5- GREAT

Capital One: MICH 41 FLA 35 (Pred: FLA 45-20) - What a way to send out Lloyd Carr; see-saw affair and a surprising result.

Gator: TTU 31 UVA 28 (Pred: TTU 31-27) - If you ever didn't trust holding a 17 point lead against anyone w/ 3 mins left, it'd be against Texas Tech.

Motor City: PURDUE 51 CENT MICH 48 (Pred: CMU 38-28) - A case where the sequel was better than the original ... kinda like Cannonball Run II.

Hawaii: ECU 41 BOISE ST 38 (Pred: BSU 44-27) - Big comeback by BSU, but a fantastic bowl performance by ECU RB Chris Johnson and last second FG win game for ECU.

Chick-fil-A: AUB 23 CLEM 20 (OT) (Pred: AUB 24-23) - Offensively underwhemling, but still a gritty affair between two deep south teams.

Orange: KANSAS 24 VA TECH 21 (Pred: VT 28-13) - Wave the wheat! KU out-BeamerBalls Frank Beamer! Given the size of Mark Mangino, should we call KU football "Butterball?" Nah, that's just mean.

Poinsettia: UTAH 35 NAVY 32 (Pred: NAVY 41-31) - An absolutely wild final 3 minutes.

4 - GOOD

Holiday: TEXAS 52 ARIZ ST 34 (Pred: TEXAS 27-20) - Thank God Texas won - if only for Mack Brown's stepson's sake.

Fiesta: WVU 48 OKLA 28 (Pred: OKLA 35-21) - Double-whammy for WVU's Bill Stewart - 1.) upsets Okla., 2.) gets permanent head coaching gig

Las Vegas: BYU 17 UCLA 16 (Pred: BYU 45-13) - Blocked FG at end of regulation to preserve closer than expected win.

Armed Forces: CAL 42 USAFA 36 (Pred: USAFA 31-27) - AFA up 21 in first, but Cal then remembered that they have an offense.

Alamo: PENN ST 24 TEXAS A&M 17 (Pred: PSU 24-17)* - JoePa might want to take that coffin and put it on the shelf for another year.
* = See that? Picked the exact score. Kickass.

Music City: UK 35 FSU 28 (Pred: UK 38-21) - Facing an emaciated FSU squad, UK only wins by 7 - slightly disappointing year for the 'Cats.

Outback: TENN 21 WISC 17 (Pred: WISC 31-28) - Well, it was close in the 4th.

National Championship: LSU 38 OHIO ST 24 (Pred: LSU 27-21) - OSU had its chances, but gave them away with penalties, turnovers, and missed tackles.

3- ALL RIGHT

Humanitarian: FRESNO 40 GA TECH 28 (Pred: FRESNO 28-24) - More evidence for my theory that when great coordinators are head coaches, even in the interim, their areas of specialty suffer. Thank you, Jon Tenuta.

Independence: BAMA 30 COLO 24 (Pred: COLO 19-14) - Microcosm of the Tide's season - rip-roaring start, and barely hanging on at the finish.

Champs Sports: BC 24 MSU 21 (Pred: BC 30-20) - You just knew that BC would not come out terribly fired up but still find a way to win.

Texas: TCU 20 HOUSTON 13 (Pred: TCU 37-31) - Houston had one last shot, but not as offensively sharp as I thought.

2 - DECENT-ISH / ONE-SIDED

International: RUTGERS 52 BALL ST 30 (Pred: RU 34-31) - Ray Rice, 280 yards, 4 TDs. Damn.

Sun: ORE 56 USF 21 (Pred: USF 33-25) - Dennis Who? Took a half to get moving, but Oregon throttled Bulls in the second.

Cotton: MIZZOU 35 ARK 7 (Pred: MIZZ 41-38) - Darren Who? Tony Temple had, um, Ray Rice-esque numbers on the day.

New Orleans: FAU 44 MEMPHIS 27 (Pred: FAU 31-23) - Howard Schnellenberger's Owls give Sun Belt the only undefeated conference record in bowl games!

Insight: OK ST 49 IND 33 (Pred: OK ST 45-34) - Credit IU for not rolling over in this one, but OSU had this one in the bag from the start.

Rose: USC 49 ILLINOIS 17 (Pred: USC 38-10) - Credit Illinois for not rolling over in this one, but USC had this one in the bag from the start.

1 - WHY?

Papajohns.com: CINCY 31 USM 21 (Pred: CIN 34-16) - Hey, 10 wins is 10 wins.

Emerald: ORE ST 21 UMD 14 (Pred: OR ST 31-20) - UMD traveled across the country and shared a sideline for this?

Meineke: WAKE 24 UCONN 10 (Pred: WF 27-20) - Great story for both these teams, but a lousy game.

Sugar: UGA 41 HAWAII 10 (Pred: UGA 41-17) - Hawaii might have thought they were playing Georgia Southern. Oops.

GMAC: TULSA 63 BGSU 7 (Pred: TULSA 52-28) - Too bad BGSU's QB went down in this one, but geez - did you have to pour it on late, Tulsa?

Liberty: MISS ST 10 UCF 3 (Pred: UCF 23-20) - All credit in the world for Sly Croom and his Bulldogs, but this one would have been brutal to watch.

New Mexico: NEW MEX 23 NEVADA 0 (Pred: UNM 28-24) - Actual quote - "The pistol offense was more like a pop gun for Nevada." Bowl shutouts are never good games.

Overall Record Predicting Games: 21-11

Exact Score Predicted: 1 (Alamo: Penn St. 24 Texas A&M 17)

Pretty Damn Close to an Exact Prediction: 3
- Gator: TTU 31 UVA 28 (Pred: TTU 31 UVA 27)
- Sugar: UGA 41 HAW 10 (Pred: UGA 41 HAW 17)
- Chick-fil-A: AUB 23 CLEM 20 (Pred: AUB 24 CLEM 23)

Big "Oops"es: 5
Capital One: MICH 41 FLA 35 (Pred: FLA 45 MICH 20)
Hawaii: ECU 41 BSU 38 (Pred: BSU 44 ECU 27)
Orange: KANSAS 24 VA TECH 21 (Pred: VT 28-13)
Fiesta: WVU 48 OKLA 28 (Pred: OKLA 35-21)
Las Vegas: BYU 17 UCLA 16 (Pred: BYU 45-13)

Moral of the Story: You should listen to me more often.

