1. Eastern Washington University has decided to build a stadium with red turf. This, of course, brings to mind Boise State and their ridiculous blue turf.
Ridiculous is probably not the right word because I actually don't hate the idea of colored turf. It does make Boise's field unique, and you can't help but stop and watch whenever their stadium is shown on TV. My problem with the turf is that Boise fans are so damned proud of it, and I'm not a hundred percent sure why. It's a novelty act. A sideshow. Something meant to distract the eye for a minute. It's like the world's biggest plate of cornbread or an alligator farm.
If you're close, have a few minutes to spare, and are interested in such a thing...you might stop by. Otherwise, you're not going to drive or fly to Boise, Idaho to see them.
It's probably part of the reason why teams won't play Boise. First of all, no one wants to go to Boise. But you also feel stupid playing on a field that is blue. It feels like the XFL or Arena league. It just doesn't feel or look legitimate. It's one of the reasons why I felt like Boise will never (or should never) be considered legitimate.
But, like the drawings of the red field, I think it looks pretty cool. Because of it, I read that any school can use colored turf, which was interesting because I believed in the rumor that Boise State was grandfathered into a rule that forbade colored turf. Apparently that's not the case.
So I think that other D-1 schools should follow suit. I think black turf would look really cool, and I think a team should give that a shot. Maybe somewhere like Southern Mississippi, which is already a relatively scary place to play. I also would like to see what TCU's stadium would look like with a dark purple field. Light purple would look ridiculous, but TCU's darker purple might look interesting.
(I'm, of course, not suggesting that they switch full time...because I would like TCU to be legitimate and not a Boise-like sideshow).
And I think all teams in the WAC should follow Boise's lead and get blue fields. Because it would take away from the uniqueness of Boise, who would play 11 of their 12 games on blue turf (because they play almost all of their non-conference games at home). And maybe they wouldn't be so f-ing proud of blue turf.
2. Speaking of things that are blue and stupid, Avatar is now the highest grossing film of all time. That is, of course, without taking inflation into account. And considering that most tickets for the movie are well above $10, that's not a huge surprise (with inflation, the movie is still a huge success, but it's in the mid-20s of all time).
And, honestly, I don't get it. I saw the movie the second week it came out, and it's just nothing to write home about. The story is basically Dances with Wolves...with a little bit of Ferngully and Surrogates mixed in. A superior-feeling person comes into contact with a race of inferior beings who have this unique connection with nature (they basically have sex with everything that lives), and he comes to learn that their way of life is important using a nine-foot tall blue Surrogate. He even decides to fight against his own people when that way of life is endangered.
The plot is not unique, and it doesn't make a whole lot of sense. You never really come to the point where you see him realize why he loves the aliens...one second he's referring to their customs as "hippie" BS, and the next, he's trying to communicate with their God. His motivations are very unclear, and I never really identified with him...despite the fact that the movie was well over two hours long.
All the stuff you've read about the movie is true, and you don't really hear James Cameron arguing about it. The movie is anti-American and a very vaguely veiled story of the Iraqi war. And in the sense that American soldiers are the villains of the movie. In fact, the movie is borderline anti-human, since the last third of the movie is basically a war between the loveable aliens and evil, heartless humans.
And that's the part of the movie that really turned me off. They never really establish that the humans are evil...they're simply people who signed up for a mission on this planet. We learn that the humans are interested in mining some mineral (that is never explained), and we know that the two bad guys (one military and one civilian) are evil (one motivated by pride and the other by money).
But the rest of the soldiers? We only meet two, but they both seem like pretty good people. We hear they're mercenaries getting paid well for this, but there's not enough there for me to cheer them to see them slaughtered.
So you don't know why he's helping them, and you don't like that he's helping them kill a bunch of humans. In other words, the plot doesn't make a whole lot of sense.
Is the film pretty? Yes. I saw the movie in IMAX 3-D, and it was nice to look at. But it's a CGI world like many of the other CGI worlds. With a few exceptions, the film could've simply been filmed in a real rainforest, and it would've looked just as nice. So if you're going to see a movie in IMAX 3-D, go see a movie made for IMAX 3-D. It's going to be just as pretty, and it will actually be real.
It might even have a plot.
It might sound like I hated this movie, but I didn't. I probably got caught up in a problem that I usually have...in that I hear a lot about something and set up expectations accordingly. I tend to dislike movies that are over-hyped before I see them. And this movie is about as over-hyped as you can get.
And I guess I just don't get it. It's an okay film...I'd probably put it in line with Surrogates as far as a movie that is nice to look at. But Oscar-worthy? Absolutely not. Give it a CGI Oscar, but that's about it. The acting was average (at best), the story was boring at parts, completely unoriginal, and typically nonsensical, and I thought the directing was just okay.
It's a movie that thinks it's more important than it is, and people simply took it at its word. And there will, of course be sequels, and Cameron is already talking about them.
But here's the thing. I'll write you a sequel right now. If you haven't seen the movie, I'm about to spoil the ending and the sequels.
So the movie ends with the humans getting kicked off the planet, and the main character (whose name I forgot) was able to enter his alien surrogate full-time. So the humans are going to go back to Earth, and this conversation will take place.
Human 1 - "So we got kicked off the planet."
Human 2 - "The native aliens were able to overwhelm you, despite overwhelmingly superior military technology?"
Human 1 - "Yes."
Human 2 - "Well, we still need the mineral. So let's go back."
Human 1 - "Well what about the native population."
Human 2 - "They slaughtered most of our people, and we're obviously at war with them. Let's simply park our ships in orbit around their planet and lay waste to every living creature on their planet. They have absolutely no way of fighting back, and we only care about the mineral. We could even nuke the planet completely, and we'd be able to easily and safely get the mineral we want. We can't live on the planet so the mineral is all the planet can give us."
Human 1 - "So you just want us to lay waste to the planet, kill everything, and take all the mineral."
Human 2 - "Yes."
Human 1 - "Done and done."
And if the humans are as evil as Cameron tried to paint them in the movie, that's exactly what they'd do. And there's absolutely nothing the aliens could do about it. Genocide or not, killing all the aliens was already part of the humans' plan...so they'd simply go back to the planet with more firepower and get it done with.
The movie ends in ten minutes, and all the aliens are killed. The people get their mineral, and they move on to the next planet. End of story.
Friday, January 29, 2010
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Two Lessons
1. Even though the finale was spoiled to me a couple of weeks ago, the Dexter finale was still great. I'm, of course, way behind the curve, but I was glad to finally catch up. That show is so great, and Dexter is such a complex character. He's easily a guy you could call your best friend, but he's obviously extremely dangerous. I think the show is interesting, partly because I believe that we all have dark urges sometimes. Dexter knows this, and he simply allows his dark side to take over sometimes.
The big surprise was obviously huge. I'm not going to spoil it, but it's definitely a game-changer. If you are looking for a show to watch, I'd give Dexter a shot. It's definitely something worth watching if you don't mind (sometimes extremely) dark comedies.
2. Favre lost! I know that I'm technically supposed to cheer for the Vikings because they're the team that beat the Cowboys. But I think that Favre is just slime. Absolute slime. I hated the way he screwed over the Packers, holding that team hostage year after year. In addition, he was also, apparently, an a-hole to Aaron Rodgers...who seems like a pretty good guy.
Then he runs off to the Jets, and he does pretty well there. I'm not sure how believable it is, but there's a rumor out there that Favre tanked games with the Jets to make sure they didn't make the playoffs. The thought is that Favre wanted to end up in Minnesota (and would never be able to land there from Green Bay), and he figured he'd go to New York for one year and then end up in Minnesota. If he made the playoffs, though, he might have to stay in New York, and he didn't want that. Missing the playoffs allowed for an amiable separation.
The numbers from the end of the season seem to argue in that direction, and Favre is enough of a shady character for me to believe it.
So he runs to Minnesota, and he holds them hostage. No one except Adrian Peterson and Brad Childress wanted him there, and he screws over the QBs that were already there. Favre falls in love with his own story, and he starts audibling out of plays so that he can get the glory.
And I love that he's the reason they lost. That his interception is the reason why the Vikings couldn't get a field goal to end regulation. Because he's simply trash, and he doesn't deserve to win anything. And I hope all this team-changing really taints his career legacy. I know he's still a first-ballot hall of famer, but I hope people look back on his career and realize he's just a jerk.
The big surprise was obviously huge. I'm not going to spoil it, but it's definitely a game-changer. If you are looking for a show to watch, I'd give Dexter a shot. It's definitely something worth watching if you don't mind (sometimes extremely) dark comedies.
