The End of an Era

Until this evening, my primary mode of transportation was a '95 Chrysler Concorde (Big Blue) that I bought from my grandparents. I bought it in the winter of 2003, and it had about 50,000 miles on it. Today, it has 106,000 miles on it and a lot of memories. This was the car that took me to Miami and back, to my ex-girlfriend's and back, all over the Midwest in search of a job, then finally to Detroit to begin my career. There has been much singing along with the radio, yelling at other drivers, conversations with myself, thoughts running through my head and even some tears. In the last couple of years, I've had to get quite a bit of work done on it, but it's still a pretty smooth ride for its age and the amount of work that's been done to keep it running. Its 6-cylinder engine can still give a pretty mean acceleration.

But ever since I first saw the Pontiac Solstice on The Apprentice a couple of years ago, I wanted it. Today, I finished the buying process I started about a couple of months ago by signing the paperwork and driving away in my brand new, '07 Solstice (red color of course). It won't be as powerful since it's only a 4-cylinder, but it has a little giddyup. And I think it just looks awesome. It should be a very smooth ride. I did keep the Concorde for occasional use, specifically winter use since it's bigger and would provide a greater deal of balance on the slick roads that a Solstice would struggle with.

But as great as the Solstice will be, there will be only one Big Blue. You're my boy Blue!

The long summer wait ends tomorrow. College football begins tomorrow night. Here are my predictions certain to go wrong:

• In the MAC, Central Michigan will beat Miami for the championship. Central did lose 2 1st-day NFL draft picks, but they return QB Dan LeFevour, RB Onterrio Sneed, and WR Bryan Anderson. New head coach Butch Jones is familiar with the Central players and the system, so there won't be a loss of continuity. Western will challenge in the West and will host Central late in November, but Western always seems to fall 1 game short. Ball St. will be a solid 3rd with their great set of offensive talent, led by their QB Nate Davis. Eastern Michigan will be improved, and Toledo and Northern Illinois will struggle. Toledo is still having to deal with the point-shaving scandal that came about in the spring. Northern Illinois lost a number of starters and will have its youngest team in awhile. In the East, I honestly think Miami will win the division. Miami lost a lot of close games in the 4th quarter due to their lack of depth which was caused by numerous injuries. So far, everybody's healthy, including the offensive line, which should allow Miami to exploit their depth and the young talent they've accumulated in the last couple of recruiting classes. Kent St. will finish a close 2nd, led by QB Julian Edelman. Kent was the best team in the East during the st half of last year. Bowling Green returns 16 starters, 8 on each side of the ball, so they'll be a legitimate threat. OU is the defending champ, but they lost a lot of key pieces from last year's team. Temple, Akron, and Buffalo challenge the top of the league on their respective home fields, but are too young to contend.
• Wisconsin will go undefeated and win the Big 10. They get Michigan at home and even though they have to go to Columbus, they've had OSU's number in recent years. Tyler Donovan looked good at QB at the end of last year, he'll have a good year. I see Michigan losing 2 games. The right side of their offensive line is weak and there are too many question marks in their secondary. If you're curious, I have OSU going 8-4. Tressell-ball will keep them in games, but I don't see them scoring a lot of points offensively. I like Boeckman as a QB, but I don't see any consistent big-play guys on the outside as of yet. They're a year away offensively.
• In the Big 12, I like Texas A&M to beat Colorado in the Championship. I see Texas and Texas A&M being undefeated when they meet in College Station. A&M has a lot of guys back that lost a lot of close games, but beat Texas in a defensive slugfest. I don't see Oklahoma winning the South with a freshman QB and a relatively inexperienced front 7. I know a lot of people are excited in Lincoln, but Sam Keller won't help them on defense where they only return 4 starters and must travel to Missouri, Texas, and Colorado. Colorado was pretty competitive for a 2-10 team and their toughest road game is at Kansas St. Missouri, Oklahoma, and Nebraska all must come to Boulder. I don't know if Colorado is best team in the Big 12 North, but they certainly have the most advantageous schedule.
• In the SEC, I like Alabama to beat Kentucky for the Championship. Yup, you heard me correctly. The Tide basically return their entire offense, and you know their defense will be good under Nick Saban. The SEC West is down as a whole, and they get LSU in Tuscaloosa (Bama might have just a little bit of a home field advantage for that game). I don't think a Les Miles-coached team can win the big, big game. Beating Notre Dame in front of a partisan Superdome crowd doesn't count. In the East, there are a lot of questions. How good will Florida's defense be with only 2 returning starters? Can Georgia play consistent football every week? Will Tennessee beat a name opponent away from Knoxville? Does Steve Spurrier have the talent level to win the East? That brings me to Kentucky, whose program is on a high after winning their first bowl game in forever last year. QB Andre Woodson is one of the top 10 QBs in the nation. They get LSU, Florida, and Tennessee at home. Their losses at South Carolina and Tennessee could've easily been wins last year.
• In the ACC, Boston College will beat Virginia for the Championship. The Atlantic division is the weaker half in my opinion. Even with a new coach, BC has a lot coming back, including QB Matt Ryan. Wake Forest will prove they're new fluke by going 9-3. Florida St. might have a new scheme offensively, but their talent level still isn't what it used to be and the 'Noles will struggle. On the other side, Virginia and Virginia Tech will go into their season ending meeting in Charlottesville undefeated and Virginia will pull the upset. Virginia has a lot coming back from a 7-5 team and the schedule works out for them as their toughest trip is to the Orange Bowl to play a Miami team that they beat last year.
• No surprise in the Pac-10, I like USC. And I think USC will win the National Championship. I think UCLA and Arizona will contend but USC has too much experience and too much talent. In my opinion, Cal is a little overrated, but they will get revenge vs. Tennessee, emotion will carry them to victory in that game.
• One more surprise for you. I think South Florida will win the Big East. Matt Groethe is another QB you probably haven't heard of, he's a dual run/pass threat. And the defense is fast, they were one of the few to contain West Virginia's running attack. They get West Virginia and Louisville at home, where Da Bulls are even tougher to beat. I don't see Louisville and West Virginia stopping many people on defense, and Rutgers won't have the magical season they did last year, but they'll back it up by going 9-3. It might be possible that no one outside of the top 4 in the Big East will be bowl eligible.
• Hawaii will go undefeated but won't be in the running for the BCS because they don't play anybody.
• TCU will not give Texas the challenge most people think. Texas will win by at least 3 TDs.