Congratulations In Order:
- LSU: Congratulations. You did what you had to do. Now, did they belong? Well, the only other teams that showed they belonged were ...
- USC: Yeah, it was Illinois, and yeah the Illini actually would've made this a game without those costly turnovers, but give credit where credit is due - this team looked nasty in this game ... and ...
- Kansas: They played nobody? Okay, VA Tech wasn't the strongest BCS team in the world, but even they were expected to whip the Jayhawks. They played one hell of a game on special teams, and did well enough on defense to stop what had been a mildly overrated offense.
- Michigan: Yeah, you lost to App St. Yeah, the seniors never beat Ohio St. But beating Florida in a game where EVERYONE said they would lose saves some face for Lloyd Carr.
- West Virginia: Got to feel good for Bill Stewart, who was thrust into the head coaching position by the unceremonious departure of Rich Rodriguez for Michigan. This is a tight-knit program and he's the kind of guy to lead it.

Soul-Searching:
- Ohio State: Last year, it was speed. This year, it was strength. The lines of LSU dominated this game, and OSU made too many mental errors to have a chance to win.
- Virginia Tech: Let's set the ramifications of the tragedy in April aside for a second. This team won the weakest BCS conference. In this game, on offense, they ran the ball with Ore well - yet they went away from him in the second half. Why did they insist on play-action? All year they've tried to make the big plays, which to me masks an inability to grind out drives. Glennon was decent, but Taylor was bad in this game, but all year we see they won with some smoke and mirrors.
- South Florida: Wow. 56-21. That was Oregon's former 4th string QB in there, you know.
- Hawaii: This team was clearly outclassed by UGA. They had no business being on the same field as them. Now June Jones is gone. This program is teetering right now on the edge of a precipitous fall.

The Ballcoach's Final Power Rankings:
1. LSU - The Champs - everyone said they were the best, and I think they are pretty worthy champs.
T2. USC - ... but if we had a +1 and LSU played USC, I think we'd have to declare a national holiday, it'd be THAT huge.
T2. Georgia - ... although it would have been nice to see what UGA would have done to a legitimate team, as opposed to Hawaii
4. Kansas - Only one loss. Beat the #3 team in the BCS. I think they are a step below the top 3, but they've earned this rank.
5. West Virginia - What a rebound after the disappointment of the Pitt game. A schizo team, but still one of the best on offense.
6. Ohio State - Next year's game at USC will go a long way towards telling whether or not this team will have a shot at another title game.
7. Missouri - If only there was a way they could have been in the BCS, I think they would have played a fine game.
8. Oklahoma - I know you beat Mizzou ... twice ... but you've got to come up with a better bowl performance than that. They'll be back, though.
9. Virginia Tech - The QB play has to improve, and it will, but this team just got outplayed in its bowl.
10. Florida - I know they lost, but who else should I put here? Hawaii? Arizona St.? Boston College? Tennessee?

Ballcoach's Off The Cuff Bowl Predictions - 07-08 Edition!

Mon, 03 Dec 2007 07:09:27 GMT

Poinsettia - Utah vs. Navy
- The only time Utah faced the option, they lost to Air Force. Navy runs the option much better, but also has a significantly worse defense. This could be fun.
NAVY 41 UTAH 31

New Orleans - Memphis vs. Florida Atlantic
- Interesting note: this is the second consecutive year a team named the "Owls" will play in this bowl game. Unlike last year, this one will be a hoot for them.
FAU 31 MEMPHIS 23

Papajohns.com - Cincinnati vs. Southern Miss
- 1.) Could someone PLEASE rename this bowl? 2.) Beware of a team that just does not want to be there (see Cal in the 2003 Holiday Bowl). However, USM has no coach, and that might be problematic.
CINCY 34 USM 16

New Mexico - Nevada vs. New Mexico
- These teams haven't met in football for 65 years. This is an interesting intrasectional matchup, and although it is a glorified home game for the Lobos, expect the Wolf Pack to play some inspired ball. Might be better than you think.
NEW MEX 28 NEVADA 24

Las Vegas - UCLA vs. BYU
- To think, UCLA could legitimately have been in the Rose Bowl. Scary. BYU gets a shot at revenge for a regular season loss to the Bruins. Odds are they get it. Big.
BYU 45 UCLA 13

Hawaii - East Carolina vs. Boise State
- I think East Carolina is being considered the home team for this one. That amuses me.
BOISE ST. 44 ECU 27

Motor City - Purdue vs. Central Michigan
- Answer: Dan LeFevour (CMU QB) and Vince Young. Question: Who are the only two quarterbacks to have rushed for 1,000+ and passed for 3,000+ in the same year?
CMU 38 PURDUE 28

Holiday - Arizona State vs. Texas
- Two surprising teams - ASU for good, Texas ... not so much. They're both good finishers, so expect a tight one to the end (as per Holiday Bowl standards).
TEXAS 27 ASU 20

Champs Sports - Boston College vs. Michigan State
- This shouldn't be pretty except for the fact that BC never blows anyone out.
BC 30 MSU 20

Texas - Texas Christian vs. Houston
- A good ole SWC matchup. Gotta love it. The eyes of Texas will be on this one ... so long as they get NFL Network ...
TCU 37 HOUSTON 31

Emerald - Maryland vs. Oregon State
- Did anyone see the Youtube video of ACC official Ron Cherry, in UMD's last game, giving NC State a personal foul for "giving the business?" Priceless. This game? I've got nothing.
ORE ST. 31 UMD 20

Meineke Car Care - Connecticut vs. Wake Forest
- Props to UConn for being co-Big East Champs. And good on Wake Forest for not just being a flash in the pan. These teams will put on a decent show.
WF 27 UCONN 20

Liberty - Central Florida vs. Mississippi State
- You should see a spirited game here - UCF's got one of the nations most underrated running backs, and MSU's really happy to be here.
UCF 23 MISS ST 20