2. Favre lost! I know that I'm technically supposed to cheer for the Vikings because they're the team that beat the Cowboys. But I think that Favre is just slime. Absolute slime. I hated the way he screwed over the Packers, holding that team hostage year after year. In addition, he was also, apparently, an a-hole to Aaron Rodgers...who seems like a pretty good guy.
Then he runs off to the Jets, and he does pretty well there. I'm not sure how believable it is, but there's a rumor out there that Favre tanked games with the Jets to make sure they didn't make the playoffs. The thought is that Favre wanted to end up in Minnesota (and would never be able to land there from Green Bay), and he figured he'd go to New York for one year and then end up in Minnesota. If he made the playoffs, though, he might have to stay in New York, and he didn't want that. Missing the playoffs allowed for an amiable separation.
The numbers from the end of the season seem to argue in that direction, and Favre is enough of a shady character for me to believe it.
So he runs to Minnesota, and he holds them hostage. No one except Adrian Peterson and Brad Childress wanted him there, and he screws over the QBs that were already there. Favre falls in love with his own story, and he starts audibling out of plays so that he can get the glory.
And I love that he's the reason they lost. That his interception is the reason why the Vikings couldn't get a field goal to end regulation. Because he's simply trash, and he doesn't deserve to win anything. And I hope all this team-changing really taints his career legacy. I know he's still a first-ballot hall of famer, but I hope people look back on his career and realize he's just a jerk.
Friday, January 22, 2010
Acceptance
So this football season was great in a lot of ways. In other ways, it was absolutely heartbreaking. The loss at the Fiesta Bowl was one of the hardest losses to take, especially when you factor in what it took to get there. And while the loss didn't ruin the trip or the experience, it sure puts a damper on things.
But in the last few years, I've done my best not to get too upset about sports. Part of that is living in Dallas, where we haven't won a championship in over a decade, and with four professional teams, that's rough. So I guess I'm finally getting used to losing...in everything.
But, in trying to put the positive spin on things, I'm trying to do a bit of time traveling. I'm going back to September to talk to myself. And if I could do that, I wonder how September Drew would react to this news:
On TCU's season
"TCU will go undefeated in the regular season. Included in the wins are a solid win over a tough Clemson team, a big win against BYU in Provo, and a dominating performance against Utah on a day when ESPN GameDay would come to Fort Worth. That I'd get to charge the field after a huge win, and TCU would win their second Mountain West Conference championship, ending number 3 in the BCS poll. And while they'd lose in a BCS game against a top-3 finalist, TCU would also finish #6 - one spot higher than they did last year."
I think I'd absolutely take that. TCU going undefeated was a nice step, although I obviously would've wanted to win the BCS game. But an undefeated year and a BCS trip? I'd definitely take that.
On the Cowboys' season
"The Cowboys will finish 11-5 and win the NFC East. Along the way, they'll discover a receiving threat in Miles Austin and a pass rusher in Anthony Spencer. Mike Jenkins will step up and become the team's number one cornerback, and the defense will dominate in December to lead the team to 3-2 in that month. The Cowboys will host a playoff game in the first round and beat the Eagles, but they will lose in the divisional round to a Vikings team playing great ball."
I'd take that too. I went into last year with odd expectations for the team. I've never gone into a season with so much blurriness on how the season could end. I could've easily seen the team go 5-11 and 11-5. For the Cowboys to get rid of so many demons (December demons and playoff ones), I would've known that things had gone well. And while I sometimes hate certain members of the team, I always want them to go well. This team is still young, and they can build on success as long as they're not tearing each other apart.
The one concern is Wade Phillips' security. I don't think he's the right man for this job, but I'll continue to hope that he can find a way to get the job done anyway.
So while both seasons ended in disappointment, both teams are young (TCU returns most of their starters, and they're the first non-BCS team to go to a BCS game and return with their starting QB...although Boise can now claim the same thing), and both can improve next year.
Hopefully, this time next year, I can say that both teams did. And things might be a bit happier, football-wise.
But in the last few years, I've done my best not to get too upset about sports. Part of that is living in Dallas, where we haven't won a championship in over a decade, and with four professional teams, that's rough. So I guess I'm finally getting used to losing...in everything.
But, in trying to put the positive spin on things, I'm trying to do a bit of time traveling. I'm going back to September to talk to myself. And if I could do that, I wonder how September Drew would react to this news:
On TCU's season
"TCU will go undefeated in the regular season. Included in the wins are a solid win over a tough Clemson team, a big win against BYU in Provo, and a dominating performance against Utah on a day when ESPN GameDay would come to Fort Worth. That I'd get to charge the field after a huge win, and TCU would win their second Mountain West Conference championship, ending number 3 in the BCS poll. And while they'd lose in a BCS game against a top-3 finalist, TCU would also finish #6 - one spot higher than they did last year."
I think I'd absolutely take that. TCU going undefeated was a nice step, although I obviously would've wanted to win the BCS game. But an undefeated year and a BCS trip? I'd definitely take that.
On the Cowboys' season
"The Cowboys will finish 11-5 and win the NFC East. Along the way, they'll discover a receiving threat in Miles Austin and a pass rusher in Anthony Spencer. Mike Jenkins will step up and become the team's number one cornerback, and the defense will dominate in December to lead the team to 3-2 in that month. The Cowboys will host a playoff game in the first round and beat the Eagles, but they will lose in the divisional round to a Vikings team playing great ball."
I'd take that too. I went into last year with odd expectations for the team. I've never gone into a season with so much blurriness on how the season could end. I could've easily seen the team go 5-11 and 11-5. For the Cowboys to get rid of so many demons (December demons and playoff ones), I would've known that things had gone well. And while I sometimes hate certain members of the team, I always want them to go well. This team is still young, and they can build on success as long as they're not tearing each other apart.
The one concern is Wade Phillips' security. I don't think he's the right man for this job, but I'll continue to hope that he can find a way to get the job done anyway.
So while both seasons ended in disappointment, both teams are young (TCU returns most of their starters, and they're the first non-BCS team to go to a BCS game and return with their starting QB...although Boise can now claim the same thing), and both can improve next year.
Hopefully, this time next year, I can say that both teams did. And things might be a bit happier, football-wise.
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Fiesta Bowl - Conclusion
So a couple of weeks have passed since the Fiesta Bowl, and my opinion of a lot of things really hasn't changed. In the long run of things, I don't like the way things ended. Not at all.
When I think about it, I can compare it to the 2006 NBA Finals against the Miami Heat. In my sports-related life, few things really rival the 2006 NBA Finals in terms of heartbreak. There have been times when a team I liked lost (heck, I'm a Dallas fan...I've made a life of big losses), but there are usually times when I simply thought the other team was better. And when I think the other team is better, there's no shame in losing.
Example -tomorrow, the Vikings play the Cowboys in the NFC divisional round. I think the Cowboys can win the game, but one of the teams has to lose. Minnesota is a solid team, and they'll be at home. If the Vikings win, I'll be sad...but I don't think it will be tragic.
The Heat series was tragic. The Mavs dominated the first two and a half games. Then, conspiracy alert, Dwayne Wade started getting any call he wanted. A million free throws later, and the Heat had won.
Following that series, I didn't think the Heat were the better team. I thought the Mavs were capable of doing things that would've beat the Heat, but they just weren't doing it. I thought, even with the refs, the Mavs had beaten themselves more so than the the Heat had beat them. Heck, if I were to rank the teams that beat the Mavs...it would've been:
1)Mavs
2)Refs
3)Heat
It's the same with the Fiesta Bowl. Right now, despite the 17-10 win for the Broncos, I don't believe that Boise State is the better team. I not only believe that TCU is better than Boise State, I think they're much better. I think, if TCU plays their best game, Boise State wouldn't be able to keep up. Whether the game is in Phoenix, Boise, or Antarctica.
Which is why this game hurts so much. Because, despite my belief that TCU is the better team (and, perhaps, the best team in college football), they lost. And the funny thing is all the love that Boise is getting from the win (people saying they're almost a lock for the national championship next year if they win out), and there's one simple fact.
TCU played the worst game of their season, and Boise had to convert a fake punt in the final quarter to win.
And, in so many ways, TCU beat themselves. For the entire season, TCU won with two simple facts - they ran the ball amazingly well and they played defense. The defense was phenomenal in the Fiesta Bowl, holding Boise State to 10 points. And I'll forgive seven of those points because they came after the f-ing fake punt, and the defense was completely shell shocked by that sudden change in momentum.
