What No Man Can Own, No Man Can Take

Congratulations to Mr. Jonathan Harvey Heintz for correctly naming "Follow Through" by Gavin DeGraw as the song of the day yesterday. Mary Beth, I tried to throw a Gavin DeGraw song out there so you could win the contest, but Jon was too quick on the draw. Oh well, there is always next year.

At this point in today's post, I want to issue a warning. For those who do not care about college football, you are welcome to skip the rest of today's post, but those who are infected with the disease like I am, please continue reading.

I realize that I am biased on the subject, but it seems that ESPN is not being very equitable in their coverage of the Rose Bowl. At times I almost wonder who the next victim for the Almighty Trojans is going to be from the way that The Worldwide Leader decides to arrange their programming. I realize that USC is on the verge of a potentially historic win, but ESPN's blatant favoritism in their coverage deserves to be noted.

In particular, I have a huge problem with ESPN's running series "History in the Making." I understand the value of such a program. Some of the most enjoyable parts of being a sports fan are the hypothetical arguments that go on about the past vs. the present. For instance, who was the better centerfielder in his prime: Dimaggio or Mays? Muhammad Ali vs. Mike Tyson. The 1927 Yankees against the Big Red Machine. All of these are interesting debates to have because no one really knows exactly how those matchups would play out. The problem that I have with the current debates is that the current USC team has not even played their final game.

I think it is incredibly hasty to already begin to enshrine the current Trojan team as one of college football's best before their season is done. If they go into the Rose Bowl, dominate Texas, and win their 3rd consecutive National Championship, then I do not have a problem with this entire debate, but until then I think ESPN is putting the cart in front of the horse.

Also, if I were Mack Brown and the Texas coaching staff, I would be using this program and all of the hype about USC to my advantage. I would tell my team that no one is worrying about us, everyone is already placing the Trojans in the pantheon, and all we are is the next bump in their path as they head to football immortality. This year's Rose Bowl coverage has all of the classic trappings of bulletin board material at its worst.

Whew, now that I can step down from my soapbox, I would like to know what all of you out there think. I know that I have some college football and sports media gurus who are reading this, so please weigh in with your thoughts. Until then, sayanora.