Alamo - Penn State vs. Texas A&M
- A&M runs the option, which must be stopped by a team with good LBs. Penn State is Linebacker U. I would say case closed, but I don't know which PSU offense will show up.
PSU 24 TAMU 17

Independence - Colorado vs. Alabama
- Mike Shula got Alabama to ... the Independence Bowl. Nick Saban gets Alabama to ... the Independence Bowl. Real upgrade there.
COLO 19 BAMA 16

Armed Forces - California vs. Air Force
- Does anyone remember that Cal was ranked #2 at one point?
USAFA 31 CAL 27

Humanitarian - Georgia Tech vs. Fresno State
- The last time Fresno played here, I picked the final score EXACTLY (FRESNO 37 UVA 34). It remains a cherished moment in my life. Sad isn't it? C'mon Bulldogs - do it for me again!
FRESNO 28 GA TECH 24

Sun - Oregon vs. South Florida
- The matchup of two teams that also used to be #2! Actually, could be a pretty solid game if Oregon finds a QB. Barring that, though, USF should win.
USF 33 OREGON 25

Music City - Florida State vs. Kentucky
- It might not be the Orange Bowl from a couple years back, with JoePa and Bobby Bowden, but Bowden vs. Brooks could suffice for Grumpier Old Men III, couldn't it?
UK 38 FSU 21

Insight - Indiana vs. Oklahoma State
- Props to Bill Lynch for getting the Hoosiers here. This one could have some explosive scoring.
OKLA ST. 45 INDIANA 34

Chick-Fil-A - Clemson vs. Auburn
- I know BC belongs here instead of Clemson, but this little ditty will have the South buzzing. Just imagine if Terry were still coaching the Tigers.
AUB 24 CLEM 23

Outback - Wisconsin vs. Tennessee
- All I can say is that these two seem evenly matched, and the one whose defense shows up will probably win. It's not a given that either one will.
WISC 31 TENN 28

Cotton - Missouri vs. Arkansas
- Odd game - Mizzou is pissed for being slighted by the BCS, while Arkansas is working without its head coach. I think this one could be wide open. Mizzou's special teams win it.
MIZZOU 41 ARKANSAS 38

Gator - Texas Tech vs. Virginia
- I am having a very difficult time getting a read on this one, but since it involves UVA, let's just say it will be a close game.
TTU 31 UVA 27

Capital One - Michigan vs. Florida
- By NOW do you think Michigan's figured out how to stop the spread?
FLORIDA 45 MICHIGAN 20

International - Rutgers vs. Ball State
- Ball St. can wing it around the field, R U will r-u-n with R-R (Ray Rice). Interesting (?) contrast in styles.
RUTGERS 34 BALL ST 31

GMAC - Bowling Green vs. Tulsa
- Depending on Tulsa QB Paul Smith's health, the points might be flying all around in this one. It won't reach Marshall / ECU epic status, but it could be fun.
TULSA 52 BGSU 28

* * * * *

Rose - Southern Cal vs. Illinois
- Mismatch.
USC 38 ILLINOIS 10

Fiesta - Oklahoma vs. West Virginia
- The best game of the Big 5. If WVU can hold onto the ball and their psyche is not still crushed from the Pitt loss, it will be interesting to see how they run.
OKLA 35 WVU 21

Sugar - Hawaii vs. Georgia
- The Warriors will throw it around and make it look interesting for a half, but every time they've been on the mainland, they've been outplayed. This time, they won't get away with it.
UGA 41 HAWAII 17

Orange - Virginia Tech vs. Kansas
- Really don't know what to expect out of Kansas, but it's all gravy for them, so expect them to come out loose ... and get belted around the ears by VT's defense.
VA TECH 28 KANSAS 13

BCS Championship - Louisiana State vs. Ohio State
- Does Les Miles, a Michigan man, get even MORE crazy when he's facing the Scarlet and Grey? If they're healthy, LSU wins fairly easily. If they are not, then get ready for another wild ride.
LSU 27 OHIO ST 21

somehow this turned into quite a rant

Thu, 18 Oct 2007 06:58:12 GMT

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071018/ap_on_re_us/vaccine_skeptics;_ylt=AqC0naVi_a7Ux93n6iYdvwKs0NUE

I love the first line: Sabrina Rahim doesn't practice any particular faith, but she had no problem signing a letter declaring that because of her deeply held religious beliefs, her 4-year-old son should be exempt from the vaccinations required to enter preschool.

Sheer idiocy. Blatantly fake faith and unscrupulously selfish. A bold-faced slap in the face of a law meant to respect the religious commitments of some people, albeit those commitments are ill-conceived.

It's one thing if your religious beliefs prohibit the administration of vaccines - I have a problem with that on different grounds - but this is clearly just taking advantage of a loophole in the law for personal gain. Purely personal gain. It is selfish, and that sickens me. There's no blanket way outside of personal conscience to check someone's religious commitments (though this is arguable). However, when the lady in this article admits not practicing a particular faith (and it is unlikely, I think, that she would be lying about this - that she actually does practice a faith - because her admission makes her position terribly more inconsistent), she openly admits that the religion is a straw-man defense of her selfishly motivated action.

Perhaps she and maybe others distrust the government enough to say that any sort of government-issued vaccine is some sort of unjust and/or unfair control that the "man" has over them. That there's some massive vaccination conspiracy theory.

Fine. Go ahead and don't get vaccinated. Then don't send your kids to the government funded schools to learn the government mandated curriculum of, oh I don't know - the alphabet. Unless they're teaching them "H is for Hamas and T is for Terrorists," then I don't think we need to be so worried.

But perhaps I'm overstating - some are afraid their kids are going to be more sick because of the vaccination. So they go without it. And if they pick up one of those diseases against which the kid is meant to be vaccinated, they'll be in a hell of a lot more pain than if they got the damn shot.

That's the thing - parents never want to see their kids in pain. I understand that, but they also want what's best for their kids. And if you believe in an objective good that cashes itself out with benefit in the long run (cf. Plato), then you would be fine with having your kids immunized. Not only that, but it works for the benefit of all involved. It is a purely selfish act because it puts unsuspecting and unwilling kids at a higher risk. The act of the parent who withholds the shot from his or her kid is indicative of a parent who does not know what is best for his or her kid.