The running game? TCU had ten carries from their running backs. Ten. And it wasn't like the running game wasn't working - one of our top backs (we have five that we trust) only carried the ball once. For nine yards. For the rest of the game, they never felt like they needed a guy capable of getting nine yards?
Instead, TCU put their offensive hopes into the hands of Andy Dalton. Up until the Fiesta Bowl, I would've been okay with giving Andy a bigger role in the offense. In a lot of ways, he's the best QB that TCU has had in a while, and he was on his way to a Heisman run in his senior season next year. He can beat you with his arm and his legs, and he typically makes pretty smart decisions.
In the Fiesta Bowl, however, he was awful. The worst game I've ever seen him play, and it might be the worst game of his life. I don't know what bothered him the most, but it seemed like nothing was working for him.
Was it the Broncos' fans? Like I said in my last post, Boise's fans were really loud. I'm pretty sure that, even on road games, Andy probably hadn't faced a crowd that loud. Clemson might have been louder, but Andy wasn't really phased in that game.
Was it the slight injury he sustained in the first quarter? He was knocked out for a couple of plays in the first quarter, but he ended up coming back for the next series. Was the injury bothering him more than it seemed?
Was it his headphones going out? Andy's pick-six was immediately after the PA announcer declared to the crowd that TCU's radio equipment wasn't working. Maybe Andy is the type of quarterback that really relies on his radio equipment during a game, and maybe losing that equipment completely threw his game off.
Or was it just the epic size of the game. Andy Dalton played like a quarterback who had never played on a really big stage before. His biggest bowl game was last year's Poinsettia Bowl, and he'd never played in a game that was played on (truly) national television. Boise State has played a few games on national television, and their school had been to a BCS game before.
TCU had the unfortunate circumstances of being the favorite and yet the team with the more pressure on them. TCU went in with the chance to be the AP national champion, it was their first BCS game, and it was the first time for the nation to watch the TCU Horned Frogs that everyone had heard so much.
And they fell on their face. And I don't get it.
Maybe TCU felt like they had to throw to win. Maybe they felt like they had to score quickly to make sure that Boise didn't make it a blowout. Maybe they, like me, anticipated that Boise's offense would score 20 points. And since our offense had spotted them 7 points, maybe they thought they needed to ratchet the offense up.
But Dalton looked terrible to me. Our running game was working when they used it. When TCU made the game 10-7 at halftime, why didn't they adjust? We were down three points, and they'd stopped Boise's offense once when they got their first second-half possession. Heck, even when TCU tied it, they still didn't go back to the team that got them there.
When you throw the ball, three things can happen. And two of them are bad. When your QB is struggling, why not go to the running game? Particularly when your running game is, arguably, your best asset?
And then there's the fake punt. Early in the half, TCU had seen the fake punt coming, and they called a timeout. But when Boise actually went for one, we didn't see it coming? We forgot who we were playing? The great Coach Gary Patterson got out-coached?
That play was the entire game. If Boise misses that fake punt, the game is over. Instead of demoralizing TCU, it would've demoralized the Broncos. It would've, perhaps, given TCU's offense enough energy to get seven points for their first lead of the game. Or, at the very least, it would've given them good-enough field position for a solid field goal attempt.
And it would've told the defense what Boise was thinking: we can't move the ball on your defense. We are completely incapable of beating your defense with a conventional offense. Your defense is superior to us, and we have to resort to stupid little tricks to successfully move the ball.
You want my feelings on Boise State? They're a joke. They're a bit. And they're never going to be a legitimate football program until they start acting like one. I don't think legitimate teams rely on goofy-little trick plays to succeed. I don't think legitimate teams have to spend half their time working on one-upping their own devices in order to beat another legitimate team.
Because, yes, Boise is 2-0 in BCS games. But they're only 2-0 because they won on trick plays. The hook and ladder and statue of liberty plays against Oklahoma, and the fake punt against TCU. Take away those three games, and they're 0-2. Take the same Boise players and give them a real coach, and they're 0-2.
And if Boise wants to be legitimate, lose the dumb blue turf. It doesn't make you unique. It doesn't make you cool. It makes you look like a sideshow. It makes you look like a circus. It makes you look like a joke.
Teams don't want to play you in Boise because it would demean their team to play on blue turf. They aren't afraid of you. They just don't want to look like idiots.
I'll admit that I didn't respect Boise's team going into the game, and it didn't look like Coach Patterson and the Horned Frogs respected them either. I think that they can be a great program, but they need to cut out all of the Division II BS. Run a real offense. Beat a team because you're better...not because you out-tricked them. Play on green turf like everyone else.
Then you'll get some respect. Until then, you'll be the cute little team with your gay blue turf. Nothing more.
As far as TCU goes, the loss hurts. A lot. If they'd been able to beat Boise, TCU had a chance to end the season number two ahead of Texas. Boise jumped from #6 to #3, and it's hard to say whether or not Texas would've stayed ahead of TCU if the Fiesta Bowl had gone the other way.
Ending the season #2 would've meant that TCU could've started the season in the top 10. Coming off an undefeated season and a BCS win, a lot of the questions about the program would've been answered. They'd have a huge win in their pocket, an undefeated season on their resume, and a top 2 finish to brag about.
Now, TCU can go undefeated again, and all the questions will still be there. Can TCU win the big game? Will they wilt under the pressure like they have every year before? Do they really belong on the big stage?
And, unfortunately, TCU won't be able to definitively say "yes" to any of those questions. Every single year, they falter in one game. Southern Mississippi in 2003. SMU in 2005. Utah in 2008. And Boise State in 2009. Games that they needed to win, and games that they should've won.
And in every game, they lost. I thought that 2009 might have been the year when TCU finally abandons that ridiculousness. Even though they have one awful game every year, I never anticipated that their one awful game would be in the bowl game.
And, yes, TCU is bringing back a lot of their team from last year. Hughes and Washington are gone, and they will be missed. But I never really worry about TCU's defense, and I'm sure that Coach Patterson will fill those holes.
But the offense that was so good last year is all coming back. TCU has just as much chance to run the table in 2010 that they had in 2009.
But if they go undefeated, I don't think they'll get a title shot because they lost in the Fiesta Bowl. The benefit of the doubt that TCU was given over Boise last year will be gone. If both teams go undefeated, Boise will get in ahead of TCU. And even if Boise isn't part of the equation, people are going to want TCU to have a major victory under their belt before they're allowed to play with the big boys.
2009-2010 could've been a major step in the program's evolution. Instead, it's just a step. To get a chance at the title, TCU is still going to need a BCS win. To move up, they're still going to have to prove that they can win a big game on a national stage. To be considered with the big boys, TCU will have to play like it.
The Fiesta Bowl was the Horned Frogs' chance to exorcise their demons. Instead, they simply made their demons more powerful.
And, at the end of the day, that's what hurts the most.
When I think about it, I can compare it to the 2006 NBA Finals against the Miami Heat. In my sports-related life, few things really rival the 2006 NBA Finals in terms of heartbreak. There have been times when a team I liked lost (heck, I'm a Dallas fan...I've made a life of big losses), but there are usually times when I simply thought the other team was better. And when I think the other team is better, there's no shame in losing.
Example -tomorrow, the Vikings play the Cowboys in the NFC divisional round. I think the Cowboys can win the game, but one of the teams has to lose. Minnesota is a solid team, and they'll be at home. If the Vikings win, I'll be sad...but I don't think it will be tragic.
The Heat series was tragic. The Mavs dominated the first two and a half games. Then, conspiracy alert, Dwayne Wade started getting any call he wanted. A million free throws later, and the Heat had won.
Following that series, I didn't think the Heat were the better team. I thought the Mavs were capable of doing things that would've beat the Heat, but they just weren't doing it. I thought, even with the refs, the Mavs had beaten themselves more so than the the Heat had beat them. Heck, if I were to rank the teams that beat the Mavs...it would've been:
1)Mavs
2)Refs
3)Heat
It's the same with the Fiesta Bowl. Right now, despite the 17-10 win for the Broncos, I don't believe that Boise State is the better team. I not only believe that TCU is better than Boise State, I think they're much better. I think, if TCU plays their best game, Boise State wouldn't be able to keep up. Whether the game is in Phoenix, Boise, or Antarctica.
Which is why this game hurts so much. Because, despite my belief that TCU is the better team (and, perhaps, the best team in college football), they lost. And the funny thing is all the love that Boise is getting from the win (people saying they're almost a lock for the national championship next year if they win out), and there's one simple fact.