So there ya go, predictions bound to go wrong.

Football tomorrow, yessss.

Live From the Windy City

I'm in Chicago on business until Tuesday, staying at the Club Quarters in the Loop. I shouldn't complain, but I've stayed in nicer places. I haven't found the Bible yet, but there is a dictionary, encyclopedia, and The Jordan Rules by Sam Smith (which I read when I was like in 5th grade). One cool thing though is they have water stations with bottles so you can have your own bottled water. I ate dinner at a pub down the street, very good cheeseburger. I talked with a Red Sox fan who was in town to watch them play the White Sox. Interesting guy. And, the new Batman movie (I didn't know there was going to be another one) was being shot just around the corner in front of the Board of Trade. I didn't seen anyone or anything happen for that matter, but I thought that was cool. I love this city, and not just because they are home of Da Bears. The only bad thing I'd have to say is the construction on the Dan Ryan. That, combined with the White Sox traffic made it take 45 minutes to go the last 6 miles. There's always something.

The really big news since I spoke with you last is that I have bought a new car! A 2007 red Pontiac Solstice, the car I've wanted since I first saw it a couple of years ago. I had to do a dealer transfer, and unfortunately, it didn't arrive in time for me to drive here (Lakeshore Drive in my new convertible would've been sweet), but I will be able to drive it to Ohio for Labor Day.