I'm not a fan of big government, I'm shading more and more libertarian in my thought - but there are some basic things I think it can provide - and the best conditions for the safety and well-being of children in schools, where education is being provided, is one of those things it ought to provide.

Then again, there's a very autonomous streak in us Americans. And I indict myself of this too. I don't like it - I think it's fostering a false sense of pride in us. If we believe in an objective good - if we believe there's something that is best for us - then we should go to the relevant experts. We go to a doctor because he or she is the relevant expert on health; we go to a auto mechanic because he or she is the relevant expert on getting our cars fixed. They know what is best in their fields. But there's something about admitting that someone else other than YOU knows what's best for you. Somehow, that just doesn't compute. Prof. Berman puts it this way in my Plato class - "The whole reason we hold onto mediary (intensional) objects is so that we can be right about something. There might not be a table in front of me, but at least I'm having a table-experience, and I can't be wrong about that." He denies this. I'm still wrapping my head around it - but this radical intellectual humility has some appeal.

In principle, we shouldn't have a hard time admitting that we might not have the best idea of what is right and what is wrong for us. So, we should seek out the experts and learn for ourselves - gain more knowledge - so that we may come to know what is truly best for us. With more knowledge, we may come to approximate this course better and better. Instead, these days, we get fed with "You are in charge. You are in control." The anti-twilight zone. There's not a dystopic society waiting on the horizon if you admit a lack of relevant knowledge and/or control - again, we do it in so many relevant areas anyway. And this is not to say that there actually is one man or woman with all the answers - but the point is to admit that you yourself might not have all the answers and that you've got to at least search these things out. There are too many people who fail to reflect critically on this - and they are so idolized. Watching E! or VH1 is humorous ... but it depresses and enrages me at the same time. ESPN is not any better sometimes ... when Stephen A. Smith and Skip Bayless are on TV at the same time.

We have to talk to people - philosophers especially, says Plato, somewhat tipping his hand, but not really too much off the mark if you consider him seriously - and reason carefully on things. Take a slice of humble pie. Don't be biased and consider things very carefully, but don't feel the need to try anything and everything. There are plenty of things you can be reasonably assured will not contribute to your well-being and happiness, especially in the long run. For myself, no wonder I was always very reluctant to drink heavily at college, no wonder I was always reluctant to be associated with cliquish groups, no wonder I have never ever felt any desire to do any drugs. If only other people took up this perspective ... we might be searching, but at least we'd be getting somewhere. If only people actually thought about these things. It isn't a dictum to have no fun, though that's something where you need to draw the line carefully.

(I am not indicting you, dear readers, unless you don't think about these things. I believe everyone here actually does - because I know you and am friends with you. Kudos ... and keep searching and reaching!)

What about the life of non-stop drugs and sex and pleasure then you shoot your brains out in the middle of a mind-blowing orgasm? Seems you have lived a great life - full of pleasure and you bailed before any of the negative consequences could even touch you. If there is an afterlife, then you're f***ed. If not, then let's see the world turn more and more towards the ideals of Ayn Rand's objectivism (been a while since I've learned about this - freshman year). Let's see how long we last. But perhaps man was made to invent his doom and there's no point in delaying the inevitable. The options are either that we do the best we can do for the most people - or just forget it and let things go. I've got nothing more about this right now - I wish I had a better reply to this charge: that, without the threat of an afterlife, there is little besides just a dire predilection of the future world to dissuade one from a life of the pursuit of limitless pleasure. I guess if you want your life to make a difference, it matters; if you want to be no one, then maybe nothing's stopping you besides just a minimal respect for others' autonomy.

Anyway, the whole business about being in control and in charge of life (even politics and our leaders) - it's just dangerous. That's the problem with a pure democracy, of course. More people will vote for the candidate who tells them what they want to hear than the one who actually knows anything about what is best for the country. Hell, how else would we have ended up with the last 8-12 years of leadership in this country (depending on your views), if not more?

It's late. Time for bed. Get your kids vaccinated. And when it comes time to vote ... unless there's someone who I believe has the best interests of the country in mind and who, to the best of my knowledge, himself has the knowledge of what is best for us, then forget my ballot. It'd be blank anyway.

Move Over App State

Sun, 07 Oct 2007 07:23:08 GMT

Quickly now, the top 10 games from each of the past 2 pairs of weeks:

WEEKS 3 & 4

10. TEXAS 35 @ CENTRAL FLORIDA 32 - new stadium for Knights almost leads to colossal upset
9. @ NAVY 46 DUKE 43 - back and forth offensive affair; tough loss for the hard-luck Devils
8. DUKE 20 @ NORTHWESTERN 14 - but we can't feel TOO bad for them - they won a game!
7. KENTUCKY 42 @ ARKANSAS 29 - this game solidified UK's status as an SEC contender
6. TOLEDO 36 @ IOWA STATE 35 - Gene Chizik's year has been tough at ISU; last second win for the Rockets
5. @ WAKE FOREST 31 MARYLAND 24 (OT) - Terps were up 24-3 in this one; Deacs tied it with :07 left
4. @ NEBRASKA 41 BALL STATE 40 - I saw it in the USC game first, but it was at this point that I really said, "I think the Huskers are vastly overrated."
3. @ KENTUCKY 40 LOUISVILLE 34 - a wonderful game if you're an offense; as for the UofL D - there are HUGE problems.
2. @ ALABAMA 41 ARKANSAS 38 - a wild ending to a fantastic matchup - is Nick Saban the savior?
1. GEORGIA 26 @ ALABAMA 23 (OT) - ... evidently not. Sad that this game will be more remembered for the announcers talking about Britney Spears moments before the winning Bulldog TD