TCU played the worst game of their season, and Boise had to convert a fake punt in the final quarter to win.
And, in so many ways, TCU beat themselves. For the entire season, TCU won with two simple facts - they ran the ball amazingly well and they played defense. The defense was phenomenal in the Fiesta Bowl, holding Boise State to 10 points. And I'll forgive seven of those points because they came after the f-ing fake punt, and the defense was completely shell shocked by that sudden change in momentum.
The running game? TCU had ten carries from their running backs. Ten. And it wasn't like the running game wasn't working - one of our top backs (we have five that we trust) only carried the ball once. For nine yards. For the rest of the game, they never felt like they needed a guy capable of getting nine yards?
Instead, TCU put their offensive hopes into the hands of Andy Dalton. Up until the Fiesta Bowl, I would've been okay with giving Andy a bigger role in the offense. In a lot of ways, he's the best QB that TCU has had in a while, and he was on his way to a Heisman run in his senior season next year. He can beat you with his arm and his legs, and he typically makes pretty smart decisions.
In the Fiesta Bowl, however, he was awful. The worst game I've ever seen him play, and it might be the worst game of his life. I don't know what bothered him the most, but it seemed like nothing was working for him.
Was it the Broncos' fans? Like I said in my last post, Boise's fans were really loud. I'm pretty sure that, even on road games, Andy probably hadn't faced a crowd that loud. Clemson might have been louder, but Andy wasn't really phased in that game.
Was it the slight injury he sustained in the first quarter? He was knocked out for a couple of plays in the first quarter, but he ended up coming back for the next series. Was the injury bothering him more than it seemed?
Was it his headphones going out? Andy's pick-six was immediately after the PA announcer declared to the crowd that TCU's radio equipment wasn't working. Maybe Andy is the type of quarterback that really relies on his radio equipment during a game, and maybe losing that equipment completely threw his game off.
Or was it just the epic size of the game. Andy Dalton played like a quarterback who had never played on a really big stage before. His biggest bowl game was last year's Poinsettia Bowl, and he'd never played in a game that was played on (truly) national television. Boise State has played a few games on national television, and their school had been to a BCS game before.
TCU had the unfortunate circumstances of being the favorite and yet the team with the more pressure on them. TCU went in with the chance to be the AP national champion, it was their first BCS game, and it was the first time for the nation to watch the TCU Horned Frogs that everyone had heard so much.
And they fell on their face. And I don't get it.
Maybe TCU felt like they had to throw to win. Maybe they felt like they had to score quickly to make sure that Boise didn't make it a blowout. Maybe they, like me, anticipated that Boise's offense would score 20 points. And since our offense had spotted them 7 points, maybe they thought they needed to ratchet the offense up.
But Dalton looked terrible to me. Our running game was working when they used it. When TCU made the game 10-7 at halftime, why didn't they adjust? We were down three points, and they'd stopped Boise's offense once when they got their first second-half possession. Heck, even when TCU tied it, they still didn't go back to the team that got them there.
When you throw the ball, three things can happen. And two of them are bad. When your QB is struggling, why not go to the running game? Particularly when your running game is, arguably, your best asset?
And then there's the fake punt. Early in the half, TCU had seen the fake punt coming, and they called a timeout. But when Boise actually went for one, we didn't see it coming? We forgot who we were playing? The great Coach Gary Patterson got out-coached?
That play was the entire game. If Boise misses that fake punt, the game is over. Instead of demoralizing TCU, it would've demoralized the Broncos. It would've, perhaps, given TCU's offense enough energy to get seven points for their first lead of the game. Or, at the very least, it would've given them good-enough field position for a solid field goal attempt.
And it would've told the defense what Boise was thinking: we can't move the ball on your defense. We are completely incapable of beating your defense with a conventional offense. Your defense is superior to us, and we have to resort to stupid little tricks to successfully move the ball.
You want my feelings on Boise State? They're a joke. They're a bit. And they're never going to be a legitimate football program until they start acting like one. I don't think legitimate teams rely on goofy-little trick plays to succeed. I don't think legitimate teams have to spend half their time working on one-upping their own devices in order to beat another legitimate team.
Because, yes, Boise is 2-0 in BCS games. But they're only 2-0 because they won on trick plays. The hook and ladder and statue of liberty plays against Oklahoma, and the fake punt against TCU. Take away those three games, and they're 0-2. Take the same Boise players and give them a real coach, and they're 0-2.
And if Boise wants to be legitimate, lose the dumb blue turf. It doesn't make you unique. It doesn't make you cool. It makes you look like a sideshow. It makes you look like a circus. It makes you look like a joke.
Teams don't want to play you in Boise because it would demean their team to play on blue turf. They aren't afraid of you. They just don't want to look like idiots.
I'll admit that I didn't respect Boise's team going into the game, and it didn't look like Coach Patterson and the Horned Frogs respected them either. I think that they can be a great program, but they need to cut out all of the Division II BS. Run a real offense. Beat a team because you're better...not because you out-tricked them. Play on green turf like everyone else.
Then you'll get some respect. Until then, you'll be the cute little team with your gay blue turf. Nothing more.
As far as TCU goes, the loss hurts. A lot. If they'd been able to beat Boise, TCU had a chance to end the season number two ahead of Texas. Boise jumped from #6 to #3, and it's hard to say whether or not Texas would've stayed ahead of TCU if the Fiesta Bowl had gone the other way.
Ending the season #2 would've meant that TCU could've started the season in the top 10. Coming off an undefeated season and a BCS win, a lot of the questions about the program would've been answered. They'd have a huge win in their pocket, an undefeated season on their resume, and a top 2 finish to brag about.
Now, TCU can go undefeated again, and all the questions will still be there. Can TCU win the big game? Will they wilt under the pressure like they have every year before? Do they really belong on the big stage?
And, unfortunately, TCU won't be able to definitively say "yes" to any of those questions. Every single year, they falter in one game. Southern Mississippi in 2003. SMU in 2005. Utah in 2008. And Boise State in 2009. Games that they needed to win, and games that they should've won.
And in every game, they lost. I thought that 2009 might have been the year when TCU finally abandons that ridiculousness. Even though they have one awful game every year, I never anticipated that their one awful game would be in the bowl game.
And, yes, TCU is bringing back a lot of their team from last year. Hughes and Washington are gone, and they will be missed. But I never really worry about TCU's defense, and I'm sure that Coach Patterson will fill those holes.
But the offense that was so good last year is all coming back. TCU has just as much chance to run the table in 2010 that they had in 2009.
But if they go undefeated, I don't think they'll get a title shot because they lost in the Fiesta Bowl. The benefit of the doubt that TCU was given over Boise last year will be gone. If both teams go undefeated, Boise will get in ahead of TCU. And even if Boise isn't part of the equation, people are going to want TCU to have a major victory under their belt before they're allowed to play with the big boys.
2009-2010 could've been a major step in the program's evolution. Instead, it's just a step. To get a chance at the title, TCU is still going to need a BCS win. To move up, they're still going to have to prove that they can win a big game on a national stage. To be considered with the big boys, TCU will have to play like it.
The Fiesta Bowl was the Horned Frogs' chance to exorcise their demons. Instead, they simply made their demons more powerful.
And, at the end of the day, that's what hurts the most.
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Fiesta Bowl - Gameday
I'm writing this blog after a post-football high. Tonight, the Cowboys beat the Philadelphia Eagles for their first playoff win in 13 years. The Cowboys have always been my number one love, football-wise, and they will always be most important in my football life.
And I can say that tonight's victory against the Eagles (especially Philly) does a lot to make up for what happened in Glendale, Arizona on Monday night. Because there's only one thing to describe the Fiesta Bowl itself.
It sucked.
The rest of the trip was great. The resort was amazing. I've posted 22 pictures of the resort on my facebook, and it will demonstrate how amazing it was there. I thought the Suns' game was great, and I loved walking down the ten-mile walk to Zipps with Matt and Ashley. As far as a trip goes, I would've given it an A or an A+ up until game day.
And the day of the game didn't start off horribly. I woke up, threw on some purple, and I met Ashley for a late breakfast. January 4th was, coincidentally, Ashley's birthday, and we went to the buffet for breakfast. They had an amazing selection of breakfast foods, and while it was expensive, it was delicious. And it was awesome to be around so many Frog fans in the middle of Arizona.
A few minutes later, Ashley and I were throwing the football around in the hotel courtyard with a little football we were given by Anthony Travel. It was hard to throw because it was tiny and covered in smooth plastic on one side. But it was fun to throw it around and get ourselves ready for football.