I'm watching USA basketball play Brazil in the Tournament of Americas, the qualifying tournament for the Olympics on this side of the world. The US is up 19 at the half, 57-38, thanks to a strong 2nd quarter. The new faces on this US team from last year's 3rd place World Championships team include Jason Kidd, Chauncey Billups, Michael Redd, Mike Miller, Deron Williams, and most notably Kobe Bryant. As expected, the US has rolled through the tournament so far, with Brazil being the toughest team they've faced up to this point (Argentina is the only other team that could potentially keep the game close). I've watched this game and the game vs. Canada and here are my impressions:

• This look more and more like a Coach K led team. Offensively, get the ball up the floor and score in transition with either the layup or the outside shot now that there are some guys on the team who can consistently make shots. If transition isn't there, the offensive sets are quick hitters designed to get shots early in the shot clock before the defense can get set. Defensively, very aggressive man-to-man defense, overplaying the passing lanes.
• Carmelo Anthony is a more skilled basketball player in terms of basketball ability. When it comes to athleticism, Dwayne Wade and LeBron James are the best at exploiting their athletic ability and turning it into good basketball. But when it comes down to just basketball, give me Carmelo. He can shoot from the outside, score on the drive and take you down low.
• I'm still not sure how LeBron's game fits in with the international game. He's not a good shooter or a great help defender. But he can make plays, finish in transition, and can play multiple positions. He's making shots tonight and playing really well. In fact, his jumper looks as good as I've ever seen it.
• Chauncey Billups looks a lot better tonight than he did yesterday. But I think I'd take Chris Paul over Chauncey. Paul is quicker and more of a true point guard who gets the ball up the floor much quicker than Billups does.
• If Kevin Durant has a really good rookie year and is able to keep some weight on, he'll make the Olympic team. Greg Oden, maybe. But how can you not like Durant, especially after he put up 22 in the July scrimmage.
• The team's biggest weakness is still half-court defense. The US plays with great intensity and is doing the right thing by playing airtight man defense. But that kind of defense leaves you susceptible to back door cuts and dribble penetration if you don't have good help defense. And it's not like the US isn't playing help defense, some guys just don't know how to. In the NBA, you can't play help defense basically, thanks to the defensive 3 second rule (one of the dumbest rules in all of sports). And a lot of the NBA guys, especially the ones who didn't go to college, didn't practice or never learned how to play help defense.
• The guys are playing with great intensity and are buying into Coach K's plan, which is nice to see. That means these multi-millionaires are coachable, which is refreshing.
• One other note, are John Saunders and Bill Walton announcing the games or do they think since the games aren't very competitive that they can talk about whatever they want. Yesterday, Walton felt he had to give the viewers a lesson in Canadian history. Tonight, they're talking about everything, but the game it seems like.
• Also, international basketball referees may be the worst officials in all of sports. Even worse than MAC basketball officials.

And some other tidbits:

• Have you seen Ben Roethlisberger's new girlfriend? I didn't think he could do better than Natalie Gulbis but he has. Missy Peregrym, who was on Heroes last year, is her name.
• I'm more interested in what Maria Sharapova's going to wear at the US Open than the PGA Tour FedEx Cup. I mean, Tiger Woods didn't play and he's still in 4th place in the standings.
• The Reds are only 6.5 games behind the Cubs in the NL Central. Yes, those Reds?!?!?!
• I haven't watched one of David Beckham's MLS games. I guess I never got that memo.

I think I'll use tomorrow night to talk a little college football if I have time. Things open up Thursday night with Miami traveling to Ball St.

The Playmaker

My dad coached high school football so I started watching football at an early age. One of the players I can vividly remember watching was Michael Irvin, "The Playmaker". What first stood out to me about Irvin was the jersey number he wore at the University of Miami, 47. 47 isn't a typical number for a wide receiver, which helped Irvin stand out. While at "The U" and then with the Dallas Cowboys, Irvin was a key part of those winning teams and Irvin always made big plays.

But it was tough to appreciate Irvin's on-field performance after you read what he was doing off the field. Pleading no contest to cocaine possession, the Cowboys' "White House", and the '98 horseplay incident couldn't be ignored. After retiring, Irvin seemed to have turned things around and made it all the way to ESPN's pregame show where he didn't much insight honestly, but I loved watching his enthusiasm and passion for the game. But he got into trouble after being pulled over for speeding in 2005 where the police searched his car and found drug paraphernalia that Irvin said wasn't his. Finally, he was let go by ESPN a couple of months after a controversial comment on the Dan Patrick show.