WEEKS 5 & 6
T10. @ MEMPHIS 24 MARSHALL 21 - props to Memphis for playing through the pain of the murder of a teammate; gutsy win
T10. @ TEMPLE 16 NORTHERN ILLINOIS 15 - gotta show some love to the Owls for their first win of the year in last second fashion!
T10. @ TEXAS-EL PASO 48 TULSA 47 - second straight shootout win for the Miners of UTEP
9. @ ILLINOIS 31 WISCONSIN 26 - guess who's co-leader of the Big 10 now?
8. @ WISCONSIN 37 MICHIGAN STATE 34 - that violent hit, while it should have been flagged, will be replayed (in many contexts) for the rest of this year
7. OKLAHOMA 28 TEXAS 21 - the Texas State Fair saw a dandy of a football game between two teams fighting for their championship lives
6. NORTHWESTERN 48 MICHIGAN STATE 41 (OT) - remember last year, when MSU came back from 35 down to win? This year, no such comeback, but a wildly entertaining ballgame.
5. @ COLORADO 27 OKLAHOMA 24 - umm ... where did THAT come from?
4. CALIFORNIA 31 @ OREGON 24 - no they didn't score 50 each, but this was intense; it came down to a mere yard
3. AUBURN 20 @ FLORIDA 17 - he didn't just kick it once ... he kicked it TWICE - great calm from the Auburn kicker and a pretty big upset, but not as massive as ...
2. STANFORD 24 @ SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA 23 - I will proclaim it right here. THIS IS THE BIGGEST UPSET IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL HISTORY. Appalachian State v. Michigan was a HUGE one, but it was a season opener, Michigan's turned out to be not so great (although all right), and Appalachian State is a very good football team. Stanford, on the other hand, was missing its starting QB, who had a seizure earlier in the week, the receiver who caught the winning TD pass didn't practice all week as he mourned the death of his father, the Trojans were FORTY POINT FAVORITES. Never mind their struggles against Washington the week before - Stanford had gotten poleaxed by Arizona State, 41-3. I wouldn't have taken the Trojans with the points because they tend not to run up the score unnecessarily - see the Idaho game - but I would have expected a win by at least 20. Nope. The Cardinal converted a 4th and 20 (just 3 yards short of the famed 4th and 23 of Eagles / Packers lore), then needed 4th and Goal for the win. USC has had a tendency to sleepwalk through some non-challenging games, and though their best win (over Nebraska) is not as attractive now, they still are the most talented team in the nation. But on this night IN THE COLISEUM, no less, the mighty Trojans fell. Give immense kudos to Jim Harbaugh and the Stanford Cardinal.
1. @ LOUISIANA STATE 28 FLORIDA 24 - Kehones don't even begin to describe the immensity of the balls on Les Miles ... well, okay, that may be a bit of hyperbole, but going for it on 4th down 4 times??? Once on a fake FG???
Once when in position to tie the game??? Here's what happened.

(1) The Fake FG: UF 17 LSU 7, 4th and 5 from the UF25 - first drive of the 2nd half, in which Tim Tebow had pretty much had his way with the D. It was a risky move, but reasonable given that the kicker had already missed in the game, it was in a position where not making it wouldn't kill the team's chances, and making it could provide the spark the team needed for the half. Flynn rushed for 8 yards. They'd later score a TD on the drive to make it 17-14.
(2) The Game Turner: UF 24 LSU 14, 4th and Goal from the UF 4 - the 4th quarter started with another missed FG for LSU, so their faith in their kicker was somewhat shaken. Down 10 and in need of a substantive morale boost after being rudely turned away from the goal line on 3rd down, they make a huge gamble. A FG makes it a 1 score game, but Les Miles says to himself, "To hell with 3 pointers; we're going for 6. We need to cash in on this turnover. They roll Flynn to the right to give him a run pass option, he finds a man open in the end zone and they score. This was a very risky and probably irrational move, but Miles just threw out convention and played to win. Herm Edwards might've been proud.
(3) The Deal Maker: UF 24 LSU 21, 4th and 1 from the LSU 49 - at midfield, with almost half of the 4th quarter left to play, Les Miles senses the Florida defense fading a bit. He's got them a bit on their heels. Granted, on a 3rd and long, Matt Flynn reached just short of the first down yardage, so there was momentum and the crowd on his side. But a Florida stop here, while not assuring the game is over, at least gives Florida the field position to seal the deal. No, says Miles, we've got #1 at stake (by this point, they knew USC had lost). If we can't make 1 yard, we don't deserve to be #1, I guess he thought. But this is a HUGE roll of the dice. Can he roll 7s yet ANOTHER time? He brings in Jacob Lester to run a dive play up the middle. He is stacked up at first, but leans over midfield on his second effort to give the Tigers the first down by the length of the football. This foreshadowed the character of the rest of the drive, as LSU would just pound and pummel Florida into submission. This was a stubborn play call, and it took a determined second effort, but it worked.
(4) The Final Blow: UF 24 LSU 21, 4th and 1 from the UF 7 - they can DEFINITELY take the FG here and tie it with 2:20 to go in regulation, but they didn't before and they won't again. They are out for a win, they sense a tired Gator D and they go for it again. Miles probably figures Tebow could, as UF had 3 TO's, at least get the Gators into FG range, but the main motivation, I feel, had to be to send a message that the Tigers wouldn't be satisfied with just a tie. They bludgeon Florida again with Lester, and while the defense did not buckle in the least, they gave way just enough to allow the first down (again on a second effort) by about a football length. Three plays later, Lester dove into the end zone for the winning score. Final: LSU 28 UF 24

For the way in which both teams left it all out on the field at Tiger Stadium, from the first kickoff to Tebow's final Hail Mary, this may go down as one of the all time classics in SEC Football history. Let's call it the Riverboat Gambler. And it just may prove to be the difference between the Sugar Bowl and that game 1 week AFTER the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans ...

