Bells are Chiming for Victory

At this point, we've all read the stories about the U.S.-launched missile that destroyed a National Reconnaissance Office satellite late Wednesday night, but in the words of George Oscar Bluth II (G.O.B. to his friends), "COME ON, U.S. military."

Aren't there other uses for the munitions of the United States, such as...

• Yankee Stadium
• The studios filming any one of the thousand "CSI: (Insert American City here)"
• Old Trafford
• The headquarters of the Blahg
• Jose Canseco's house, Roger Clemens's house, Barry Bonds's house, etc.
• The source of the immortal "Don't tase me, bro" catchphrase
• People still voting for Mitt Romney weeks after he dropped (excuse me, suspended) his Presidential campaign.
• Any supporters of the Philadelphia Eagles, New York Giants, or New England Patriots.
• The person that invented speed limits
• Charlie Finley and John Hedyler (the brain trust behind the designated hitter rule)

That's all the punishment I can dole out at this time, but feel free to add your own suggestions.

I Always Pretended For Your Sake, So You Wouldn't Know How You Made My Heart Break

Congratulations to Mr. Lance Agan for correctly identifying Ben Harper as the artist behind the Monday Song of the Day, which was "Walk Away" from Disc 2 of 2001's Live from Mars.

If there is anything that I've learned in almost 24 years on earth, it is this: Americans love arguing about many things, but two trump them all: politics and the BCS. As luck, or scheduling, would have it, both are in high supply today.
Last night, the Bayou Bengals of LSU brought home their 2nd BCS title in the last 5 years and their 3rd overall football national championship. I was obviously pleased to see Tyler-natives Matt Flynn and Ciron Black play very well in leading the Tigers to victory over the Buckeyes, and trust me, seeing Ohio State lose will never cease to entertain me, but last night just did not have that "buzz" that other national championship matchups have generated. Sure, there was a "buzz" in the Big Easy, but that was likely due to the collective BAC of the Tiger and Buckeye faithful rather than any great anticipation over the matchup.

Today, with LSU's triumph as a backdrop, University of Georgia President Michael Adams, also chairman of the NCAA executive committee, has come forth with a proposal for an 8-team playoff that he will forward to NCAA President Myles Brand for submission to the NCAA Division I Board of Director at its convention, which will take place on Monday in Nashville.

It would be easy to dismiss the actions of Adams as a knee-jerk reaction the nationwide sentiment that his university's team was playing as well as anyone at the end of the season (Exhibit A: An absolutely devastating 41-10 dismantling by the Dawgs of a previously undefeated, although extremely overmatched, Hawaii squad in the Sugar Bowl), but Adams was quick to proffer that the current BCS system was "undercutting the sportsmanship and integrity of the game."

I hate to be a cynic on just about everything besides Major League baseball teams based in the Bronx, but I will believe that the Division I, excuse me, Football Bowl Subdivision Championship will be settled on the field when I see it with the two eyes that the Good Lord has given me. Also, due to the existing contracts with Fox (the broadcaster of the BCS Bowl Bash brought to you by the new film Jumper!!! Oh, Fox, how I hate you, but that's a post for another day) the BCS will exist in its current form through the 2010 season, with the earliest possible changes coming in 2011.

In other news of the day, John McCain and Hillary Clinton have been projected as the eventual winners in the New Hampshire primaries for the Republican and Democratic parties respectively.

I guess the Democratic nomination process is not simply going to the Obama coronation that everyone thought that it might be after his strong showing in Iowa. It will be very interesting to see how the Illinois senator deals with this close defeat in a state where many expected him to win by a large margin.


On the Republican side of the street, if you had told me 5 or 6 weeks ago that John McCain would win the New Hampshire primary, I would have responded in the following manner:

"We're talking about New Hampshire in New England, right?"

"The American state next to Vermont?"

"Wait, now what are you saying exactly?"

"Okay, that's what I thought you said. John McCain in New Hampshire....nah, it'll never happen."

It seemed thoroughly improbable that the Arizona senator would be able to resurrect his moribund campaign, but against the vast organizational apparatus of Mitt Romney and the charging charisma of Mike Huckabee, the venerable Vietnam veteran has found a way to victory in the Granite State.

I'm not sure how much momentum this is going to give him going into Michigan (Romney's home state, but he (Mitt) is toast at this point), South Carolina (where McCain did very well in 2000), and Florida (a state that Rudy Giuliani almost has to win in order to maintain his presence as a viable candidate for the Republican nomination), but if tonight has taught us anything, it's that McCain may be down, but he's almost never out.