Before we knew it, we were ready to head to the stadium. The Fiesta Bowl threw together "College Football's Biggest Party" near the stadium, and we were set to be there for a few hours before kickoff.
There was a nice 30-40 minute drive out to the stadium from Glendale, and when we arrived, we all experienced Ominous Feeling Number One.
The whole party was bright orange. We looked out, and the entire crowd seemed to be Boise-based. It turns out that the Boise side of the party was simply closest to the entrance, but even then, there seemed to be twice as many Boise fans as TCU fans. Maybe TCU fans were elsewhere, or maybe Boise fans just really like free hot dogs and potato salad.
But it was the start of something that felt wrong. The party itself was a bit dumb, especially with the $20 ticket cost, and I'm not sure we would've gone if it wasn't included in our package. There were some interesting things there, including the bearded "college football guy" from the Allstate commercials, but it was, all in all, pretty dumb. We waited in a line that stretched half-way across the party for a meager hot dog and a scoop of potato salad, and everything else was expensive.
There was a bit of an online sportsradio station at the game, and they were asking for predictions on the score. Boise fans were conservative: 21-20 Boise, 27-24 Boise, 17-14 Boise.
TCU fans were a bit more confident. 35-7. 40-14. One kid even said 80-0.
Ominous Sign Number Two - Overconfident TCU.
We did shoot a bit of a video for something called "Fear the Frog" that was supposed to air on the Mtn network. Ashley and I would've been a big part of this one section, but I don't know if we'll ever see it.
Anyway, after a bit at the party, we went and found some of our other friends at a tailgate. Then, it was time to go inside the stadium. The game was going to begin soon.
When we got in, the stadium was beginning to fill up, and we noticed something odd. We were in the corner of the TCU section, and we noticed that half of each section was full. The other half was speckled with fans, but it wasn't nearly as full as the other side. We wondered if these were the tickets that Iowa fans had bought and tried to re-sell.
Anyway, the players eventually came out for warmups...and we had another ominous sign.
Ominous Sign Number Three - Boise's fans are freakin' loud. When TCU players came out for warmups, there was a pretty loud cheer for them. When Boise players came out, there was a roar. I turned to Ashley and told him we needed to jump out to a lead to take the fans out of the game.
Eventually, the game was getting ready to start. In pregame, they had alumni players from each team. Boise State's player was their quarterback from their earlier trip to the Fiesta Bowl, Jared Zombranski (or something like that, I'm not looking his name up). He never played in the NFL, although he did try out for the Cowboys, I believe. TCU's, of course, was Mr. Tomlinson. I wish "better alumni" was worth eight points. That would've helped.
So TCU received the ball first, and this was the matchup that I was most excited about. Because we knew Boise's offense was great, but I trusted the TCU defense to hold them. But our offense was also top five in the nation, and I hadn't heard much about their defense. I knew that they were giving up points against their WAC opponents, and I assumed we'd be able to move the ball.
The first drive, however, Andy Dalton missed two wide-open receivers. It looked like he was nervous, and maybe the crowd was affecting him.
Ominous Sign Number Four - Andy Dalton looks shaky.
TCU's defense, as it did all night, held Boise for a bit...and eventually TCU got the ball back. Over the speaker, it was announced that TCU's audio equipment wasn't working, and that both teams would not be allowed to use their radios.
Ominous Sign Number Five - Technology fails TCU.
The first play after the announcement, Dalton threw a pick-six. Boise was up 7-0. And my legs stopped working. The whole week, I was worried about the game, but I wasn't worried that we were going to lose. TCU, if they were able to get a big win, would be in position to make a run at the Associated Press Number One ranking. They wouldn't play in the national championship, but they could still get a share of it.
Now we had just given Boise the lead, and Kellen Moore hadn't done anything yet. It was bad. TCU was able to fight back and get the score to 10-7.
And I was confident that TCU was going to be okay at that point. The offense was struggling, but all year, the TCU coaching staff was able to make the right adjustment. Gary Patterson was able get the team focused. It was obvious at that point that Andy Dalton was affected by the crowd, and the whole team was playing like a team that hadn't been on TV before.
But the second half wasn't a whole lot better. The TCU offense was based on the running game all season, but the whole game, TCU only ran the ball ten times with running backs. It wasn't that the running game wasn't working - for some reason, the Frogs just didn't want to run it.
TCU tied it at 10, and the defense was doing it's job. They allowed only three points, and the game was turning into a punt fest.
And TCU, for a while, remembered who they were playing. Early in the second half, TCU burned a timeout when Boise State was about to punt. They saw something they didn't like, and they didn't want to get burned by a fake punt.
But with a 4th and 9 from their own 32-yard line, Boise did what they do. They got cute. I turned to Ashley, and I said it. "They're going to fake punt." I just had a feeling.
Ominous Sign Number Six - A Touch of ESP.
It was crazy in a lot of ways. Boise was unable to move the ball, and while their defense was playing well, they would be giving the Frogs the ball in field goal range to take the lead. And it was nine yards they had to get...not one or two.
But this was Boise. The nation was expecting them to get cute, and they couldn't move the ball otherwise. The snap was done, and I saw a TCU player break through. I thought he was going to block the punt, but instead, I saw a Boise player run for the first down.
And that was the ballgame. There was still enough time for TCU to do something about it. Heck, there was still another fifty yards that Boise needed for the go-ahead score. But, for all intensive purposes, that was the ballgame. TCU's defense, which was solid all night, was shell-shocked. A few plays later, Boise led 17-10.
TCU had a couple chances to tie it. A TCU receiver dropped a ball in the endzone, and Dalton missed a guy who was wide open with nothing separating him and the endzone. Two chances to score. Two failed opportunities.
And even with 99 yards to go, one minute on the clock, and only one timeout left, TCU still had a chance. And with only thirty yards between them and a tie, Dalton threw his third pick. And the game was over.
TCU was supposed to win the game, and they'd just lost by seven. I was upset, I was angry, and I was sad. This year was supposed to be special, and it'd just ended on the worst of notes.
And the worst thing is that I think TCU was the better team on the field that night. TCU had played its worst game of the year, their quarterback played the worst game of his life, and it took a risky fake punt to beat the Frogs by seven.
TCU was the better team. TCU is the better team. And that's why things hurt so bad.
As we were walking out the stadium, there was a logjam on the stairs. I was mad, and I didn't want to wait in line for no reason. There were two sets of stairs, and they crossed each other on each floor. I noticed that the other set of stairs weren't being used, and I decided to jump them. The night had been terrible, and I needed to get out of there as soon as possible.
I almost broke my neck doing it, but Ashley called it the smartest move of the night. We made our way to the bus, and we went back to the hotel. When we got back, I wanted to get out of my purple and get some alcohol in me. I wanted it so badly that I decided to sprint down the hallway to my room.
And I ran as fast as I could, my body full of angry and depressed emotion. I ran so fast that I felt like I was flying with no control of my legs. I probably run a 4.8 40, but I felt like I was running a 2.0.
We had a drink at the bar with other TCU fans, and then we went to bed. It was awful, and I wanted to sleep it off.
Next on the blog, I'll wrap up the trip with the final day in Arizona, and I'll give my thoughts on the loss, the game, and the future.
And I can say that tonight's victory against the Eagles (especially Philly) does a lot to make up for what happened in Glendale, Arizona on Monday night. Because there's only one thing to describe the Fiesta Bowl itself.
It sucked.
The rest of the trip was great. The resort was amazing. I've posted 22 pictures of the resort on my facebook, and it will demonstrate how amazing it was there. I thought the Suns' game was great, and I loved walking down the ten-mile walk to Zipps with Matt and Ashley. As far as a trip goes, I would've given it an A or an A+ up until game day.
And the day of the game didn't start off horribly. I woke up, threw on some purple, and I met Ashley for a late breakfast. January 4th was, coincidentally, Ashley's birthday, and we went to the buffet for breakfast. They had an amazing selection of breakfast foods, and while it was expensive, it was delicious. And it was awesome to be around so many Frog fans in the middle of Arizona.
A few minutes later, Ashley and I were throwing the football around in the hotel courtyard with a little football we were given by Anthony Travel. It was hard to throw because it was tiny and covered in smooth plastic on one side. But it was fun to throw it around and get ourselves ready for football.
Before we knew it, we were ready to head to the stadium. The Fiesta Bowl threw together "College Football's Biggest Party" near the stadium, and we were set to be there for a few hours before kickoff.