My Top Ten Games of the Year (so far)
10. @ TEXAS A&M 47 FRESNO STATE 45 (3 OT)
9. SOUTHERN ILLINOIS 34 @ NORTHERN ILLINOIS 31
8. @ KENTUCKY 40 LOUISVILLE 34
7. CALIFORNIA 31 @ OREGON 24
6. SOUTH FLORIDA 26 @ AUBURN 23
5. ALABAMA 41 @ ARKANSAS 38
4. GEORGIA 26 @ ALABAMA 23
3. APPALACHIAN STATE 34 @ MICHIGAN 32
2. STANFORD 24 @ SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA 23
1. @ LOUISIANA STATE 28 FLORIDA 24

BCS Predictions

Fiesta: Oklahoma vs. Hawaii
Rose: Southern California vs. Florida
Orange: Boston College vs. Cincinnati
Sugar: California vs. South Florida

BCS CHAMPIONSHIP: LSU vs. Ohio State

Quick College Football Review - after Week 2

Sun, 09 Sep 2007 07:28:27 GMT

What a long, strange trip it has been. And it's only been two weeks! This is shaping up to be a very intriguing year - before the meat of the conference schedules have been touched! Here's my quick breakdown of some pertinent topics:

Most Overrated Teams (by Conference)

ACC: Florida State - Everyone was so gung-ho about Jimbo Fisher coming in as the new offensive coordinator and Rick Trickett coming in as the new O-Line coach (myself included) that they forgot a few truths: 1.) It takes time for a team to adjust to a new coordinator. Especially two. 2.) These are the same FSU players who went 7-6 last year. 3.) Jimbo Fisher wasn't even THAT good at LSU. 4.) You can't do anything if you cannot run the ball. Also, Virginia Tech, all emotional ties notwithstanding, has shown itself not to be as good as that preseason top 10 ranking; offensively, they are unable to run the ball, and defensively, they've bent more than expected - and broke badly against LSU.

Big East: Louisville - They're 2-0, but imagine - if Middle Tennessee could run in a track meet of a game with them, West Virginia could carve them up like a Thanksgiving turkey.

Big Ten: The whole conference ... but especially Michigan - Okay, let's distribute blame evenly now: in two weeks, here's what's happened to each team, from most impressive to least:

* Penn State (2-0) has yet to surrender an offensive touchdown ... against two bad teams.
* Purdue (2-0) has yet to score anything more ... or less than 52 points ... against 2 teams with no defenses.
* Michigan State (2-0) scored on nearly all its first half possessions vs. UAB in week one ... then nearly lost to Bowling Green.
* Indiana (2-0) is honoring the memory of the late Terry Hoeppner in fine fashion so far, but almost lost to Western Michigan.
* Iowa (2-0) looked unimpressive beating Northern Illinois and good in beating a very bad Syracuse team.
* Ohio State (2-0) trailed Akron 2-0 until the second quarter, and only led 3-2 at half.
* Wisconsin (2-0) lost its defense in its win over Washington State and lost its offense in its near-loss at no good UNLV.
* Northwestern (2-0) beat a bad (I-AA / FCS) team in Northeastern, then needed 4th quarter heroics to beat a middling Nevada team.
* Minnesota (1-1) needed 3 OTs to prevent a major choke job against Miami ... of Ohio, and needed a second half comeback to force OT versus Bowling Green ... then lost.
* Illinois (1-1) needed to play hard in all 4 quarters of ball against (I-AA / FCS) Western Illinois.
* Michigan (0-2): Appalachian State 34-32, Oregon 39-7.

Even PSU looks beatable. The Big Ten just looks a step slower than the rest of the country - ESPECIALLY Michigan. From #5 to 0-2 and essentially mired in a lost season. Yes, they could come back to win the Big 10, but with Henne sitting next week against ND, it looks as if they're starting to mail it in already. Lllloyd Carr will coach a bowl game and bow out much to the delight of many Michigan fans. A hard fall for a team that was 1 game from playing for a national title last year.

Big 12: Texas A&M - Needed 3 OTs and some fortuitous happenings to beat Fresno State, and they didn't look too sharp vs. (I-AA / FCS) Montana State. Texas hasn't looked terribly impressive either. Iowa State has lost perhaps the only two games on its schedule it would have been favored to win (vs. Kent State, vs. Northern Iowa (I-AA / FCS)), so Bret Meyer's tenure as QB of Iowa State is heading for an ignominious end.

C-USA: Too early to tell - maybe Tulsa - Tulsa trailed Louisiana-Monroe (admittedly, on the road) at half. Not what you expected from Todd Graham, who bolted from Rice to return to Tulsa after just one year in Houston. Too early to tell with this conference, though.

Independents: Notre Dame - They weren't even "rated" to begin with - but they're still overrated. THAT'S how bad it is. Zero offensive touchdowns. Dead last in the country in rushing. An anemic offense + an overachieving but tired defense = ND might be winless coming into their game against Duke ... in November. And yes, that means Navy will beat them.

MAC: maybe Northern Illinois - NIU figured to have a tough year this year, but no TDs in front of a big crowd in Chicago followed up with a loss to (I-AA / FCS) Southern Illinois makes this a tough start for the Huskies. Too early to tell, though. Toledo's one to watch - they've allowed 52 in each of their games so far.

MWC: New Mexico, possibly Utah, maybe TCU - New Mexico has been consistently mediocre with Rocky Long at the helm, and the 10-6 snoozefest of a loss to UTEP proves again it will probably be a very boring season in Albuquerque - which is sad, since they have a next-level caliber running back in Rodney Ferguson. Utah looked less than competitive versus Oregon State and had nothing in the tank offensively versus Air Force. TCU could potentially come here - their defense is terrific --- well, they were good for 3 quarters against Texas. But their offense, which I admire, could be problematic ... for them. Look out for it, but I still think TCU will be favored in every game from here on out.

Pac-10: Oregon State - Yes, you beat USC at home last year. Yes, you won the Sun Bowl. That was then. This is now. And now, the problem is clear. RB Yvenson Bernard is terrifically talented, as is WR Sammie Stroughter, but there's absolutely no one who can throw it to them. They're undisciplined and very sloppy, as their loss to Cincinnati showed.

SEC: Auburn - They should have lost to Kansas State, and they got what they deserved versus South Florida. Brandon Cox is a statue in the pocket and he leads all his throws. The defense is good, but teams can move the ball against them. Maybe it's the early season schedule, but Auburn's offense, I've always thought, is overrated. Tommy Tuberville is a good coach - maybe even great ... but he's just not an elite coach. I hear Terry Bowden's itching to get back on the sidelines ... Georgia is also overrated. Matthew Stafford is good (better than anything else they had last year) but he's being treated like the second coming. That 0 TD 4 FG performance between the hedges in a loss to the ole' Ballcoach and the Gamecocks will sure put a stop to that kind of crazy talk. UGA's lost a game at home to a conference opponent each of the last two years (Vandy last year), not to mention their lack of success in the Cocktail Party game vs. Florida, so Mark Richt, great guy as he might be, is just not getting it done at home.

