Technology and Sports

Has technology taken over the world of sports? With the discussion of instant replay in playoff baseball and the impact it has made in college and professional football, it seems like the obvious answer is "yes". So what is the impact of instant replay to date? We'll for starters, Texas Longhorns may have fallen a few seconds short of going to the BCS championship game and I bet there are a few other situations that may have changed the fortunes of some teams forever. What would happen if the imperfections of man was untouched? Maybe a few more bad calls would occur, not like it hasn't been occurring already. Just ask the SEC teams that played Florida and Alabama. A lot more people would be angry about the state of the game? Well, some fans can never be pleased and when your team sucks you have to take your stress out on something. I bet the Saints, Longhorns, Alabama and Colt fans love the current status of the game. It's natural to look past imperfections when things go your way. So it seems that even though technology has impacted the sporting world and destinies of organizations, it hasn't changed the way we view sports today. We still see it with our personalized binoculars that reveal what we want to see. A tattered sports system (BCS) when your team has been left out in the cold or one that you can live with when your team benefits. I personally think that technology has yet to overcome the weaknesses of man and that it hasn't taken over the world of sports, yet. Though if they start allowing robots to call balls and strikes, I'm going to call John Connor to help me defeat the rise of the machines.

Merry Christmas everyone.

Super Heroes

I'm getting sick and tired of everyone discussing Tiger Woods and his affairs. So what? Who cares? I guess everyone does, since this story has been on a constant spin cycle from CNN to Fox. The media wondering why powerful men cheat. When I rather ask the question why do people cheat in general because there are men out there without any power and prestige who have affairs. We don't hear about them. Heck, I bet more men would be cheating if they had the money and fame like Tiger Woods does. How much men would turn down beautiful women flirting with them. Maybe in the beginning they would be strong, however, as time goes by and the constant barrage of women come their way, there may be one who will catch their eye or a day when they're not happy with their wife that will trigger them to have an affair. Who knows but I do know that no one is perfect, so it shouldn't be such a shock when a famous man has an affair.

Now, when has it been a prerequisite for star athletes to be morally righteous. I know sponsors and reporters sometimes portray athletes as super human. However, it's just a portrayal, it's not reality. I personally believe that sometimes athletes represent the super heroes of our day. They're flying through the sky like Superman or have the strength of 10 men like the Incredible Hulk or move at the speed of light like Flash. Just as these mythical superheroes are driven to do good on behalf of the people. Maybe we sometimes expect a similar characteristics from our reality based heroes. Therefore, we may have an image of them that no one, not even ourselves can live by. No athlete is Superman, though some (Shaq, Dwight) may beg differ.

Today, we live in a world that searches for heroes in all the wrong places. We build up impossible images and are angry when our heroes don't live by a moral code that we can't live by ourselves But we try to force them to live by such a code because we need someone to look up to, someone that our kids can follow because for some parents they aren't good role models. So instead of wondering why Tiger did the deed. We should look within and ask ourselves why do we care. Do we need someone to look up to? Are we searching for the Bat signal in the sky? If we are, I hope we look within because no one is perfect, not even Tim Tebow.

Top 10 College Football Bowl Games

Now that the dust has settled and bowl game invitations have been divvied out, we won't have another college football down played until December 19, when Wyoming takes on Fresno State in the New Mexico Bowl. Will that game be one of my Top 10 most scintillating college bowl games? OF COURSE NOT. But, the following are:

1) BCS National Championship Game (Jan. 7): Alabama (13-0) vs. Texas (13-0).

The ultimate showdown – 1^st time ever two 13-0 teams will play on the same gridiron. After the Longhorns squeaked past Nebraska, many experts are calling for a ‘Bama blowout. But, I think Texas will pull it off. I know, I know, Colt McCoy and the Horns did not look aesthetically pleasing in their 13-12 win. But they hung tough in a raucous Cornhusker fan base and made big plays when they needed to. Props to the Husker’s D, but the Longhorn’s O is better than that as evidenced by their previous 12 games, where they averaged 43 ppg. Without a doubt, this game will be a war, and I’m calling the Longhorns 27, Crimson Tide 20.