There was a nice 30-40 minute drive out to the stadium from Glendale, and when we arrived, we all experienced Ominous Feeling Number One.
The whole party was bright orange. We looked out, and the entire crowd seemed to be Boise-based. It turns out that the Boise side of the party was simply closest to the entrance, but even then, there seemed to be twice as many Boise fans as TCU fans. Maybe TCU fans were elsewhere, or maybe Boise fans just really like free hot dogs and potato salad.
But it was the start of something that felt wrong. The party itself was a bit dumb, especially with the $20 ticket cost, and I'm not sure we would've gone if it wasn't included in our package. There were some interesting things there, including the bearded "college football guy" from the Allstate commercials, but it was, all in all, pretty dumb. We waited in a line that stretched half-way across the party for a meager hot dog and a scoop of potato salad, and everything else was expensive.
There was a bit of an online sportsradio station at the game, and they were asking for predictions on the score. Boise fans were conservative: 21-20 Boise, 27-24 Boise, 17-14 Boise.
TCU fans were a bit more confident. 35-7. 40-14. One kid even said 80-0.
Ominous Sign Number Two - Overconfident TCU.
We did shoot a bit of a video for something called "Fear the Frog" that was supposed to air on the Mtn network. Ashley and I would've been a big part of this one section, but I don't know if we'll ever see it.
Anyway, after a bit at the party, we went and found some of our other friends at a tailgate. Then, it was time to go inside the stadium. The game was going to begin soon.
When we got in, the stadium was beginning to fill up, and we noticed something odd. We were in the corner of the TCU section, and we noticed that half of each section was full. The other half was speckled with fans, but it wasn't nearly as full as the other side. We wondered if these were the tickets that Iowa fans had bought and tried to re-sell.
Anyway, the players eventually came out for warmups...and we had another ominous sign.
Ominous Sign Number Three - Boise's fans are freakin' loud. When TCU players came out for warmups, there was a pretty loud cheer for them. When Boise players came out, there was a roar. I turned to Ashley and told him we needed to jump out to a lead to take the fans out of the game.
Eventually, the game was getting ready to start. In pregame, they had alumni players from each team. Boise State's player was their quarterback from their earlier trip to the Fiesta Bowl, Jared Zombranski (or something like that, I'm not looking his name up). He never played in the NFL, although he did try out for the Cowboys, I believe. TCU's, of course, was Mr. Tomlinson. I wish "better alumni" was worth eight points. That would've helped.
So TCU received the ball first, and this was the matchup that I was most excited about. Because we knew Boise's offense was great, but I trusted the TCU defense to hold them. But our offense was also top five in the nation, and I hadn't heard much about their defense. I knew that they were giving up points against their WAC opponents, and I assumed we'd be able to move the ball.
The first drive, however, Andy Dalton missed two wide-open receivers. It looked like he was nervous, and maybe the crowd was affecting him.
Ominous Sign Number Four - Andy Dalton looks shaky.
TCU's defense, as it did all night, held Boise for a bit...and eventually TCU got the ball back. Over the speaker, it was announced that TCU's audio equipment wasn't working, and that both teams would not be allowed to use their radios.
Ominous Sign Number Five - Technology fails TCU.
The first play after the announcement, Dalton threw a pick-six. Boise was up 7-0. And my legs stopped working. The whole week, I was worried about the game, but I wasn't worried that we were going to lose. TCU, if they were able to get a big win, would be in position to make a run at the Associated Press Number One ranking. They wouldn't play in the national championship, but they could still get a share of it.
Now we had just given Boise the lead, and Kellen Moore hadn't done anything yet. It was bad. TCU was able to fight back and get the score to 10-7.
And I was confident that TCU was going to be okay at that point. The offense was struggling, but all year, the TCU coaching staff was able to make the right adjustment. Gary Patterson was able get the team focused. It was obvious at that point that Andy Dalton was affected by the crowd, and the whole team was playing like a team that hadn't been on TV before.
But the second half wasn't a whole lot better. The TCU offense was based on the running game all season, but the whole game, TCU only ran the ball ten times with running backs. It wasn't that the running game wasn't working - for some reason, the Frogs just didn't want to run it.
TCU tied it at 10, and the defense was doing it's job. They allowed only three points, and the game was turning into a punt fest.
And TCU, for a while, remembered who they were playing. Early in the second half, TCU burned a timeout when Boise State was about to punt. They saw something they didn't like, and they didn't want to get burned by a fake punt.
But with a 4th and 9 from their own 32-yard line, Boise did what they do. They got cute. I turned to Ashley, and I said it. "They're going to fake punt." I just had a feeling.
Ominous Sign Number Six - A Touch of ESP.
It was crazy in a lot of ways. Boise was unable to move the ball, and while their defense was playing well, they would be giving the Frogs the ball in field goal range to take the lead. And it was nine yards they had to get...not one or two.
But this was Boise. The nation was expecting them to get cute, and they couldn't move the ball otherwise. The snap was done, and I saw a TCU player break through. I thought he was going to block the punt, but instead, I saw a Boise player run for the first down.
And that was the ballgame. There was still enough time for TCU to do something about it. Heck, there was still another fifty yards that Boise needed for the go-ahead score. But, for all intensive purposes, that was the ballgame. TCU's defense, which was solid all night, was shell-shocked. A few plays later, Boise led 17-10.
TCU had a couple chances to tie it. A TCU receiver dropped a ball in the endzone, and Dalton missed a guy who was wide open with nothing separating him and the endzone. Two chances to score. Two failed opportunities.
And even with 99 yards to go, one minute on the clock, and only one timeout left, TCU still had a chance. And with only thirty yards between them and a tie, Dalton threw his third pick. And the game was over.
TCU was supposed to win the game, and they'd just lost by seven. I was upset, I was angry, and I was sad. This year was supposed to be special, and it'd just ended on the worst of notes.
And the worst thing is that I think TCU was the better team on the field that night. TCU had played its worst game of the year, their quarterback played the worst game of his life, and it took a risky fake punt to beat the Frogs by seven.
TCU was the better team. TCU is the better team. And that's why things hurt so bad.
As we were walking out the stadium, there was a logjam on the stairs. I was mad, and I didn't want to wait in line for no reason. There were two sets of stairs, and they crossed each other on each floor. I noticed that the other set of stairs weren't being used, and I decided to jump them. The night had been terrible, and I needed to get out of there as soon as possible.
I almost broke my neck doing it, but Ashley called it the smartest move of the night. We made our way to the bus, and we went back to the hotel. When we got back, I wanted to get out of my purple and get some alcohol in me. I wanted it so badly that I decided to sprint down the hallway to my room.
And I ran as fast as I could, my body full of angry and depressed emotion. I ran so fast that I felt like I was flying with no control of my legs. I probably run a 4.8 40, but I felt like I was running a 2.0.
We had a drink at the bar with other TCU fans, and then we went to bed. It was awful, and I wanted to sleep it off.
Next on the blog, I'll wrap up the trip with the final day in Arizona, and I'll give my thoughts on the loss, the game, and the future.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Fiesta Bowl - Pre-Gameday
As things started to come together, I found out that a lot of my friends were coming to the game. Matt Turner was going to fly to Phoenix on Sunday, staying pretty close to our hotel in Scottsdale. Tim Savage was going to drive in a rented van with a few friends, and they were also going to arrive on Sunday. And, of course, Ashley and his parents were doing the same package we were doing.
I found out, however, that Ashley and his parents were on a different chartered plane than me. He was going to leave at 7:30am on Saturday, and I was leaving at 8:30am. Because of that, they were just going to head to the airport themselves, and I would come shortly after.
So I went to bed early (much to the annoyance of Tucker and Keely, who were throwing a party at their house), and woke up very early to head out to Phoenix. I can't remember the last time I left out of Love Field, but it was all prearranged by Anthony Travel - we had our own check-in place, and it was all set up very well. It was also really cool to look around and see waves of purple. When we got on board, there was a bagged breakfast and a couple gifts from the travel company, and we were off.
According to Ashley, his charter was a bit more like a pep rally. They tried to get the fight song going and sang the school song. Ashley said that it all went over kinda poorly (probably because it was 7am), and they might've relayed that to our plane...because they didn't really try anything.
Anyway, we landed in Phoenix and exited right onto the tarmac onto buses...and headed to the hotel. And I gotta say...the hotel was awesome. I'm going to post some pictures on facebook in case anyone wants to see how they looked, but it was pretty amazing.