Sun Belt: none - When you're the worst (I-A / FBS) conference, you really don't get to be overrated.

WAC: Boise State - simply because they were the only WAC team really "rated" in the first place who has lost (Washington 24-10); there goes Ian Johnson's Heisman dreams. Starting a new QB, we should have expected a dropoff. Hawaii didn't exactly look like a BCS crasher against Louisiana Tech tonight either. Imagine if Hawaii had to come all the way to the actual East coast for a game.

Most Underrated Teams (by Conference)

ACC: Georgia Tech - Why were they not ranked? RB Tashard Choice is a very good back. QB Taylor Bennett is actually an upgrade over Reggie Ball. The D, led by D-Coordinator Jon Tenuta will always be aggressive. Maybe the pollsters are already figuring in a Chan Gailey-esque screwup in game management at some point in the season. I still think they have an inside track to winning the ACC - remember, VT goes to the ATL.

Big East: Cincinnati - Pardon my pride, I called this one. Brian Kelly's offense hasn't really taken root yet, but Ben Mauk is a good QB to run it. They have maintained the tough and disciplined defensive mentality of former coach Mark D'Antonio (see the next team). They're yet to surrender a touchdown, and I think they have the potential to be explosive on both sides of the ball - enough to catch an unsuspecting Big East opponent *coughcoughLouisvillecoughcough* at Nippert Stadium. They spanked Oregon State bad.

Big 10: Michigan State - Pardon my pride, again, but I called it. They weren't at optimal performance against Bowling Green, but that first half against UAB was a thing of beauty. They have two RBs in Javon Ringer and Jehuu Caulrick who have both the quicks and the power. Brian Hoyer is not a bad QB at all. Maybe Big Ten competition will get to these guys more, but I think they're going in the right direction and have a great chance to get to a bowl and build a solid program. Besides, something in the state of Michigan has got to not suck this year, right? If you're from Ohio, you need not answer that.

Big 12: Kansas - Don't look now, but the Fighting Manginos have throttled their past two opponents. Granted, it was Southeast Louisiana (a bad I-AA / FCS team) and Central Michigan (a good MAC team), but this team, for having lost a lot of offensive production (if that's what you could call it) from last year's team, has reinvented itself impressively and is poised to challenge Mizzou and Nebraska for top billing in the North. It would be a minor miracle if they got to the Big 12 Championship; remember K-State is also on the up and up, but they could very likely get into a bowl game this year.

C-USA: East Carolina - Their last play win over UNC at home showed their strong showing at Virginia Tech was no fluke. Skip Holtz has an up and coming program here - rising from the depths of an unfortunate lull. Patrick Pinckney, buried on the depth chart to start the year, has proven to be an elusive QB, and the defense has shown signs it can be physical.

Independents: Western Kentucky - Not going on much here. As for other independents, Navy's going to win its games, and Army's flat out awful, so that leaves the (I-A / FBS) / (I-AA / FCS) transitioning Hilltoppers. They were Florida's sacrificial lamb in week one, but they hung 87 on West Virginia ... Tech. That included 3 fumble recoveries returned for touchdown. That's gotta count for something, right?

MAC: Bowling Green - after beating Minnesota, they played an extremely tight game versus Michigan State. Once they get out of the Big Ten part of the schedule, I think they have a good shot at making the MAC Championship game. The MAC East is not particularly strong, unless Miami (OH) plays better and Ohio gets on track in conference play (sorry, Frank Solich; wins over Gardner-Webb and the college formerly known as Southwest Louisiana don't quite qualify as great wins). Still, though - really too early to tell, especially with this conference.

MWC: Air Force, Wyoming - So Air Force is joining the 20th century and implementing the forward pass with their new head coach. So far, it's been a transition to be sure, but they have not tanked as some might have thought. Having an experienced QB helps in Shaun Carney, and they're 2-0, including an upset win at Utah. The defense has played well too. Wyoming struggled a bit with Utah State, which is bad, but they won; the win over UVa was pretty dominant. Karsten Sween may be the best QB no one has heard of.

Pac-10: Arizona State - Dennis Erickson has got himself a good quarterback (Rudy Carpenter) and a great RB in Ryan Torain. Some playmakers on offense could have allowed the Sun Devils to compete in the Pac-10 in any other year ... except this one. The Pac-10 is ridiculously deep, it seems, so the record might not show how good ASU really is, but keep an eye on this team.

SEC: Ole Miss - They've got to get more consistent, but those fantastic recruiting classes are starting to pay dividends for Coach O and the Wild Boyz of Ole Miss. Laugh at me for thinking they're actually decent, but I believe with Seth Adams at QB they have a better chance of winning than with Brent Schaeffer. Second, they have a terrific runner in Ben-Jarvus Green-Ellis, a transfer from Indiana. Third, Coach O preaches intensity - the man literally IS intensity personified, and I think it's starting to show. I think they can get to a bowl game this year. And if they do, Sly Croom can kiss his job goodbye at Miss St. South Carolina and Vanderbilt might also fit the bill here.

Sun Belt: none - Again - you really don't have much to go on here. In terms of a preview ... well, I've got nothing much. Middle Tennessee looked good against Louisville, but looked horrific against Florida Atlantic, who looked horrific against Oklahoma State, but they were overmatched. Florida International was blasted at Penn State, but actually held their own at Maryland. North Texas got 79 dropped on them by Oklahoma, and also lost to SMU. Louisiana Lafayette has been competitive in their games (L to South Carolina, Ohio). Arkansas State hung in against Texas until the end; Troy has shown great strides on offense, but their defense was torched (granted, by Arkansas and Florida). Again, it's anyone's league.

WAC: Fresno State - Anyone, Anywhere, Anytime - that's Pat Hill's mantra of getting his mid-major boys on the map, and it's worked so far. They had a bad year last year, but this performance against Texas A&M, even following a pedestrian win over Sacramento State, shows they have the potential to be a dangerous player in the WAC again. Their QB Tim Brandstater is pretty good.