Tonight, Irvin was inducted into the Hall of Fame, despite questions about his character. I usually watch the Pro Football Hall of Fame inductions because it's the unofficial beginning to football season and the speeches by the inductees are usually good. But I wondered what Irvin would say, knowing that his selection was in some ways controversial. He wouldn't be able to give the typical acceptance speech because of the trouble he had gotten into. In some way, there would probably be something wrong with his speech.

It won't go down as one of the greatest speeches ever, but it was one of the most heartfelt, genuine speeches I've seen. Yeah, he was cocky (what did you expect), some of it didn't make any sense and he rambled quite a bit, but when it counted, he was a man. What sold it for me was when Irvin acknowledged that the people his kids should look up to were the members of last year's class, which included Troy Aikman, Reggie White, Warren Moon, and John Madden. Irvin acknowledged the negatives around him, and did it in a very humble way. He spoke like a man grateful to be there who is still haunted by many demons in his head.

Although I will say Jerry Jones was a bit over the top with his introduction. But then again, it was Jerry Jones, what did you expect?

And it's good to hear Tom Jackson's voice. Tom Jackson's voice means football is very close.

I apologize for not having written in a month, I was on the road for 4 of the 5 weekends in July, so this weekend is my first Detroit home game in awhile. Time for some quick-hitters:

• I don't know if there's anything more annoying than having a cold in the summer, especially when it's been as hot as it's been. It's 95 degrees outside and I'm eating chicken noodle soup and drinking hot chocolate. On the days when I've felt well enough to workout, I can't take a cold shower to cool off, I have to take a hot shower to keep the nasty stuff inside loose.
• One of my weekend trips took me to Chicago, and it was spectacular. Late nights, great friends, awesome backdrop, and beautiful women. What more can you ask for?
• Alberto Contador won the Tour de France, surviving the final time trial on what was one of the most exciting days in the Tour I can remember. The top 3 finished within 31 seconds of one another thanks to the best day in Levi Leipheimer's life and Cadel Evans's guts. Too bad it'll be overshadowed by the numerous positive drug tests that marred this year's tour. But I think cycling is on the right track because they have a testing system that is now actually effective and catching people. The Tour will rebound, just like it did on that final Saturday.
• One more thing about the Tour. If you're Cadel Evans and you're just 23 seconds behind, don't you have to attack at least once on the last day?!?!?! Yes, tradition says you don't, but c'mon!!!! 23 seconds?!?!!? You just have to win the stage by 4 seconds, get the 20 second bonus, and you win the race. At the very least he should've tried to attack. It probably wouldn't have worked because Discovery was attentive and breakaways rarely work on the Champs-Elysses, but he at least should've tried.
• I wish I could've seen the last few holes of the British Open live. I left Chicago for Detroit with Padraig Harrington seemingly in control until later I found out the outcome. How do you win the Open after playing the 18th 6-5? When Sergio Garcia is the guy closest to you. Sergio is still probably whining about his bad luck as I write this.
• Tadd Fujikawa, 16, turned professional and played in the PGA Tour's Reno-Tahoe Open, and missed the cut by 5 shots. Fujikawa, a Hawaii native, was having trouble covering playing and coaching costs that resulted in many trips to and from the mainland, so naturally he turned professional. Despite tying for 20th at the PGA Tour Hawaiian Open earlier this year, Fujikawa was ranked as the 687th amateur in the world. 687th!!!!! I wish him all the best, but c'mon.
• Barry Bonds just hit his 755th home run.
• Preseason college football polls's primary purpose is to get fans excited, but Florida 3rd? I haven't read through my magazine yet, but I know the Gators only have 2 starters back on defense. I know the SEC is strong, but 3rd for Florida? Not sure about that.

My prayers and thoughts go out to those affected by the Minneapolis bridge collapse. I just can't imagine driving home from work, zoned out, then falling 60 feet, trying to survive. Those poor people.