2) Sugar (Jan. 1): Cincinnati (12-0) vs. Florida (12-1).

The big question here is will Tebow and Co. come out firing on all cylinders, or will they be lagging from their heartbreaking loss to Alabama. They better not wait too long because the Wildcats have a high-flying offense. Tony Pike and Mardy Gilyard are PTPers – I know, I watched them in Corvallis, where they nipped Oregon State 28-18 earlier in the year at Reser Stadium. With Urban Meyer leading the way, I say he preps the Gators well and Tebow caps off his marvelous college career with a W – Gators 38, Wildcats 34.

3) Rose (Jan. 1): Ohio State (10-2) vs. Oregon (10-2).

Two of the most dazzling quarterbacks in the land – Jeremiah Masoli and the Ducks “score in 1 minute or less” offense vs. Terrelle Pryor and the “this is a disappointing year but we still made it to the Rose Bowl” Buckeyes. Ducks 31, Buckeyes 23.

4) Fiesta (Jan. 4): TCU (12-0) vs. Boise State (13-0).

Poinsettia Bowl II in the house! Although I was hoping these mid-majors had the opportunity to knock off one of the big boys, this will definitely still be a game worth watching. College football’s #1 ranked QB Kellen Moore vs. College football’s #1 ranked defense. High scoring? Low scoring? This game is tough to predict, let’s call it somewhere in the middle: Broncos 30, Horned Frogs 28.

5) Orange (Jan. 5): Georgia Tech (11-2) vs. Iowa (10-2).

When Josh Nesbitt and the triple-option offense are rolling, they are a beautiful sight to see. Meanwhile, the Hawkeyes have shown a tendency to win close games all season by winning 4 games by 3 or less points. It doesn’t matter here as Georgia Tech rolls: Yellow Jackets 34, Hawkeyes 17.

6) Las Vegas (Dec. 22): BYU (10-2) vs. Oregon State (8-4).

My Beavs were thisclose to making the Rose Bowl as they lost 37-33 at raucous Autzen Stadium in Eugene. If you love shootouts, and I sure do, this is the game to watch. Two of the most potent offenses in the nation. 1^st team all Pac-10 QB Sean Canfield, 1^st team RB Jacquizz Rodgers, and 1^st team WR James Rodgers will have a high scoring affair with BYU’s Utah-hatin’ Max Hall, Dennis Pitta, and Harvey Unga (who has 2 cousins on OSU’s team that were my math students). Beavers 45, Cougars 35.

7) Capital One (Jan. 1): Penn State (10-2) vs. LSU (9-3).

Big 10 1^st team QB Daryll Clark will need to bring his A-game against an always hard-hitting Tiger’s D. Nittany Lions 24, Tigers 20.

8) Holiday (Dec. 30): Nebraska (9-4) vs. Arizona (8-4).

Ndamukong Suh is one of my favorite college players. After sacking Colt McCoy 4 ½ times, McCoy can't even escape Suh when he goes to New York for the Heisman. When you watch this game, don’t follow the ball, follow Suh. In the game of football, a big part is who controls the line of scrimmage, and the Wildcats offense will have a field day attempting to block Suh. Cornhuskers 27, Wildcats 26.

9) Sun (Dec. 31): Stanford (8-4) vs. Oklahoma (7-5).

One of the fun things about college football is watching the game within the game. Here, I’m talking about Heisman hopeful Toby Gerhart against the nation's No. 7 rushing defense. Gerhart is a load to bring down, but if any team can do it, it’s the Sooners and their mammoth defensive tackle Gerald McCoy. Sooners 33, Cardinal 28.

10) Champs Sports (Dec. 29): Miami (9-3) vs. Wisconsin (9-3).

Jacory Harris is a joy to watch, and the Hurricane’s offensive arsenal should be on all-day against the Badgers. Hurricanes 34, Badgers 21.