Yes, but were any flag boys involved?

This is amusing, albeit nerdy: the Cal Band’s halftime tribute to video games.

See how many you can name.

Numbers can be your friends.

Remember this “streak”?

The win ended a six-game losing streak to division opponents dating to an 18-0 win over South Carolina on Sept. 9, 2006.

That’s OK.  Nobody else is mentioning it either, lately.  Instead, you get this:

… It all started with last year’s trip to Jordan-Hare Stadium. Stafford was 3-2 as a true freshman starter when he got there.

Including that 37-15 victory, he’s 11-2 since.

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Looking down one’s nose at the blogosphere

On Monday, Brian at MGoBlog reported that Lloyd Carr had decided to retire as the head coach at Michigan and that his decision would be announced in the near future.

Here’s the reaction – not as much to the news itself as to the vehicle which delivered it – from the New York Times’ college football blog, The Quad:

A Michigan blog cites three unnamed sources saying, “Carr has made his decision to retire official and people around the athletic department are being told. The formal announcement will come after the Ohio State game, possibly at the Monday press conference, possibly a day or two later.”

Let’s just say that MGoBlog is not exactly a rock of journalistic credibility, as their site features a picture of a guy holding a “Jesus hates Wisconsin” sign and a cartoon snake bludgeoning a Badger…

But not to worry. The Quad reassures its readers by noting that

… there is certainly a buzz. The far-more-reliable Teddy Greenstein of the Chicago Tribune writes that two industry sources believe this is Carr’s final year at Michigan.

Whew, that’s a relief! We can’t have those uppity minded bloggers with pictures on their sites scooping the “far-more-reliable” big media.

Of course that assertion would be far more credible if there were any, like… um, proof that it’s true. You would think that “journalistic credibility” would require something more than a bare assed statement – even from the NYT.

By the way, here’s what Brian has to say about his credibility:

… At MGoBlog, things are different. It is a blog. I am a guy. I float on the internet. So for it to be credible at all it has to be right all the time. And I have to do this largely without ever meeting or talking to the people who provide information. So there are some requirements. Everything I post has to be multiply sourced if the tipster hasn’t established a track record. I try to lay out the situation in as much detail as I can, giving a timeline of events and stating what I think and why. (Unfortunately, in this situation all sources have requested no details be relayed.) I am very serious about getting things right. I have to be. It is my sole source of credibility…

Here’s one more thing to consider in this debate about “journalistic credibility”. Go back and read Groo’s commentary about Jenni Carlson in l’affaire Gundy, particularly this observation:

… Carlson doesn’t offer a single sourced quote in response to a question that she asked. Unnamed sources and Carlson’s personal observations are of course appropriate and can be sprinkled into the story, but are they really the substantial stuff around which to build a column that reaches such a harsh, personal, and definitive conclusion?

Good points. And what did the folks at The Quad have to say about Carlson’s part of the dust up? Not much. About the harshest thing they did was to link to a post criticizing Carlson. Double standard? Big media bias? Back-handed self-promotion? Reflexive snobbery? You decide.

Of course, Carlson’s original piece probably didn’t have any snake drawings with it…

The BCS is bad for your health.

Another call for a sixteen team playoff, unburdened by logic:

Think of how the NCAA Tournament captivates the country. Think of how much more popular football is than basketball…

Does it ever occur to people like this that there may be a reason for that?

(h/t The Wizard of Odds) 

“…so that’s what they do – they do the ‘Soulja Boy.'”

If Mark Richt ever dances on the sideline to “Crank Dat (Soulja Boy)”, Sanford Stadium probably would fall down.

At this point, I’m sorta surprised nobody’s thought of writing new lyrics related to Georgia football for the song.  And maybe a video, too.

Hey, it’s not like there’s no precedent for it.

Verle Sorgen does not care what you think.

“And just who in the hell,” you ask, “is Verle Sorgen?”

Verle is the Pac-10’s director of instant replay. You may recall his grave concern over the debacle that was the officiating in last year’s Oregon-Oklahoma game.

This year Verle has been forced to turn his attention to a call (a non-call, more accurately) from last weekend’s Oregon State-Washington game. Here’s the play:

Sure, that looks pretty clear cut to you and me. But evidently the replay official stepped out for a smoke or was checking out the blonde in Section 113, because not only was the call on the field not overruled, play wasn’t even stopped to review the officials’ decision.

Needless to say, OSU folks are upset. Not ol’ Verle, though.

Sorgen was quoted saying the lack of replay on Bernard’s fumble “wasn’t that egregious unless you are an Oregon State fan.”

Perspective is a wonderful thing in a bureaucrat.

Sorgie, you’re doing a heckuva job.

Let’s get ready to rr-r-rr-umble!

Herschel to Spurrier: bring it on, sucka.

My God, he’d run right over him….