Of course, they didn't have my room ready when I went to check in...so I went to hang out with Ashley and his parents. The Cotton Bowl was about to start, and I watched the first quarter before I finally got in my room. I took a quick nap before Ashley and I finally made the call on the Suns game.
You see, we were staying in Scottsdale, which is a 20-30 minute drive from the Suns' arena. We didn't have any transportation, and anyone we knew wouldn't be arriving until the next day. Since this was our free night (and the only night the Suns were in town), it was our only chance to go. So we only had three options.
1. Rent a car for the night. There was an Enterprise set up in the hotel, but according to Matt, the taxes were more than the car.
2. Get a cab for a nice $40-$50 charge.
3. Use the hotel's towncar service. It'd be slightly more expensive (ended up being $54), but it would be easier to get there and back.
We decided that we needed to go, despite the cost, since it would be something unique and fun for the night. We got in the towncar, and we headed to the arena. We were skipping the "Welcome Bash" but outside of the free food, Ashley's parents (who went) said we didn't miss much.
Anyway, we arrived at the arena and bought some tickets (scalping is legal in Arizona, apparently, and they're not afraid to be really open about it). We bought some $25 seats, saving $5 from ones at the box office) and arrived at the game. The Suns were playing Memphis, and we were expecting a nice victory for the home team.
We were wrong, though. The Suns were horrible all night. They couldn't rebound, play defense, or score. I was sitting by an old Suns' season ticket holder, and he was pretty upset all night. But the Grizzlies are a very solid and very young team (they only have four guys older than Ashley on their roster)...when they're on, they can beat a lot of teams. They did the same thing to the Mavericks about a month ago, and they're gonna become more and more competitive as they grow together.
It was a lot of fun, though, to see an NBA game in a different venue. It'd obviously be more fun to see the Mavs play, but it reminded me of my old baseball trip...where the game itself was more important than either of the teams. Side note, though: both Ashley and I wore our TCU stuff...and we expected to see more Fiesta Bowl people. But outside of a couple Boise shirts, I didn't see much.
So we drove back in another towncar (and another $54, plus tip). This time, however, our driver was a bit more talkative. He mentioned driving a couple of Green Bay Packers the night before, and that was pretty cool. He gave us some information on Phoenix, and we arrived back at the hotel to watch some more football before heading to bed.
Waking up the next day, I wandered around the hotel a bit...taking in the luxury resort...before Matt called us. He'd arrived, and he wanted to hang out for a bit. I figured it'd make just as much sense for him to come hang out for a bit, get something to eat, watch some of the early NFL game, and then try to find someplace to watch the Cowboy game.
You see, the Cowboys and Eagles were going to play at 2:15 Arizona time, and since the game was for the NFC East title, I really wanted to watch it. Unfortunately, the Cardinals were playing at the exact time...so we had to find a sports bar with a football package to watch the game.
I spoke to the very cute (but very engaged) manager at the bar, and she told me about a sports bar called Zipps that would certainly have the game. It was supposedly just "two blocks down on the left." Since it was so close, I figured we could just walk there...so we started there at halftime of the Giants/Vikings game.
We walked a couple of blocks and saw a little strip mall. No Zipps. We walked another block before we came across a jogger. He saw our TCU stuff and talked to us for a bit about TCU (and his alma mater, Clemson). When we'd walked a couple of blocks, he turned off, and I asked about Zipps. He said it was down the street about a mile on the left. We couldn't miss it.
And so we kept walking. And walking. And walking. It seemed like we were walking forever, and we started to wonder if Zipps was the official joke of Scottsdale. You tell out-of-towners that they can watch TV at a sports bar called Zipps. It's down the street and to the left...you can't miss it. The dumb Texans will walk for miles and miles until some poor soul finally lets them in on the joke.
However, we eventually found it. It was on the left, but it certainly wasn't close. And since the sign for Zipps was about two feet wide, I'm pretty sure we could've missed it if we weren't watching for it like hawks.
But the weather was perfect, and it was nice to get around. It seems like we weren't the only TCU folk that were looking for the Cowboy game because we invaded Zipps' outdoor patio to watch the game.
Fun note - our waitress was named Tasia - short for Anastasia. She was cute and fun and very Greek, and when I asked about her name, she told us all about herself.
Well, as most of you know, the Cowboys took care of business in that game, and even though we left at halftime to get to the TCU pep rally, we saw most of the parts of the game that mattered. When the game ended about an hour later, I was able to smile because I figured I was in for a really cool weekend.
So we made the long journey back to the hotel, and Matt drove us to the area where the pep rally was going to take place. Apparently TCU had taken control of a big upscale shopping center, and they set up a little area for us to have our pep rally in front of a Barnes & Noble. Ashley, Matt, and I set up right behind the stage, and we started a little "GO!" "FROGS!" chant between the people behind the stage and in front of it.
The pep rally was cool...if only for the fact that we were in the middle of a shopping center in Arizona surrounded by purple. There was the occasional Boise blue, but it was mostly people from the area...ready to cheer the Frogs to victory.
The rally itself was cool. It was mostly MCed by a guy from ESPN Radio in Dallas, who spoke for a bit. Gary Patterson spoke for a very little bit, his voice a little raspy (like it always is this time of year). The band played a few songs, and that was it. The whole thing lasted about 20-30 minutes, and then there was a bit of mingling amongst the Frog faithful.
Side note - we were almost smacked in the head by the tuba players...who were wildly shaking their instruments back and forth.
Anyway, we finished the night at Cheesecake Factory to celebrate the night before the game (and the night before Ashley's birthday). We went to bed...ready to face the next day.
Both of us confident in what was going to happen the next day.
I found out, however, that Ashley and his parents were on a different chartered plane than me. He was going to leave at 7:30am on Saturday, and I was leaving at 8:30am. Because of that, they were just going to head to the airport themselves, and I would come shortly after.
So I went to bed early (much to the annoyance of Tucker and Keely, who were throwing a party at their house), and woke up very early to head out to Phoenix. I can't remember the last time I left out of Love Field, but it was all prearranged by Anthony Travel - we had our own check-in place, and it was all set up very well. It was also really cool to look around and see waves of purple. When we got on board, there was a bagged breakfast and a couple gifts from the travel company, and we were off.
According to Ashley, his charter was a bit more like a pep rally. They tried to get the fight song going and sang the school song. Ashley said that it all went over kinda poorly (probably because it was 7am), and they might've relayed that to our plane...because they didn't really try anything.
Anyway, we landed in Phoenix and exited right onto the tarmac onto buses...and headed to the hotel. And I gotta say...the hotel was awesome. I'm going to post some pictures on facebook in case anyone wants to see how they looked, but it was pretty amazing.
Of course, they didn't have my room ready when I went to check in...so I went to hang out with Ashley and his parents. The Cotton Bowl was about to start, and I watched the first quarter before I finally got in my room. I took a quick nap before Ashley and I finally made the call on the Suns game.
You see, we were staying in Scottsdale, which is a 20-30 minute drive from the Suns' arena. We didn't have any transportation, and anyone we knew wouldn't be arriving until the next day. Since this was our free night (and the only night the Suns were in town), it was our only chance to go. So we only had three options.
1. Rent a car for the night. There was an Enterprise set up in the hotel, but according to Matt, the taxes were more than the car.
2. Get a cab for a nice $40-$50 charge.
3. Use the hotel's towncar service. It'd be slightly more expensive (ended up being $54), but it would be easier to get there and back.
We decided that we needed to go, despite the cost, since it would be something unique and fun for the night. We got in the towncar, and we headed to the arena. We were skipping the "Welcome Bash" but outside of the free food, Ashley's parents (who went) said we didn't miss much.
Anyway, we arrived at the arena and bought some tickets (scalping is legal in Arizona, apparently, and they're not afraid to be really open about it). We bought some $25 seats, saving $5 from ones at the box office) and arrived at the game. The Suns were playing Memphis, and we were expecting a nice victory for the home team.
We were wrong, though. The Suns were horrible all night. They couldn't rebound, play defense, or score. I was sitting by an old Suns' season ticket holder, and he was pretty upset all night. But the Grizzlies are a very solid and very young team (they only have four guys older than Ashley on their roster)...when they're on, they can beat a lot of teams. They did the same thing to the Mavericks about a month ago, and they're gonna become more and more competitive as they grow together.
It was a lot of fun, though, to see an NBA game in a different venue. It'd obviously be more fun to see the Mavs play, but it reminded me of my old baseball trip...where the game itself was more important than either of the teams. Side note, though: both Ashley and I wore our TCU stuff...and we expected to see more Fiesta Bowl people. But outside of a couple Boise shirts, I didn't see much.