The Ten Best Games of the Year So Far

10. @ East Carolina 34 North Carolina 31 - K Ben Hartman, who had missed 3 FGs in the game already, overcame the pressure to nail a 39 yd. FG as time expired to give the Pirates their second ever victory over the Tarheels.
9. @ Virginia Tech 17 East Carolina 7 - It wasn't for the football game that this makes the list, but the emotion and solidarity shown by the VT community in the return to the gridiron for the Hokies. It was in the making since April, and it turned out to be a tight game, but VT won one for their students and the victims of the 4-16-07 tragedy.
8. @ California 45 Tennessee 31 - Revenge is sweet for the Bears, who beat Tennessee after having been mauled by the Vols a year earlier in Knoxville. DeSean Jackson may have provided the best punt return of the year - in week one. It was ridiculous.
7. @ Louisville 58 Middle Tennessee State 42 - The score was 28-21 Louisville ... after one quarter. I'm not making this up. It was one of the wildest offensive shootouts I've ever seen.
6. Hawaii 45 @ Louisiana Tech 44 (OT) - Gutsy call to go for two and the win for LA Tech's part (I mean, c'mon - you know Hawaii's going to score when they get the ball in the second OT). They hung tough with the Warriors for the whole game, and almost made the longest road trip for a conference game in college football an extremely long and sad ride home. Not to mention Hawaii's 49 yd. FG to tie the game.
5. Colorado 31 vs. Colorado State 28 (OT) - Whenever these two tussle, expect it to go down to the wire. Heroics on both sides of the ball in a see-saw affair in Denver that ended with a game winning FG in OT for the Buffs.
4. @ Texas A&M 47 Fresno State 45 (3 OT) - Not only did this feature a great comeback (FS trailed at half, 19-0), a last second score to tie things (FS scored the tying TD with 0:05 in the 4th), and 3 OTs, but one of the wilder official's reviews of a play in recent memory.
3. Southern Illinois 34 @ Northern Illinois 31 - The Salukis of SIU scored 2 TDs within 39 seconds in the last minute of the fourth quarter to pull out the stunner against the Huskies. This one was hardly one for the dogs ... get it ... because Salukis are dogs ... ah, never mind.
2. South Florida 26 @ Auburn 23 (OT) - Auburn was on its heels all night with the speedy Bulls, but seemed to have the game when they went up by 3 after USF's kicker could not kick a FG to save its life (on the night, he was 2/6, including a miss from 21 yards out). In the end, however, K Delbert Alvarado made a 19 yd. kick to send the game into OT (since Tommy Tuberville played for OT instead of taking a shot or two with one TO left), and after seeing Auburn make a kick, QB Matt Grothe converted a 4th and Inches and one pass for the winning TD. This is a program defining win - and a huge feather in the Big East's cap, which has been denounced but is striking back strong now.
1. Appalachian State 34 @ Michigan 32 - Can there be any other? This was not the biggest upset in college football history, but it was damn close.
( Historical Note: I'm sure you could dig in the archives for some ancient game before all this I-A / FBS and I-AA / FCS crap - or even a monumental upset at the D-II or D-III level. Even if you limited it to the D-I level, the biggest upset HAD to be Temple 28 Virginia Tech 24 in 1998. Temple was winless, having just lost to William and Mary; Virginia Tech was ranked and at home. I remember asking my 8th grade teacher about that one, since she was a Hokie. The point is, relative to how bad the winning team was perceived to be, the Temple win was much worse than this one - ASU is actually a good team. However, the division difference (I-A / I-AA or whatever they want to call it) makes it appear otherwise.)
Back to App St. I mean ... this can happen to many teams - there have been 4 I-AA over I-A wins so far in 2007 (the other victims are Rice (Nicholls St.), Northern Illinois (Southern Illinois), and Iowa State (Northern Iowa)), but this is MICHIGAN. And it was AT THE BIG HOUSE. In front of 109,000 people. Kidd Brewer Stadium in Boone, NC holds just about 13,000, I think I read - this was almost 10 times that. And they took it to them. Michigan was ranked in the Top 5. They had 3 Heisman hopefuls. They had a great offense that could probably mask their defense's weaknesses. It didn't happen. App State basically handed Michigan the game on a silver platter too, with that last series of plays, and they didn't take it. They then went out and bombed against Oregon. There might be only a few teams worse than them right now ... and fortunately, one of them is coming to play in Ann Arbor next week.

Orientating, Part II

Sat, 25 Aug 2007 03:31:16 GMT

No football preview today.

Today was the second orientation period - this time with the department. The grad students and professors all seem to genuinely enjoy being here. There is formality and certainly a great deal of erudition on the part of these guys, but they are quite friendly and willing to talk. After some breakfast, we had introductions. I sat next to the legendary Prof. Eleonore Stump, so that was a tough act to follow when introducing myself. Fr. Vitali went through his, apparently, yearly spiel on the state of the department, the difficulties of the job market, and SLU's place in the larger scope of philosophy programs in the country. Quoting a Bruce Willis movie was a good idea - "You've got to be the last man standing in this field." - this guy I'm sure I'll enjoy working with.

Some observations of the grad student population:
- There are 2 priests, one from England and one from India, and a ton of married folks among the grad students. All the married folks have young children except for, maybe, one or two.
- There are 2 students from China, and one from Toronto.
- More than a few already have master's degrees, but it's not a prerequisite for Philosophy, so I'm apparently not behind the curve.

It's time for me to get serious about philosophy if I'm going to pursue it as a discipline. The reading groups and colloquia, in addition to my Research Assistant duties as well as classes, will be sure to keep me very occupied and thinking deeply pretty much all day. I hope I will keep up, but I'm confident I will be able.

After this, we went to lunch and had a good time there. After this, I returned to the department to check my mailbox and shoot the breeze with whomever happened to be there. The secretaries are extremely nice and I'm going to enjoy working in / around the office and getting to know them, since they hold all the real power ;-)

As for tomorrow, Adam (4th year ... maybe) has set up an ultimate frisbee game I'm going to, then Fiona's get-together, then the fantasy football draft of ages. Time to get down to work. Class at 2 on Monday begins the work. If I don't update or am not online from now until eternity, then you know I'm either doing my work or having a breakdown. Let's assume the former ;-)