So we drove back in another towncar (and another $54, plus tip). This time, however, our driver was a bit more talkative. He mentioned driving a couple of Green Bay Packers the night before, and that was pretty cool. He gave us some information on Phoenix, and we arrived back at the hotel to watch some more football before heading to bed.
Waking up the next day, I wandered around the hotel a bit...taking in the luxury resort...before Matt called us. He'd arrived, and he wanted to hang out for a bit. I figured it'd make just as much sense for him to come hang out for a bit, get something to eat, watch some of the early NFL game, and then try to find someplace to watch the Cowboy game.
You see, the Cowboys and Eagles were going to play at 2:15 Arizona time, and since the game was for the NFC East title, I really wanted to watch it. Unfortunately, the Cardinals were playing at the exact time...so we had to find a sports bar with a football package to watch the game.
I spoke to the very cute (but very engaged) manager at the bar, and she told me about a sports bar called Zipps that would certainly have the game. It was supposedly just "two blocks down on the left." Since it was so close, I figured we could just walk there...so we started there at halftime of the Giants/Vikings game.
We walked a couple of blocks and saw a little strip mall. No Zipps. We walked another block before we came across a jogger. He saw our TCU stuff and talked to us for a bit about TCU (and his alma mater, Clemson). When we'd walked a couple of blocks, he turned off, and I asked about Zipps. He said it was down the street about a mile on the left. We couldn't miss it.
And so we kept walking. And walking. And walking. It seemed like we were walking forever, and we started to wonder if Zipps was the official joke of Scottsdale. You tell out-of-towners that they can watch TV at a sports bar called Zipps. It's down the street and to the left...you can't miss it. The dumb Texans will walk for miles and miles until some poor soul finally lets them in on the joke.
However, we eventually found it. It was on the left, but it certainly wasn't close. And since the sign for Zipps was about two feet wide, I'm pretty sure we could've missed it if we weren't watching for it like hawks.
But the weather was perfect, and it was nice to get around. It seems like we weren't the only TCU folk that were looking for the Cowboy game because we invaded Zipps' outdoor patio to watch the game.
Fun note - our waitress was named Tasia - short for Anastasia. She was cute and fun and very Greek, and when I asked about her name, she told us all about herself.
Well, as most of you know, the Cowboys took care of business in that game, and even though we left at halftime to get to the TCU pep rally, we saw most of the parts of the game that mattered. When the game ended about an hour later, I was able to smile because I figured I was in for a really cool weekend.
So we made the long journey back to the hotel, and Matt drove us to the area where the pep rally was going to take place. Apparently TCU had taken control of a big upscale shopping center, and they set up a little area for us to have our pep rally in front of a Barnes & Noble. Ashley, Matt, and I set up right behind the stage, and we started a little "GO!" "FROGS!" chant between the people behind the stage and in front of it.
The pep rally was cool...if only for the fact that we were in the middle of a shopping center in Arizona surrounded by purple. There was the occasional Boise blue, but it was mostly people from the area...ready to cheer the Frogs to victory.
The rally itself was cool. It was mostly MCed by a guy from ESPN Radio in Dallas, who spoke for a bit. Gary Patterson spoke for a very little bit, his voice a little raspy (like it always is this time of year). The band played a few songs, and that was it. The whole thing lasted about 20-30 minutes, and then there was a bit of mingling amongst the Frog faithful.
Side note - we were almost smacked in the head by the tuba players...who were wildly shaking their instruments back and forth.
Anyway, we finished the night at Cheesecake Factory to celebrate the night before the game (and the night before Ashley's birthday). We went to bed...ready to face the next day.
Both of us confident in what was going to happen the next day.
Fiesta Bowl - Introduction
TCU, after a brilliant season, ended up in the 2010 Tostitos' Fiesta Bowl. The team boasted the number one defense in the country, grounded by future NFL draftees DE Jerry Hughes and LB Darryl Washington. The offense, finally keeping up with the Frogs' D, was ranked 4th in the nation with a killer running game and a passing game to match. Many people in the nation, including some national media, thought that TCU deserved a shot at the national championship. Some people even thought the Frogs deserved a chance over #2 ranked Texas, who barely survived the Big 12 Championship to get in the big game.
For the entire season, TCU had dominated their opponents. They won a big road game at Clemson, dominated BYU in Provo, and took care of business against Utah with the national spotlight on them. And, unlike every other Horned Frog team in recent history, this team didn't have a slip-up. There wasn't a San Jose State (2000), Southern Mississippi (2003), SMU (2005), or Utah (2008). The team looked focused and immensely talented.
As I said before, I felt like the Boise State matchup was an insult. Not only because I wanted the Frogs to play someone more significant (even if they didn't make the title game, a matchup against Florida would've been nice, I thought), but I also felt like the NCAA was putting us at the kids table. Sure, they'd give us some big kid food...but they wanted to shove us in Arizona so we wouldn't disturb the other bowls.
It made me mad, and it made a lot of other people even angrier. Some people didn't go to the game because of the matchup, one we all assumed we would win pretty easily. The talk stopped being about the game itself, and it started to become how we could prove to the nation that we deserve the #1 ranking in the Associated Press poll.
And because of the history of the event, I wanted to be there to see it all. I have been a season ticket holder for four years now, and I had enough points to get two tickets to the game. And when it came time to set up travel arrangements, I decided to go with the official package of the university.
It was pricey. Probably way too much for me at the moment. But as I sit here with no mortgage, no wife, and no extra charges...I decided to go for it. It would be four days in Phoenix in the middle of winter...a nice vacation to end an amazing season.
And as the game approached, I got more excited. The bowl was propping up Boise, giving TCU plenty of firepower if the NCAA tried to use the "well...you just beat Boise" argument against us. I was extremely confident in the team, and I really felt like it was going to be a great party. Plus, when some of my friends asked where I'd be watching the game...it was always fun to tell them I'd be there.
Plus...it'd be three days off work to start the new year. What more could you ask for?
The schedule arrived, and there was plenty of fun stuff to do. The more I read about the hotel, the more I liked it. And I convinced Ashley to consider driving into Phoenix on the first day to see a Suns game.
Yeah, it was going to be expensive. But it was going to be really fun, really exciting, and really memorable.
And for a while there...it was definitely all three. But when the big time came...the "memorable" part was the biggest, and the fun slipped away.
Next part - Pre-Game Days.
For the entire season, TCU had dominated their opponents. They won a big road game at Clemson, dominated BYU in Provo, and took care of business against Utah with the national spotlight on them. And, unlike every other Horned Frog team in recent history, this team didn't have a slip-up. There wasn't a San Jose State (2000), Southern Mississippi (2003), SMU (2005), or Utah (2008). The team looked focused and immensely talented.
As I said before, I felt like the Boise State matchup was an insult. Not only because I wanted the Frogs to play someone more significant (even if they didn't make the title game, a matchup against Florida would've been nice, I thought), but I also felt like the NCAA was putting us at the kids table. Sure, they'd give us some big kid food...but they wanted to shove us in Arizona so we wouldn't disturb the other bowls.
It made me mad, and it made a lot of other people even angrier. Some people didn't go to the game because of the matchup, one we all assumed we would win pretty easily. The talk stopped being about the game itself, and it started to become how we could prove to the nation that we deserve the #1 ranking in the Associated Press poll.
And because of the history of the event, I wanted to be there to see it all. I have been a season ticket holder for four years now, and I had enough points to get two tickets to the game. And when it came time to set up travel arrangements, I decided to go with the official package of the university.
It was pricey. Probably way too much for me at the moment. But as I sit here with no mortgage, no wife, and no extra charges...I decided to go for it. It would be four days in Phoenix in the middle of winter...a nice vacation to end an amazing season.
And as the game approached, I got more excited. The bowl was propping up Boise, giving TCU plenty of firepower if the NCAA tried to use the "well...you just beat Boise" argument against us. I was extremely confident in the team, and I really felt like it was going to be a great party. Plus, when some of my friends asked where I'd be watching the game...it was always fun to tell them I'd be there.
Plus...it'd be three days off work to start the new year. What more could you ask for?
The schedule arrived, and there was plenty of fun stuff to do. The more I read about the hotel, the more I liked it. And I convinced Ashley to consider driving into Phoenix on the first day to see a Suns game.
Yeah, it was going to be expensive. But it was going to be really fun, really exciting, and really memorable.
And for a while there...it was definitely all three. But when the big time came...the "memorable" part was the biggest, and the fun slipped away.
Next part - Pre-Game Days.
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